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Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

49 Colleges
$26,590 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$32,191 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School for You

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies was ranked #18 in the country. In fact 10,452 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

The Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 49 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best value programs for parks and rec students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for parks and rec majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools

#1

Ashland University

Ashland, OH
$23,090 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Ashland University to be the best value school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . Ashland is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Ashland.

Ashland undergraduate students pay an average of $23,090 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Ashland University Report

$25,044 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 49 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Grace College and Theological Seminary landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the distant town of Winona Lake, Grace College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Grace College are $25,044 a year.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Grace College and Theological Seminary Report

#3

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, IL
$34,310 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Concordia University, Chicago is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the large suburb of River Forest, Concordia University, Chicago is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Concordia University, Chicago are $34,310 per year.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Concordia University, Chicago Report

#4

Valparaiso University

Valparaiso, IN
$44,796 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Valparaiso University is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the suburb of Valparaiso, Valpo is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Valpo are $44,796 a year.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Valparaiso University Report

$11,496 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUE are $11,496 per year.

Read More…

Illinois State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public school with a very large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Illinois State are $24,172 per year.

Illinois State also claimed a spot on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

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$31,952 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, Concordia University, Wisconsin did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Concordia University, Wisconsin is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Mequon.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Concordia University, Wisconsin are $31,952 per year.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Concordia University, Wisconsin Report

$33,380 Average Tuition & Fees

Ohio Dominican University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. ODU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Columbus.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at ODU are $33,380 per year.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Ohio Dominican University

#9

Xavier University

Cincinnati, OH

Xavier University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the city of Cincinnati, Xavier is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Xavier are $42,460 a year.

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$34,762 Average Tuition & Fees

Cardinal Stritch University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Cardinal Stritch is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Milwaukee.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Cardinal Stritch are $34,762 a year.

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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Illinois 797
Indiana 192
Ohio 478
Wisconsin 117
Michigan 222

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 9,742
Recreation Administration 441
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 206
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 35
Outdoor Education 28

Majors Similar to Parks & Rec

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration & Social Service 53,252
Legal Professions 45,189
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting 13,045
Military Technologies & Applied Sciences 1,613

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to NPS Photo/Zurbuch.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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