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Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Michigan

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2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Michigan

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

8 Colleges
$18,105 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$31,378 Avg Salary

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

In 2020-2021, 222 degrees and certificates were awarded to parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who went to a Michigan college or university. This makes it the #20 most popular major in the state.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Grad Degree Search has created the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Michigan to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 8 schools in Michigan to see which programs offered the best value experiences for parks and rec students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

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

2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Michigan

Check out the parks and rec programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Best Michigan Schools for Affordable Quality in Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness

$13,206 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Northern Michigan University to be the best value school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a degree in Michigan. Located in the remote town of Marquette, Northern Michigan University is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Northern Michigan University undergraduate students pay an average of $13,206 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Northern Michigan University Report

#2

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, MI
$13,094 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Central Michigan University is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Central Michigan is a large public school located in the distant town of Mount Pleasant.

Central Michigan undergraduate students pay an average of $13,094 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

$17,193 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at U-M are $17,193 a year.

U-M also took the #1 spot in our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Michigan rankings.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

#4

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI
$15,966 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 8 schools in Michigan that were part of this year’s ranking, Michigan State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Michigan State is a very large public school located in the small city of East Lansing.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Michigan State are $15,966 a year.

Michigan State did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Michigan list.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Michigan State University Report

#5

Adrian College

Adrian, MI
$39,107 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Adrian College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Michigan list. Located in the distant town of Adrian, Adrian is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Adrian are $39,107 a year.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Adrian College

$13,434 Average Tuition & Fees

Western Michigan University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Michigan ranking. WMU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Kalamazoo.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at WMU are $13,434 a year.

Read More…

#7

Wayne State University

Detroit, MI
$15,199 Average Tuition & Fees

Wayne State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Wayne State is a very large public school located in the city of Detroit.

Wayne State undergraduate students pay an average of $15,199 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Wayne State University

$15,500 Average Tuition & Fees

Eastern Michigan 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 #8 on the list. Eastern Michigan is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Ypsilanti.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Eastern Michigan are $15,500 a year.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Eastern Michigan University Report

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

Explore all the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Illinois 797
Indiana 192
Ohio 478
Wisconsin 117

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

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 8 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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