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Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

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2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

34 Colleges
$26,610 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$32,049 Avg Salary

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

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the #18 most popular major in the country with 10,452 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 34 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region 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 the Middle Atlantic Region

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

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

$14,615 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania the best value school in the Middle Atlantic Region for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the distant town of Slippery Rock, SRU is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

SRU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,615 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

#2

Mount St Mary's University

Emmitsburg, MD
$44,750 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 34 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Mount St Mary’s University landed the # 2 spot on the list. The Mount is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Emmitsburg.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at The Mount are $44,750 a year.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Mount St Mary’s University

#3

Canisius College

Buffalo, NY
$30,910 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 34 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Canisius College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Buffalo, Canisius 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 Canisius are $30,910 a year.

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

#4

Neumann University

Aston, PA
$34,460 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Neumann University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the Middle Atlantic Region . Neumann is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Aston.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Neumann are $34,460 per year.

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

$22,806 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Bloomsburg is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Bloomsburg.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bloomsburg are $22,806 per year.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania

#6

Lock Haven University

Lock Haven, PA
$20,702 Average Tuition & Fees

Lock Haven 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 #6 on the list. LHU is a small public school located in the town of Lock Haven.

LHU undergraduate students pay an average of $20,702 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Lock Haven University

#7

Montclair State University

Montclair, NJ
$21,418 Average Tuition & Fees

Montclair State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in the large suburb of Montclair, Montclair State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Montclair State undergraduate students pay an average of $21,418 in tuition and fees each year.

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

$22,247 Average Tuition & Fees

West Chester University of Pennsylvania landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. WCUPA is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of West Chester.

WCUPA undergraduate students pay an average of $22,247 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at West Chester University of Pennsylvania Report

With a ranking of #8, University of Delaware did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the large suburb of Newark, UD is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UD are $36,880 per year.

UD also claimed a spot on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Delaware Report

#10

Frostburg State University

Frostburg, MD
$24,080 Average Tuition & Fees

Frostburg State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Frostburg State is a small public school located in the suburb of Frostburg.

Frostburg State undergraduate students pay an average of $24,080 in tuition and fees each year.

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

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 Middle Atlantic region.

State Degrees Awarded
New York 327
Pennsylvania 610
Maryland 32
New Jersey 79
District of Columbia 213
Delaware 23

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 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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