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

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

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

9 Colleges
$19,802 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$31,990 Avg Salary

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

In 2020-2021, 433 degrees and certificates were awarded to parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who went to a Virginia college or university. This makes it the #15 most popular major in the state.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Grad Degree Search has developed this Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia ranking. This report analyzed 9 schools in Virginia 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.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. 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.

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

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

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges.

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

#1

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA
$12,638 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found James Madison University to be the best value school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a degree in Virginia. Located in the city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at JMU are $12,638 a year.

JMU not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #5 on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia list.

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

$19,785 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at University of Virginia - Main Campus helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Virginia. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at University of Virginia are $19,785 a year.

University of Virginia also made our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia list, coming in at #1.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Virginia - Main Campus Report

#3

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA
$10,800 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 9 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Old Dominion University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Old Dominion is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Norfolk.

Old Dominion undergraduate students pay an average of $10,800 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Old Dominion University Report

#4

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA
$13,119 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Mason University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia list. GMU is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Fairfax.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GMU are $13,119 per year.

In addition to its great value ranking, GMU is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia list.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at George Mason University Report

#5

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA
$16,160 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Liberty University is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Liberty University are $16,160 per year.

Read More…

#6

Shenandoah University

Winchester, VA
$34,490 Average Tuition & Fees

Shenandoah University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia ranking. Shenandoah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Winchester.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Shenandoah are $34,490 per year.

Read More…

$15,028 Average Tuition & Fees

Virginia Commonwealth 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 #7 on the list. VCU is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Richmond.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at VCU are $15,028 a year.

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

#8

Hampton University

Hampton, VA
$29,312 Average Tuition & Fees

Hampton University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia list. Located in the midsize city of Hampton, Hampton is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Hampton are $29,312 per year.

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

#9

Randolph College

Lynchburg, VA
$26,890 Average Tuition & Fees

Randolph College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Randolph is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Lynchburg.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Randolph are $26,890 per year.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Randolph College Report

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

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

State Degrees Awarded
Mississippi 160
Florida 448
North Carolina 289
Tennessee 287
Georgia 308
South Carolina 220
Louisiana 152
West Virginia 236
Kentucky 279
Arkansas 292
Alabama 216

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 9 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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