Find Grad Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

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

Find Schools Near

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

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

5 Colleges
$14,896 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$31,634 Avg Salary

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

With 136 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies is the #14 most popular major in Iowa.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

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 Iowa to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 5 schools in Iowa 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.

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 Iowa

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

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

$9,634 Average Tuition & Fees

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

Iowa State undergraduate students pay an average of $9,634 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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

#2

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA
$9,942 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Iowa is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Iowa is a fairly large public school located in the city of Iowa City.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Iowa are $9,942 a year.

Iowa not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Iowa list.

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

#3

Grand View University

Des Moines, IA
$30,954 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Grand View University is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the city of Des Moines, Grand View University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Grand View University undergraduate students pay an average of $30,954 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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

#4

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA
$9,053 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Northern Iowa is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. UNI is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Cedar Falls.

UNI undergraduate students pay an average of $9,053 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Northern Iowa

#5

William Penn University

Oskaloosa, IA
$27,200 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend William Penn University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Iowa list. William Penn University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Oskaloosa.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at William Penn University are $27,200 a year.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at William Penn University Report

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

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

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 50
Missouri 247
Minnesota 151
North Dakota 36
Nebraska 36
South Dakota 61

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 5 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.

Featured Schools

Find Graduate Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited graduate schools across the U.S.