{
  "major": "Parks & Recreation",
  "slug": "parks-recreation",
  "field": "Public Safety & Recreation",
  "as_of": "2026",
  "url": "https://collegeranked.com/best-parks-recreation-schools/",
  "source": "U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2026 release); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics",
  "metric_definitions": {
    "median_earnings": "Median earnings one year after graduation (Scorecard)",
    "net_price": "Average annual cost of attendance after grant aid. For PUBLIC schools this reflects IN-STATE cost; out-of-state students pay more.",
    "roi_10yr_usd": "Ten years of earnings minus four years of net price",
    "public": "true = public university (net_price is in-state basis); false = private (residency-neutral)"
  },
  "total_colleges_with_reported_data": 58,
  "shown": 25,
  "ranking": [
    {
      "rank": 1,
      "school": "Brigham Young University",
      "state": "UT",
      "median_earnings": 47596,
      "net_price": 15564,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 413704,
      "public": false
    },
    {
      "rank": 2,
      "school": "California State University-Sacramento",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 40338,
      "net_price": 9338,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 366028,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 3,
      "school": "Ohio University-Eastern Campus",
      "state": "OH",
      "median_earnings": 36850,
      "net_price": 3925,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 352800,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 4,
      "school": "Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus",
      "state": "OH",
      "median_earnings": 36850,
      "net_price": 5755,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 345480,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 5,
      "school": "Ohio University-Southern Campus",
      "state": "OH",
      "median_earnings": 36850,
      "net_price": 5993,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 344528,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 6,
      "school": "Ohio University-Lancaster Campus",
      "state": "OH",
      "median_earnings": 36850,
      "net_price": 5650,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 345900,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 7,
      "school": "Ohio University-Zanesville Campus",
      "state": "OH",
      "median_earnings": 36850,
      "net_price": 5746,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 345516,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 8,
      "school": "CUNY Lehman College",
      "state": "NY",
      "median_earnings": 41484,
      "net_price": 3148,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 402248,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 9,
      "school": "California State University-East Bay",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 43700,
      "net_price": 9320,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 399720,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 10,
      "school": "Arizona State University Campus Immersion",
      "state": "AZ",
      "median_earnings": 43149,
      "net_price": 14967,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 371622,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 11,
      "school": "University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign",
      "state": "IL",
      "median_earnings": 34742,
      "net_price": 14355,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 290000,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 12,
      "school": "Metropolitan State University of Denver",
      "state": "CO",
      "median_earnings": 42886,
      "net_price": 15327,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 367552,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 13,
      "school": "San Diego State University",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 33692,
      "net_price": 15364,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 275464,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 14,
      "school": "Shepherd University",
      "state": "WV",
      "median_earnings": 34287,
      "net_price": 11363,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 297418,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 15,
      "school": "California State University-Chico",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 33920,
      "net_price": 14480,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 281280,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 16,
      "school": "California State University-Fresno",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 32697,
      "net_price": 7000,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 298970,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 17,
      "school": "University of Arkansas",
      "state": "AR",
      "median_earnings": 31567,
      "net_price": 18209,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 242834,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 18,
      "school": "California State University-Long Beach",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 35532,
      "net_price": 10440,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 313560,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 19,
      "school": "Northwest Missouri State University",
      "state": "MO",
      "median_earnings": 42389,
      "net_price": 16244,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 358914,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 20,
      "school": "University of Missouri-Columbia",
      "state": "MO",
      "median_earnings": 38725,
      "net_price": 20268,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 306178,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 21,
      "school": "Ohio University-Main Campus",
      "state": "OH",
      "median_earnings": 36850,
      "net_price": 21637,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 281952,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 22,
      "school": "University of Utah",
      "state": "UT",
      "median_earnings": 37009,
      "net_price": 16200,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 305290,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 23,
      "school": "University of Northern Iowa",
      "state": "IA",
      "median_earnings": 37233,
      "net_price": 15901,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 308726,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 24,
      "school": "Indiana University-Bloomington",
      "state": "IN",
      "median_earnings": 35429,
      "net_price": 16264,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 289234,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 25,
      "school": "Northern Arizona University",
      "state": "AZ",
      "median_earnings": 31672,
      "net_price": 14158,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 260088,
      "public": true
    }
  ]
}