How much debt do Sacramento State parks and recreation graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $20,024, which ranks 7th lowest of 8 parks and recreation bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $212 a month over 10 years.

Is a parks and recreation degree from Sacramento State worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 50% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 66%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less.

Sacramento State Parks and Recreation (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Sacramento State parks and recreation graduates stay in California?

Most do. 89% (118 of 133) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies
Public university
Sacramento, CA
About 56 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Sacramento State parks and recreation graduates earn more than graduates of most parks and recreation programs nationally, $40,338 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $20,024 in federal loans, close to the national median of $22,741. It is one of the higher-paying parks and recreation degrees in California.

First-year earnings$40,33887th percentile of 52 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$60,22749% more than year one

Median federal debt$20,0247th lowest of 8 California programs

Debt-to-earnings50%California median 45%, national 66%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The California and national columns are the medians across all parks and recreation bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Sacramento State	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$40,338	$33,920	$33,806
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$60,227	$56,924	$49,799
Median federal debt at graduation	$20,024	$16,583	$22,741
Debt as share of first-year pay	50%	45%	66%
Programs compared		9	52

Five years out, Sacramento State graduates earn more than the national figure and about $3,303 more than the California median.

Debt and first-year pay at every California parks and recreation program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the California medians.

Sacramento StateOther California programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 49% between the first and fifth year.

Sacramento State grads, year 1$40,338

Sacramento State grads, year 5$60,227

All California parks and recreation grads, year 5$56,924

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $8,708 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$37,614Median debt $18,556

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$46,322Median debt $22,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $212 a month, or 6.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (95 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	40–59%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
In default	20% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

89% of graduates (118 of 133) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Sacramento area are about 7% above the national average, so a $40,338 salary here buys what about $37,816 buys in a typical US city.

About Sacramento State

In-state tuition and fees	$8,018 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$20,618 / year
Average net price after aid	$9,338 / year
Admission rate	94%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	56%
Undergraduate students	28,350

Parks and Recreation ranks 15th of 45 bachelor's programs at Sacramento State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($116,001), Construction Engineering ($90,836), and Electrical Engineering ($74,450).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $40,338 one year after graduating and $60,227 five years after. The median across parks and recreation bachelor's programs in California is $33,920.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of California comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the parks and recreation program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Parks and Recreation bachelor's programs in California, ranked9 programs by pay and debt Parks and Recreation bachelor's programs in the US, ranked52 programs by pay and debt All Sacramento State programs, ranked45 programs by pay and debt