How much debt do San Diego State parks and recreation graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $14,999, which ranks 3rd lowest of 8 parks and recreation bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $159 a month over 10 years.

Is a parks and recreation degree from San Diego State worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 45% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 66%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several California programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

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

Most do. 82% (32 of 39) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies
Public university
San Diego, CA
About 18 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

San Diego State parks and recreation graduates earn about what parks and recreation graduates earn nationally, $33,692 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $14,999 in federal loans, less than at 91% of parks and recreation programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying parks and recreation degrees in California.

First-year earnings$33,69248th percentile of 52 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$62,73486% more than year one

Median federal debt$14,9993rd lowest of 8 California programs

Debt-to-earnings45%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.

	San Diego State	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$33,692	$33,920	$33,806
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$62,734	$56,924	$49,799
Median federal debt at graduation	$14,999	$16,583	$22,741
Debt as share of first-year pay	45%	45%	66%
Programs compared		9	52

Five years out, San Diego State graduates earn more than the national figure and about $5,810 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.

San Diego 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 86% between the first and fifth year.

San Diego State grads, year 1$33,692

San Diego State grads, year 5$62,734

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.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $159 a month, or 5.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (40 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%

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

82% of graduates (32 of 39) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the San Diego area are about 12% above the national average, so a $33,692 salary here buys what about $30,113 buys in a typical US city.

About San Diego State

In-state tuition and fees	$8,728 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$21,328 / year
Average net price after aid	$15,364 / year
Admission rate	36%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	76%
Undergraduate students	35,377

Parks and Recreation ranks 36th of 59 bachelor's programs at San Diego State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($100,221), Construction Engineering Technology ($81,608), and Computer Engineering ($76,812).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $33,692 one year after graduating and $62,734 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 San Diego State programs, ranked59 programs by pay and debt