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

The median federal loan balance is $16,797, which ranks 5th lowest of 8 parks and recreation bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $178 a month over 10 years.

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

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 59% 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. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several California programs report higher pay.

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

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

Most do. 98% (43 of 44) were working in California one year after graduating.

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

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

San Francisco State parks and recreation graduates earn less than graduates of most parks and recreation programs nationally, $28,427 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $16,797 in federal loans, less than at 86% of parks and recreation programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the California median of $33,920.

First-year earnings$28,42723rd percentile of 52 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$49,79975% more than year one

Median federal debt$16,7975th lowest of 8 California programs

Debt-to-earnings59%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 Francisco State	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$28,427	$33,920	$33,806
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$49,799	$56,924	$49,799
Median federal debt at graduation	$16,797	$16,583	$22,741
Debt as share of first-year pay	59%	45%	66%
Programs compared		9	52

Five years out, San Francisco State graduates earn about the national figure but about $7,125 less 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 Francisco 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 75% between the first and fifth year.

San Francisco State grads, year 1$28,427

San Francisco State grads, year 5$49,799

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 $178 a month, or 7.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (72 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

98% of graduates (43 of 44) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the San Francisco area are about 16% above the national average, so a $28,427 salary here buys what about $24,588 buys in a typical US city.

About San Francisco State

In-state tuition and fees	$7,950 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$20,550 / year
Average net price after aid	$12,278 / year
Admission rate	96%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	50%
Undergraduate students	18,639

Parks and Recreation ranks 49th of 58 bachelor's programs at San Francisco State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($117,532), Mechanical Engineering ($72,647), and Civil Engineering ($68,256).

Other parks and recreation bachelor's programs near San Francisco

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
San Francisco StateSan Francisco, CA · public		$28,427	$16,797
Cal State East BayHayward, CA · public	24 mi	$43,700	$20,306

Common questions

The median graduate earns $28,427 one year after graduating and $49,799 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 Francisco State programs, ranked58 programs by pay and debt