Best Recreation Management Schools Near Gainesville, GA (2026)

Updated August 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Gainesville, Georgia has 3 accredited schools offering recreation management programs, with tuition ranging from $4,630 to $40,866 per year for indexed programs. Gainesville has a population of about 44,051. Median household income is $64,636 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 26.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Georgia, the top-earning recreation management-related role is Entertainment and Recreation Manager at a median $83,470 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Recreation Management Schools to Gainesville

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer recreation management programs near Gainesville, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Gainesville city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
Average net price (lower is better) 20%
Retention rate 15%
Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Gainesville. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Acceptance rate 52%

Graduation rate 43%

Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,587

Avg net price $12,786/yr

Tuition

In‑state$6,088

Out‑of‑state$17,800

Contact

1601 Maple St Carrollton, GA 30118-0001
(678) 839-5000
Visit website

Key stats

Retention rate: 77%
Programs offered: 27

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDS College Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Georgia schools on the Georgia recreation management page.

Recreation Management Wages Near Gainesville

Gainesville is part of the Gainesville, GA metro area (BLS area code 23580). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Georgia statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Entertainment and Recreation Manager	$83,470	GA statewide	$86,229
Recreation Worker	$30,030	Gainesville, GA	$31,023
Lodging Manager	$61,060	GA statewide	$63,079

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Gainesville at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	44,051	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$64,636	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	26.2%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	96.8 (below U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024

Other Gainesville-Area Cities With Recreation Management Programs

Sugar Hill, GA – 18.0 mi away (22,197 pop)
Winder, GA – 21.5 mi away (42,330 pop)
Lawrenceville, GA – 25.1 mi away (30,782 pop)
Duluth, GA – 26.9 mi away (29,331 pop)
Johns Creek, GA – 27.7 mi away (83,873 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited recreation management schools are near Gainesville, GA?

Our directory has 3 accredited schools offering recreation management programs near Gainesville. The closest is Clemson University in Clemson, SC (62.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of West Georgia (87.9 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying recreation management roles near Gainesville?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying recreation management-related roles near Gainesville are: Entertainment and Recreation Manager ($83,470), Lodging Manager ($61,060), Recreation Worker ($30,030). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Georgia statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Sugar Hill instead of Gainesville?

Sugar Hill, GA is 18.0 miles from Gainesville and has its own set of local recreation management programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Gainesville an affordable place to study recreation management?

Gainesville’s median household income of $64,636 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Gainesville while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Georgia public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Recreation Management Programs

Other Programs Available in Gainesville

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Gainesville:

Data verified: August 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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