Valparaiso, Indiana has 7 accredited schools offering recreation management programs, with tuition ranging from $3,822 to $38,110 per year for indexed programs. Valparaiso has a population of about 35,065. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, the top-earning recreation management-related role is Entertainment and Recreation Manager at a median $80,570 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Recreation Management Schools to Valparaiso
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer recreation management programs near Valparaiso, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Valparaiso 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:
BOCSCORE
- 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 Valparaiso.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Acceptance rate
70%
Graduation rate
38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$47,327
Avg net price
$23,206/yr
TuitionIn‑state$31,361
Out‑of‑state$31,361
Key stats- Retention rate: 63%
- Programs offered: 42
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$57,165
Avg net price
$25,355/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 83%
- Programs offered: 28
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$51,833
Avg net price
$14,940/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 77%
- Programs offered: 98
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$48,387
Avg net price
$10,873/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 67%
- Programs offered: 59
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Indiana schools on the Indiana recreation management page.
Recreation Management Wages Near Valparaiso
Valparaiso is part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (BLS area code 16980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Indiana statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Entertainment and Recreation Manager | $80,570 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $77,770 |
| Recreation Worker | $35,830 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $34,585 |
| Lodging Manager | $62,650 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $60,473 |
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.
Valparaiso at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 103.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Valparaiso-Area Cities With Recreation Management Programs
- Portage, IN – 10.0 mi away (36,505 pop)
- Hobart, IN – 11.7 mi away (28,248 pop)
- Merrillville, IN – 13.9 mi away (34,994 pop)
- Crown Point, IN – 15.9 mi away (29,176 pop)
- Gary, IN – 17.2 mi away (76,424 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited recreation management schools are near Valparaiso, IN?
Our directory has 7 accredited schools offering recreation management programs near Valparaiso. The closest is Chicago State University in Chicago, IL (33.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion (98.0 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying recreation management roles near Valparaiso?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying recreation management-related roles near Valparaiso are: Entertainment and Recreation Manager ($80,570), Lodging Manager ($62,650), Recreation Worker ($35,830). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Indiana statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Portage instead of Valparaiso?
Portage, IN is 10.0 miles from Valparaiso 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.
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 Valparaiso
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Valparaiso:
- Business Development programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Construction Management programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Economics programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Financial Technology programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Forensic Accounting programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Health Information Management programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Hospitality Management programs in Valparaiso, IN
- International Business programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Organizational Leadership programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Management Information Systems programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Nonprofit Management programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Operations Management programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Public Administration programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Real Estate programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Retail Management programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Risk Management programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Statistics programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Taxation programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Corrections programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Crime Analysis programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Criminal Justice Administration programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Criminology programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Cybercrime programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Emergency Management programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Fire Science programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Forensic Science programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Legal Services programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Legal Studies programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Paralegal programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Security Management programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Cloud Computing programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Computer Engineering programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Innovation programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Mobile App Development programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Software Development programs in Valparaiso, IN
- User Experience programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Web Development programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Artificial Intelligence programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Machine Learning programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Supply Chain Management programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Data Analytics programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Public Health programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Human Resources programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Project Management programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Special Education programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Homeland Security programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Marketing programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Finance programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Kinesiology programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Sports Management programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Early Childhood Education programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Elementary Education programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Biology programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Communications programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Graphic Design programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Human Services programs in Valparaiso, IN
- MBA programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Criminal Justice programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Nursing programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Business Administration programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Computer Science programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Psychology programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Education programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Engineering programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Technology programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Liberal Arts programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Healthcare programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Cybersecurity programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Accounting programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Healthcare Administration programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Social Work programs in Valparaiso, IN
- Counseling programs in Valparaiso, IN
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.
← Back to Best Recreation Management Schools in Indiana (2026)
