Best Recreation Management Schools Near Suffolk, VA (2026)

Suffolk, Virginia has 3 accredited schools offering recreation management programs, with tuition ranging from $5,588 to $33,780 per year for indexed programs. Suffolk has a population of about 96,638. Median household income is $90,089 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 32.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area, the top-earning recreation management-related role is Entertainment and Recreation Manager at a median $76,910 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Recreation Management Schools to Suffolk

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer recreation management programs near Suffolk, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Suffolk 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 Suffolk. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Tidewater Community College

Norfolk, VA 22.1 miles from Suffolk BOC Score 36.7
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 23%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,349
Avg net price $11,762/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 60

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA 22.5 miles from Suffolk BOC Score 57.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,914
Avg net price $14,638/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 57

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Germanna Community College

Locust Grove, VA 128.4 miles from Suffolk BOC Score 61.1
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,644
Avg net price $5,541/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 44

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Northern Virginia Community College

Annandale, VA 151.5 miles from Suffolk BOC Score 62.5
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 29%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,557
Avg net price $9,919/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 57

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA 151.7 miles from Suffolk BOC Score 81.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $76,343
Avg net price $17,915/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 80

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Laurel Ridge Community College

Middletown, VA 184.5 miles from Suffolk BOC Score 55.8
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 33%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,000
Avg net price $6,013/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 26

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Southwest Virginia Community College

Cedar Bluff, VA 284.1 miles from Suffolk BOC Score 48.9
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 35%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,221
Avg net price $6,005/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 44

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Recreation Management Wages Near Suffolk

Suffolk is part of the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area (BLS area code 47260). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Virginia statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Entertainment and Recreation Manager$76,910Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC$78,560
Recreation Worker$37,050Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC$37,845
Lodging Manager$55,050Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC$56,231

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.


Suffolk at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population96,638Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$90,089Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+32.4%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)97.9 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Suffolk-Area Cities With Recreation Management Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited recreation management schools are near Suffolk, VA?

Our directory has 3 accredited schools offering recreation management programs near Suffolk. The closest is Tidewater Community College in Norfolk, VA (22.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Chowan University (31.1 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying recreation management-related roles near Suffolk are: Entertainment and Recreation Manager ($76,910), Lodging Manager ($55,050), Recreation Worker ($37,050). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Virginia statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Chesapeake instead of Suffolk?

Chesapeake, VA is 18.7 miles from Suffolk 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 Suffolk an affordable place to study recreation management?

Suffolk’s median household income of $90,089 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Suffolk while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Virginia 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 Suffolk

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

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 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.