Best Recreation Management Schools Near Kirkland, WA (2026)

Kirkland, Washington has 4 accredited schools offering recreation management programs, with tuition ranging from $4,436 to $43,209 per year for indexed programs. Kirkland has a population of about 91,614. Median household income is $143,533 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 64.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area, the top-earning recreation management-related role is Lodging Manager at a median $129,230 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Recreation Management Schools to Kirkland

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

#1

University of Washington-Seattle Campus

Seattle, WA 6.1 miles from Kirkland BOC Score 89.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 85%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,466
Avg net price $14,091/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 95%
  • Programs offered: 74

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Bellevue College

Bellevue, WA 8.3 miles from Kirkland BOC Score 73.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,310
Avg net price $11,430/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 47

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Green River College

Auburn, WA 26.7 miles from Kirkland BOC Score 56.8
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 40%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $50,712
Avg net price $13,803/yr
Tuition
In‑state$4,711
Out‑of‑state$5,263
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 55

Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and UniversitiesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Central Washington University

Ellensburg, WA 91.3 miles from Kirkland BOC Score 60.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,580
Avg net price $18,476/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 62

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, WA 215.7 miles from Kirkland BOC Score 59.3
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 91%
Graduation rate 45%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,897
Avg net price $13,886/yr
Tuition
In‑state$8,586
Out‑of‑state$25,959
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 67%
  • Programs offered: 63

Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and UniversitiesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Spokane Community College

Spokane, WA 224.8 miles from Kirkland BOC Score 68.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 37%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,984
Avg net price $5,473/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 85

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Recreation Management Wages Near Kirkland

Kirkland is part of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area (BLS area code 42660). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Washington statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Entertainment and Recreation Manager$106,830Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$96,157
Recreation Worker$45,990Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$41,395
Lodging Manager$129,230Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$116,319

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.


Kirkland at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population91,614Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$143,533Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+64.4%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)111.1 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Kirkland-Area Cities With Recreation Management Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited recreation management schools are near Kirkland, WA?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering recreation management programs near Kirkland. The closest is University of Washington-Seattle Campus in Seattle, WA (5.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Central Washington University (91.4 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying recreation management-related roles near Kirkland are: Lodging Manager ($129,230), Entertainment and Recreation Manager ($106,830), Recreation Worker ($45,990). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Washington statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Redmond instead of Kirkland?

Redmond, WA is 4.0 miles from Kirkland 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 Kirkland an affordable place to study recreation management?

Kirkland’s median household income of $143,533 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Kirkland while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Washington 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 Kirkland

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

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.