2023 Best Value Colleges for Outdoor Education
10
Ranked Colleges
265
Degrees Awarded
$18,500
Avg Net Price*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 265 people earned their degree in outdoor education, making the major the 313th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, outdoor education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $27,786 and had an average of $18,614 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools” ranking analyzed 10 colleges that offered a degree in outdoor education. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent outdoor education programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the outdoor education program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Outdoor Education Schools
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools” list to help you make the college decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools
The colleges and universities below are the best for outdoor ed students.
Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Outdoor Education
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Central Michigan University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools. Central Michigan is located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 ’s outdoor ed degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our outdoor ed students list, Central Michigan has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” ranking. It costs about $16,007 for outdoor ed students per year to attend Central Michigan.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Outdoor Education at Central Michigan University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Minnesota State University - Mankato. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools. Minnesota State Mankato is a fairly large school located in Mankato, Minnesota that handed out 10 ’s outdoor ed degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our outdoor ed students list, Minnesota State Mankato has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Minnesota State University - Mankato is $17,159 for outdoor ed students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Outdoor Education at Minnesota State Mankato
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Plymouth State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools list. This small school is located in Plymouth, New Hampshire, and it awarded 6 ’s outdoor ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Plymouth State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” list. It costs about $20,370 for outdoor ed students per year to attend Plymouth State.
Read full report on Outdoor Education at Plymouth State University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Weber State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools. Weber State University is a large public school situated in Ogden, Utah. It awarded 9 ’s outdoor ed degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at WSU, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Weber State University is $11,647 for outdoor ed students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Outdoor Education at Weber State University
Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Vermont University landed the #5 spot on the list. Northern Vermont University is a small public school situated in Johnson, Vermont. It awarded 20 ’s outdoor ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Northern Vermont University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Vermont University is $15,906 for outdoor ed students.
Full Northern Vermont University Outdoor Education Report
With a ranking of #6, Liberty University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools list. Liberty University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Lynchburg, Virginia. It awarded 11 ’s outdoor ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Liberty University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Liberty University is $29,382 for outdoor ed students.
Full Liberty University Outdoor Education Report
Black Hills State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools list. Black Hills State University is located in Spearfish, South Dakota and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s outdoor ed degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our outdoor ed students list, BHSU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Black Hills State University is $16,961 for Outdoor Ed students.
Read full report on Outdoor Education at Black Hills State University
SUNY Cortland landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools ranking. SUNY Cortland is a public institution located in Cortland, New York. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
SUNY Cortland not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” list. It costs about $19,273 for Outdoor Ed students per year to attend SUNY Cortland.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Full SUNY Cortland Outdoor Education Report
Fort Lewis College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Durango, Colorado, this small public school handed out 10 diplomas to qualified ’s outdoor ed students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our outdoor ed students list, FLC has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend FLC is $16,255 for outdoor ed students.
Full FLC Outdoor Education Report
Brevard College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools ranking. Brevard College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Brevard, North Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our outdoor ed students list, Brevard College has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” ranking. It costs about $21,668 for outdoor ed students per year to attend Brevard College.
Read more about Outdoor Education at Brevard College
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