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2027 Best Value Outdoor Health & Physical Education/Fitness Schools in Illinois

[Outdoor Health & Physical Education/Fitness](/majors/parks-recreation-fitness/health-and-physical-education/health-and-physical-education-fitness-other/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.

For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 2 schools to find the best return on investment for outdoor health & physical education/fitness students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Outdoor Health & Physical Education/Fitness Schools in Illinois

2027 Best Value Outdoor Health & Physical Education/Fitness Schools in Illinois

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in outdoor health & physical education/fitness, balancing cost against outcomes.

Best Value Outdoor Health & Physical Education/Fitness Schools

1

Western Illinois University
Macomb, IL

$14,572 In-State Tuition & Fees

$31,000 Avg Student Debt

$54,163 Median Earnings (10yr)

Leading the list is Western Illinois University, our #1 best value for outdoor health & physical education/fitness in Illinois. Western Illinois University is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Macomb. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $14,572. Students borrow a median of $31,000 to complete the outdoor health & physical education/fitness program here. Early-career outdoor health & physical education/fitness graduates make about $33,473. That is a strong return on a $31,000 median debt. Roughly 71% of applicants are accepted.

2

Judson University
Elgin, IL

$30,297 In-State Tuition & Fees

$27,685 Avg Student Debt

$56,313 Median Earnings (10yr)

A rank of #2 makes Judson University one of the best values for outdoor health & physical education/fitness. Judson University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Elgin. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $30,297. Outdoor Health & Physical Education/fitness graduates carry a median of $27,685 in student loans. Soon after graduation, outdoor health & physical education/fitness degree recipients from Judson University generally make around $47,550. That is a strong return on a $27,685 median debt. Judson University admits about 48% of applicants.

View All Outdoor Health & Physical Education/Fitness Rankings >

Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 2 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked schools only.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.