2026 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/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 4 schools to find the best return on investment for outdoor health & physical education/fitness students.
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2026 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
For return on investment in outdoor health & physical education/fitness, no school beat College Of Lake County this year. College Of Lake County is a very large public school located in the suburb of Grayslake. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $4,788, while out-of-state students pay about $14,400. Typical student debt for outdoor health & physical education/fitness graduates is $9,785. Outdoor Health & Physical Education/fitness graduates of College Of Lake County earn a median of $50,314 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Students looking for strong value in outdoor health & physical education/fitness will find it at Western Illinois University, which ranked #2. Set in the town of Macomb, Western Illinois University is a moderately-sized public institution. 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. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Western Illinois University admits about 71% of applicants.
Concordia University Chicago is a great value for students pursuing a degree in outdoor health & physical education/fitness, landing the #3 spot this year. Located in the suburb of River Forest, Concordia University Chicago is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $37,488 in tuition and fees. Outdoor Health & Physical Education/fitness graduates carry a median of $26,166 in student loans. Soon after graduation, outdoor health & physical education/fitness degree recipients from Concordia University Chicago generally make around $58,760. That is a strong return on a $26,166 median debt. The acceptance rate is 93%.
A rank of #4 makes Judson University one of the best values for outdoor health & physical education/fitness. Set in the city of Elgin, Judson University is a small private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $30,297. Typical student debt for outdoor health & physical education/fitness graduates is $27,685. Soon after graduation, outdoor health & physical education/fitness degree recipients from Judson University generally make around $47,550. Set against $27,685 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 48%.
More Outdoor Health & Physical Education/Fitness Rankings
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 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 · 4 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.
