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2023 Best Value Outdoor Education Schools

10 Ranked Colleges
265 Degrees Awarded
$18,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Outdoor Education Schools

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Outdoor Education Schools” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Outdoor Education is the 780th most popular major in the country with 265 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

For this year’s “Best Value Outdoor Education Schools” ranking, we looked at 10 colleges that offer 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.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the outdoor education program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Outdoor Education Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Outdoor Education Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Outdoor Education Schools” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Outdoor Education Schools

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Outdoor Education Schools.

Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Outdoor Education

1
Central Michigan crest
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, Michigan

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central Michigan University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Outdoor Education Schools list. Central Michigan University is a fairly large school located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan that handed out 16 ’s outdoor education degrees in 2020-2021.

Central Michigan not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Central Michigan University is $16,007 for Outdoor Education students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Central Michigan Outdoor Education Report

2

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 Education Schools. Minnesota State University - Mankato is a fairly large public school situated in Mankato, Minnesota. It awarded 10 ’s outdoor education degrees in 2020-2021.

Minnesota State Mankato did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Minnesota State University - Mankato is $17,159 for Outdoor Education 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%.

Full Minnesota State University - Mankato Outdoor Education Report

3
Plymouth State crest
Plymouth State University
Plymouth, New Hampshire

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Plymouth State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Outdoor Education Schools list. Located in Plymouth, New Hampshire, this small public school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified ’s outdoor education students in 2020-2021.

Plymouth State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Plymouth State University is $20,370 for Outdoor Education students.

Read more about Outdoor Education at Plymouth State University

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Weber State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Outdoor Education Schools list. Ogden, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s outdoor education degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.

WSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Weber State University is $11,647 for outdoor education students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full WSU Outdoor Education Report

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Vermont University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Outdoor Education Schools list. Johnson, Vermont is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s outdoor education degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.

Northern Vermont University also made our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend Northern Vermont University is $15,906 for Outdoor Education students.

Full Northern Vermont University Outdoor Education Report

6
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia

Liberty University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Outdoor Education Schools list. This large school is located in Lynchburg, Virginia, and it awarded 11 ’s outdoor education degrees in 2020-2021.

Liberty University also made our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for Liberty University is $29,382 for outdoor education students.

Full Liberty University Outdoor Education Report

7
BHSU crest
Black Hills State University
Spearfish, South Dakota

Black Hills State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Outdoor Education Schools ranking, coming in at #7. This small school is located in Spearfish, South Dakota, and it awarded 8 ’s outdoor education degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at BHSU, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for BHSU is $16,961 for Outdoor Education students.

Read full report on Outdoor Education at Black Hills State University

8
SUNY Cortland crest
SUNY Cortland
Cortland, New York

SUNY Cortland landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Outdoor Education Schools ranking. Cortland, New York is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s outdoor education degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.

SUNY Cortland did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for SUNY Cortland is $19,273 for outdoor education students.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Outdoor Education at SUNY Cortland

9
FLC crest
Fort Lewis College
Durango, Colorado

Fort Lewis College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Outdoor Education Schools ranking. FLC is located in Durango, Colorado and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s outdoor education degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at FLC, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” ranking. It costs about $16,255 for outdoor education students per year to attend FLC.

Read full report on Outdoor Education at Fort Lewis College

10
Brevard College crest
Brevard College
Brevard, North Carolina

Brevard College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Outdoor Education Schools ranking. Brevard College is a small school located in Brevard, North Carolina that handed out 10 ’s outdoor education degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our outdoor education students list, Brevard College has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Brevard College is $21,668 for outdoor education students.

Read full report on Outdoor Education at Brevard College

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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