2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Education
10
Ranked Colleges
265
Degrees Awarded
$24,500
Avg Cost*
Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Education” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 265 people earned their degree in outdoor education, making the major the 780th most popular in the United States.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Education” ranking looked at 10 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in outdoor education. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality outdoor education programs as well as strong veteran support.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the outdoor education program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The outdoor education school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Education”.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Education
The colleges and universities below are the best for vets studying outdoor education.
Top 10 Best Outdoor Education Colleges for Veterans
Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Education that were part of this year’s ranking, Central Michigan University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, this fairly large public school handed out 16 diplomas to qualified ’s outdoor education students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Central Michigan, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Central Michigan University supports 17,311 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $425. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Central Michigan University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Central Michigan]](/colleges/central-michigan-university/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Liberty University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Education. Located in Lynchburg, Virginia, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 11 diplomas to qualified ’s outdoor education students in 2020-2021.
Liberty University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, Liberty University supports 93,349 students, and 13,282 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 8,897 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,888. To help with additional expenses, 386 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Liberty University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Full Liberty University Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Education that were part of this year’s ranking, Minnesota State University - Mankato landed the #3 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Mankato, Minnesota, and it awarded 10 ’s outdoor education degrees in 2020-2021.
Minnesota State Mankato did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 14,761 students enrolled at Minnesota State Mankato, 331 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 147 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,814. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Minnesota State University - Mankato Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend SUNY Cortland. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Education. SUNY Cortland is a medium-sized public school situated in Cortland, New York. It awarded 8 ’s outdoor education degrees in 2020-2021.
SUNY Cortland also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 6,832 students enrolled at SUNY Cortland, 78 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 32 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,971. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 full report on veteran student life at SUNY Cortland]](/colleges/suny-college-at-cortland/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Plymouth State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Education list. Located in Plymouth, New Hampshire, this small public school awarded 6 degrees to qualified ’s outdoor education students in 2020-2021.
Plymouth State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 124 of the 4,491 students enrolled at Plymouth State were GI Bill® students, of which 53 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,351. On top of their other funding sources, 3 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Read More…
Northern Vermont University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Education ranking. Northern Vermont University is a small school located in Johnson, Vermont that handed out 20 ’s outdoor education degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our vets studying outdoor education list, Northern Vermont University has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 1,999 students enrolled at Northern Vermont University, 45 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 27 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,691. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Northern Vermont University]](/colleges/johnson-state-college/student-life/veterans/)
Black Hills State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Education ranking. BHSU is a small school located in Spearfish, South Dakota that handed out 8 ’s outdoor education degrees in 2020-2021.
BHSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, BHSU supports 3,608 students, and 208 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 88 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,863. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Full Black Hills State University Veteran Student Life Report
Weber State University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Education ranking. Weber State University is a large school located in Ogden, Utah that handed out 9 ’s outdoor education degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at WSU, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Weber State University supports 29,596 students, and 747 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 472 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,815. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Weber State University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Weber State University]](/colleges/weber-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
Brevard College ranked #9 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Education list. Located in Brevard, North Carolina, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 10 degrees to qualified ’s outdoor education students in 2020-2021.
Brevard College also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 30 of the 828 students enrolled at Brevard College were GI Bill® students, of which 11 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,701. To help with additional expenses, 4 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Read More…
With a ranking of #10, Fort Lewis College did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Education list. FLC is a public institution located in Durango, Colorado. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
FLC also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 3,469 students enrolled at Fort Lewis College, 101 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 53 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,268. On top of their other funding sources, 6 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Fort Lewis College does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Read More…