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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Outdoor Education (Income $0-$30k)

10 Ranked Colleges
183 Degrees Awarded
$14,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $0-$30k

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 Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 255 people earned their degree in outdoor education, making the major the 314th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, outdoor education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $0 and had an average of $0 in loans still to pay off.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 183 outdoor education graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” 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 that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the outdoor education program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The outdoor ed 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 “Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k”.

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 10 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Outdoor Education (Income $0-$30k)

#1

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, Michigan
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central Michigan University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s outdoor ed degrees in 2019-2020.

Central Michigan not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Outdoor Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Central Michigan is $11,598 for bachelor’s degree outdoor ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Outdoor Education at Central Michigan University

#2

SUNY Cortland

Cortland, New York
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend SUNY Cortland. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. SUNY Cortland is a medium-sized school located in Cortland, New York that handed out 8 bachelors’s outdoor ed degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree outdoor ed students whose families make $0-$30k list, SUNY Cortland has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Outdoor Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $12,202 for bachelor’s degree outdoor ed students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SUNY Cortland.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Outdoor Education at SUNY Cortland

#3

Salisbury University

Salisbury, Maryland
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Salisbury University landed the #3 spot on the list. Salisbury University is a public institution located in Salisbury, Maryland. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Salisbury also made our “Best Outdoor Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Salisbury University is $11,432 for bachelor’s degree outdoor ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 Salisbury University

#4 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Weber State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Ogden, Utah, this large public school awarded 5 degrees to qualified bachelors’s outdoor ed students in 2019-2020.

WSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Outdoor Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Weber State University is $9,790 for bachelor’s degree outdoor ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Outdoor Education at WSU

#5

Murray State University

Murray, Kentucky
#9 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Murray State University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Murray State University is located in Murray, Kentucky and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s outdoor ed degrees to qualified students.

Murray State also took the #9 spot in our “Best Outdoor Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Murray State is $8,839 for bachelor’s degree outdoor ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Murray State Outdoor Education Report

#6

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado
#7 in overall quality

Fort Lewis College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Fort Lewis College is a small public school situated in Durango, Colorado. It awarded 21 bachelors’s outdoor ed degrees in 2019-2020.

FLC also took the #7 spot in our “Best Outdoor Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,108 for Bachelor’s Degree Outdoor Ed students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend FLC.

Read full report on Outdoor Education at FLC

#7

Northern Vermont University

Johnson, Vermont

Northern Vermont University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Northern Vermont University is a small school located in Johnson, Vermont that handed out 13 bachelors’s outdoor ed degrees in 2019-2020.

Northern Vermont University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Outdoor Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Vermont University is $12,931 for Bachelor’s Degree Outdoor Ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Northern Vermont University Outdoor Education Report

#8

Black Hills State University

Spearfish, South Dakota
#5 in overall quality

Black Hills State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Black Hills State University is located in Spearfish, South Dakota and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 bachelors’s outdoor ed degrees to qualified students.

BHSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Outdoor Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for BHSU is $14,142 for Bachelor’s Degree Outdoor Ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full BHSU Outdoor Education Report

#9

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia
#8 in overall quality

Liberty University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. This large school is located in Lynchburg, Virginia, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s outdoor ed degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Liberty University, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Outdoor Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $27,896 for Bachelor’s Degree Outdoor Ed students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Liberty University.

Read more about Outdoor Education at Liberty University

#10

New England College

Henniker, New Hampshire
#10 in overall quality

New England College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. New England College is a small school located in Henniker, New Hampshire that handed out 5 bachelors’s outdoor ed degrees in 2019-2020.

NEC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Outdoor Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $26,378 for bachelor’s degree outdoor ed students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend NEC.

Read more about Outdoor Education at NEC

Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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