2023 Best Value Colleges for Outdoor Education (With Aid)
10
Ranked Colleges
265
Degrees Awarded
$18,500
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Outdoor Education is the 313th most popular major in the country with 265 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, outdoor education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $27,786 and had an average of $18,614 in loans still to pay off.
For this year’s “Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools For Those Getting Aid” 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.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the outdoor education program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Outdoor Education Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for outdoor ed students with aid.
Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Outdoor Education (With Aid)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Central Michigan University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools For Those Getting Aid. Central Michigan is a public institution located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 16 ’s 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 yearly cost to attend Central Michigan is $16,007 for outdoor ed students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Outdoor Education at Central Michigan
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Vermont University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Johnson, Vermont, and it awarded 20 ’s outdoor ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Northern Vermont University also took the #1 spot in our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” ranking. It costs about $15,906 for outdoor ed students with aid per year to attend Northern Vermont University.
Full Northern Vermont University Outdoor Education Report
Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Minnesota State University - Mankato landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Mankato, Minnesota, this fairly large public school awarded 10 degrees to qualified ’s outdoor ed students in 2020-2021.
Minnesota State Mankato not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Minnesota State Mankato is $17,159 for Outdoor Ed students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Outdoor Education at Minnesota State Mankato
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Weber State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools For Those Getting Aid. Ogden, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s outdoor ed degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.
WSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for WSU is $11,647 for outdoor ed students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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%.
Full Weber State University Outdoor Education Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend SUNY Cortland. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools For Those Getting Aid list. SUNY Cortland is located in Cortland, New York and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s outdoor ed degrees to qualified students.
SUNY Cortland did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” list. It costs about $19,273 for outdoor ed students with aid per year to attend SUNY Cortland.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full SUNY Cortland Outdoor Education Report
Fort Lewis College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Durango, Colorado, this small public school handed out 10 diplomas to qualified ’s outdoor ed students in 2020-2021.
FLC also made our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend Fort Lewis College is $16,255 for Outdoor Ed students with aid.
Read full report on Outdoor Education at FLC
Plymouth State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Plymouth, New Hampshire, this small public school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified ’s outdoor ed students in 2020-2021.
Plymouth State also made our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $20,370 for Outdoor Ed students with aid per year to attend Plymouth State University.
Read more about Outdoor Education at Plymouth State
With a ranking of #8, Black Hills State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Black Hills State University is a small public school situated in Spearfish, South Dakota. It awarded 8 ’s outdoor ed degrees in 2020-2021.
BHSU also took the #10 spot in our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” ranking. It costs about $16,961 for outdoor ed students with aid per year to attend BHSU.
Full Black Hills State University Outdoor Education Report
Brevard College landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Brevard College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Brevard, North Carolina. It awarded 10 ’s outdoor ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Brevard College also took the #6 spot in our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Brevard College is $21,668 for Outdoor Ed students with aid.
Full Brevard College Outdoor Education Report
Liberty University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Outdoor Ed Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Lynchburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s outdoor ed degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.
Liberty University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Outdoor Education Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Liberty University is $29,382 for Outdoor Ed students with aid.
Read more about Outdoor Education at Liberty University
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