by our College Data Analytics Team
Students 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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major” ranking - to help you make that 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.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 169 outdoor education graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,682 and $26,217 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major” ranking looked at 25 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in outdoor education. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their outdoor education program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major”.
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 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.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Sterling College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major. Located in Craftsbury Common, Vermont, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 3 degrees to qualified bachelors’s outdoor ed students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brevard College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major list. This small school is located in Brevard, North Carolina, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s outdoor ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 25 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Prescott College landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Prescott, Arizona, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 16 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s outdoor ed students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Young Harris College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major list. Young Harris College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Young Harris, Georgia. It awarded 9 bachelors’s outdoor ed degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Montreat College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major list. This small school is located in Montreat, North Carolina, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s outdoor ed degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
With a ranking of #6, Toccoa Falls College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major list. Toccoa Falls College is a small school located in Toccoa Falls, Georgia that handed out 7 bachelors’s outdoor ed degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #7, Northern Vermont University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major list. Northern Vermont University is a public institution located in Johnson, Vermont. The school has a small population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Northland College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Ashland, Wisconsin, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 5 degrees to qualified bachelors’s outdoor ed students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
With a ranking of #9, Unity College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major list. This small school is located in Unity, Maine, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s outdoor ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Fort Lewis College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major ranking. This small school is located in Durango, Colorado, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s outdoor ed degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #11, Black Hills State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major list. BHSU is located in Spearfish, South Dakota and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s outdoor ed degrees to qualified students.
John Brown University ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major list. JBU is a small school located in Siloam Springs, Arkansas that handed out 5 bachelors’s outdoor ed degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Westminster College Utah ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major list. Salt Lake City, Utah is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s outdoor ed degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Asbury University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major ranking. Asbury is a small school located in Wilmore, Kentucky that handed out 2 bachelors’s outdoor ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Colorado Christian University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major ranking, coming in at #15. CCU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lakewood, Colorado. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
SUNY Cortland came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Cortland, New York, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s outdoor ed degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #17, New England College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major list. NEC is a small school located in Henniker, New Hampshire that handed out 4 bachelors’s outdoor ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Northwest Nazarene University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major ranking. Located in Nampa, Idaho, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 2 degrees to qualified bachelors’s outdoor ed students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Central Michigan University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major ranking, coming in at #19. Located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, this fairly large public school awarded 16 degrees to qualified bachelors’s outdoor ed students in 2020-2021.
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%.
Weber State University ranked #20 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major list. This large school is located in Ogden, Utah, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s outdoor ed degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Murray State University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major ranking. Murray State University is a medium-sized school located in Murray, Kentucky that handed out 3 bachelors’s outdoor ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Outdoor Education at Murray State University
Liberty University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major ranking. Located in Lynchburg, Virginia, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 11 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s outdoor ed students in 2020-2021.
Gordon College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major ranking, coming in at #23. Gordon College is a small school located in Wenham, Massachusetts that handed out 0 bachelors’s outdoor ed degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
With a ranking of #23, Hampshire College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major list. Hampshire is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Amherst, Massachusetts. It awarded 0 bachelors’s outdoor ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Salisbury University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major ranking. Salisbury University is a public institution located in Salisbury, Maryland. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 0 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Read full report on Outdoor Education at Salisbury University
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
