2023 Best Outdoor Education Colleges for Veterans
10
Ranked Colleges
265
Degrees Awarded
$24,500
Avg Cost*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Ed” 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.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Ed” ranking analyzed 10 colleges that offered a degree in outdoor education. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent outdoor education programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the outdoor education program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Outdoor Education Schools
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 “Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Ed”.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools 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.
Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Ed
The colleges and universities below are the best for vets studying outdoor ed.
Top 10 Best Outdoor Education Colleges for Veterans
Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Ed that were part of this year’s ranking, Central Michigan University landed the #1 spot on the list. Central Michigan University is located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 ’s outdoor ed degrees to qualified students.
Central Michigan also took 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 received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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%.
Full Central Michigan Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Ed that were part of this year’s ranking, Liberty University landed the #2 spot on the list. 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.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Liberty University, 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, 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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,888. On top of their other funding sources, 386 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Full Liberty University Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Minnesota State University - Mankato. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Ed list. Mankato, Minnesota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s outdoor ed degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
Minnesota State Mankato not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 14,761 students enrolled at Minnesota State University - 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. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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 More…
Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Ed that were part of this year’s ranking, SUNY Cortland landed the #4 spot on the 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.
In addition to being on our vets studying outdoor ed list, SUNY Cortland has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 6,832 students enrolled at SUNY Cortland, 78 were 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. 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.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read More…
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Plymouth State University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Ed. This small school is located in Plymouth, New Hampshire, and it awarded 6 ’s outdoor ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Plymouth State also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Plymouth State University supports 4,491 students, and 124 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 53 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,351. On top of their other funding sources, 3 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Plymouth State]](/colleges/plymouth-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
Northern Vermont University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Ed ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Johnson, Vermont, this small public school awarded 20 diplomas to qualified ’s outdoor ed students in 2020-2021.
Northern Vermont University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 1,999 students enrolled at Northern Vermont University, 45 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 27 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,691. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Northern Vermont University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Read More…
With a ranking of #7, Black Hills State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Ed list. Located in Spearfish, South Dakota, this small public school handed out 8 degrees to qualified ’s outdoor ed students 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.Of the 3,608 students enrolled at Black Hills State University, 208 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 88 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,863. On top of their other funding sources, 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 came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Ed ranking. WSU is a public institution located in Ogden, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
WSU 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 29,596 students enrolled at Weber State University, 747 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 472 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,815. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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 WSU]](/colleges/weber-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #9, Brevard College did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Ed list. Located in Brevard, North Carolina, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 10 degrees to qualified ’s outdoor ed 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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $14,701. During this same period, 4 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Read More…
Fort Lewis College ranked #10 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly for Outdoor Ed list. FLC is a small school located in Durango, Colorado that handed out 10 ’s outdoor ed degrees in 2020-2021.
FLC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, Fort Lewis College supports 3,469 students, and 101 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 53 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,268. To help with additional expenses, 6 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Fort Lewis College does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Fort Lewis College]](/colleges/fort-lewis-college/student-life/veterans/)
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