2023 Best Health & Physical Education Schools
Finding the Best Health & Physical Education School for You
Health & Physical Education is the #11 most popular major in the country with 67,146 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Health & Physical Education Schools ranking. This report analyzed 564 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Health & Physical Education Schools in the United States
Check out the phys ed programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 25 Top Schools in Health & Physical Education
Our 2023 rankings named International Sports Sciences Association the best school in the United States for health and physical education students. ISSA is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the medium-sized suburb of Carpinteria.
While working on their degree, phys ed majors at ISSA accumulate an average of around $17,163 in student debt.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Focus Personal Training Institute. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Health & Physical Education Schools list. Located in the city of New York, FPTI is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their degree, phys ed graduates from FPTI carry an average student debtload of $7,355.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Rice University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Health & Physical Education Schools list. Located in the city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
Phys Ed majors at Rice take out an average of $10,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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The excellent programs at American Public University System helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best health and physical education schools in the United States. American Military University is a very large private for-profit school located in the fringe town of Charles Town.
On average, phys ed graduates from American Military University take out $21,148 in student loans while working on their degree.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Maryville University of Saint Louis is a great place for health and physical education students. Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, Maryville U is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
After completing their degree, phys ed graduates from Maryville U carry an average student debtload of $21,000.
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With a ranking of #6, Southern Methodist University did quite well on this year’s best schools for health and physical education students. Located in the large suburb of Dallas, SMU is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Phys Ed majors at SMU take out an average of $21,500 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Health & Physical Education at Southern Methodist University Report
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Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best health and physical education programs. Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.
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South Dakota State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Health & Physical Education Schools ranking. Located in the town of Brookings, South Dakota State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, phys ed graduates from South Dakota State carry an average student debtload of $24,068.
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Northwestern University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for health and physical education students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
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With a ranking of #10, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on this year’s best schools for health and physical education students. Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public college with a very large student population.
After completing their degree, phys ed graduates from U-M carry an average student debtload of $17,507. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $531.
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Emory University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Health & Physical Education Schools list. Located in the large city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
On average, phys ed graduates from Emory take out $19,250 in student loans while working on their degree.
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University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best health and physical education programs. University of Virginia is a very large public school located in the small suburb of Charlottesville.
Phys Ed majors at University of Virginia take out an average of $20,750 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Dickinson State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Health & Physical Education Schools ranking. DSU is a small public school located in the town of Dickinson.
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Saint Cloud State University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best health and physical education programs. Located in the small city of Saint Cloud, St. Cloud State University is a public college with a large student population.
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University of North Carolina at Wilmington ranked #15 on this year’s Best Health & Physical Education Schools list. UNCW is a fairly large public school located in the city of Wilmington.
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Simpson College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for health and physical education students. It came in at #16 on the list. Simpson College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the fringe town of Indianola.
The average amount in student loans that phys ed majors at Simpson College take out is $27,000.
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Syracuse University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best health and physical education programs. Located in the midsize city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
Phys Ed majors at Syracuse take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $555, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Seton Hall University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Health & Physical Education Schools list. Seton Hall is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of South Orange.
While working on their degree, phys ed majors at Seton Hall accumulate an average of around $24,125 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #19, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on this year’s best schools for health and physical education students. Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public college with a very large student population.
Phys Ed majors at UT Austin take out an average of $21,765 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $385, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Health & Physical Education at The University of Texas at Austin Report
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With a ranking of #20, Winona State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for health and physical education students. Located in the town of Winona, Winona State is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
While working on their degree, phys ed majors at Winona State accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $259, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of North Dakota came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Health & Physical Education Schools ranking. Located in the city of Grand Forks, UND is a public college with a fairly large student population.
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Citadel Military College of South Carolina did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for health and physical education students. It came in at #22 on the list. The Citadel is a small public school located in the medium-sized city of Charleston.
After completing their degree, phys ed graduates from The Citadel carry an average student debtload of $19,790. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $426, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #23 on this year’s Best Health & Physical Education Schools list. Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public school located in the city of College Station.
The average amount in student loans that phys ed majors at Texas A&M College Station take out is $19,500. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $345.
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North Carolina State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for health and physical education students. It came in at #24 on the list. Located in the city of Raleigh, NC State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, phys ed graduates from NC State carry an average student debtload of $22,250. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $206.
Full Health & Physical Education at North Carolina State University Report
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With a ranking of #25, Shenandoah University did quite well on this year’s best schools for health and physical education students. Shenandoah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Winchester.
After completing their degree, phys ed graduates from Shenandoah carry an average student debtload of $27,000.
Read full report on Health & Physical Education at Shenandoah University
Request InformationRest of the Top 50 Best Health & Physical Education Schools
Remaining Award Winners
This section shows the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Health & Physical Education Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 564 different United States health and physical education schools we analyzed.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Health & Physical Education Schools award.
Health & Physical Education by Region
View the Best Health & Physical Education Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Health & Physical Education Rankings
Rankings in Majors Related to Phys Ed
One of 4 majors within the area of study, health and physical education has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related to Phys Ed
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Recreation Administration | 3,122 |
| Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies | 3,106 |
| Outdoor Education | 265 |
| Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies | 174 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 the rest 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.