2026 Best Outdoor Education Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools
Looking for the best Outdoor Education undergraduate certificate degree programs in the United States? We have ranked 55 institutions by overall quality and student outcomes, using our 2026 methodology. The rankings below weigh factors such as graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and admissions selectivity.
To help you make your decision, Course Advisor analyzed schools to build this 2026 ranking, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). View our full ranking methodology.
Top 25 Outdoor Education Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools in the United States
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Leading the list is The University Of Montana, our #1 Outdoor Education school in the United States. Based in Missoula, MT, The University Of Montana is a public institution. The six-year graduation rate is 49%. In-state tuition and fees run about $8,552, compared with $33,671 for out-of-state students. The median Outdoor Education program debt is $24,342. Read more about The University Of Montana
The strong Outdoor Education programs at Northern Arizona University earned it the #2 place in the United States. Get the full Northern Arizona University report
Northland College came in at #3 on this year's Outdoor Education ranking in the United States. Read more about Northland College
Out of the 55 schools in the United States in this year's ranking, East Tennessee State University landed the #4 spot. Read more about East Tennessee State University
The strong Outdoor Education programs at Gordon College earned it the #5 place in the United States. See the full Gordon College profile
Prescott College placed #6 among Outdoor Education schools in the United States. Read more about Prescott College
Winona State University landed the #7 spot in the United States this year. Get the full Winona State University report
Central Michigan University landed the #8 spot in the United States this year. Get the full Central Michigan University report
Gratz College ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the best Outdoor Education schools. Read the full report on Gratz College
Montreat College
Montreat College landed the #10 spot in the United States this year. See the full Montreat College profile
Fort Lewis College did well this year, earning the #11 position. More on Fort Lewis College
Central Oregon Community College came in at #12 in this year's ranking. See the full Central Oregon Community College profile
Greenfield Community College ranked #13 on our 2026 list of the best Outdoor Education schools. See the full Greenfield Community College profile
Lees Mcrae College ranked #14 on our 2026 list of the best Outdoor Education schools. See the full Lees Mcrae College profile
Asbury University ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the best Outdoor Education schools. See the full Asbury University profile
John Brown University came in at #16 in this year's ranking. Get the full John Brown University report
Westminster College Utah landed the #17 spot in the United States this year. Read more about Westminster College Utah
Toccoa Falls College did well this year, earning the #18 position. Get the full Toccoa Falls College report
Weber State University ranked #19 on our 2026 list of the best Outdoor Education schools. More on Weber State University
Black Hills State University ranked #20 on our 2026 list of the best Outdoor Education schools. Get the full Black Hills State University report
Elon University
Elon University did well this year, earning the #21 position. Read more about Elon University
North Idaho College landed the #22 spot in the United States this year. See the full North Idaho College profile
New England College came in at #23 in this year's ranking. See the full New England College profile
Pacific University came in at #24 in this year's ranking. More on Pacific University
Suny College At Cortland placed #25 among Outdoor Education schools in the United States. Read more about Suny College At Cortland
Rest of the Top 50 Best Outdoor Education Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools in the United States
These schools also placed among the very best this year:
Colorado Christian University came in at #26 in this year's ranking. See the full Colorado Christian University profile
Northwest Nazarene University did well this year, earning the #27 position. More on Northwest Nazarene University
College Of Southern Idaho did well this year, earning the #28 position. Read the full report on College Of Southern Idaho
University Of Alaska Anchorage ranked #29 on our 2026 list of the best Outdoor Education schools. Get the full University Of Alaska Anchorage report
Missouri State University Springfield came in at #30 in this year's ranking. Get the full Missouri State University Springfield report
Salisbury University landed the #32 spot in the United States this year. See the full Salisbury University profile
Young Harris College landed the #33 spot in the United States this year. More on Young Harris College
Unity College
Unity College came in at #34 in this year's ranking. See the full Unity College profile
Hampshire College placed #35 among Outdoor Education schools in the United States. Read the full report on Hampshire College
Southwestern Community College Sylva did well this year, earning the #36 position. Read the full report on Southwestern Community College Sylva
Sterling College Vermont came in at #37 in this year's ranking. Read more about Sterling College Vermont
Liberty University came in at #38 in this year's ranking. See the full Liberty University profile
Western Wyoming Community College came in at #39 in this year's ranking. More on Western Wyoming Community College
Plymouth State University ranked #40 on our 2026 list of the best Outdoor Education schools. Read more about Plymouth State University
Warren Wilson College did well this year, earning the #41 position. Read the full report on Warren Wilson College
Murray State University placed #42 among Outdoor Education schools in the United States. Read the full report on Murray State University
Adirondack Community College did well this year, earning the #43 position. Read the full report on Adirondack Community College
Red Rocks Community College ranked #44 on our 2026 list of the best Outdoor Education schools. See the full Red Rocks Community College profile
Suny College Of Technology At Delhi placed #45 among Outdoor Education schools in the United States. Read more about Suny College Of Technology At Delhi
Minnesota State University Mankato placed #46 among Outdoor Education schools in the United States. See the full Minnesota State University Mankato profile
Virginia Commonwealth University ranked #47 on our 2026 list of the best Outdoor Education schools. Read more about Virginia Commonwealth University
Brevard College
Brevard College ranked #48 on our 2026 list of the best Outdoor Education schools. Get the full Brevard College report
Temple University placed #49 among Outdoor Education schools in the United States. Get the full Temple University report
Western Carolina University did well this year, earning the #50 position. Read the full report on Western Carolina University
Related Outdoor Education Rankings
Explore other degree levels:
- Best Outdoor Education Schools (All Levels)
- Best Outdoor Education Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Outdoor Education Associate’s Degree Schools
- Best Outdoor Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools
- Best Outdoor Education Graduate Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Outdoor Education Master’s Degree Schools
- Best Outdoor Education Doctoral Degree Schools
Ranking Methodology & Notes
The ranking above is published by Course Advisor (DMS_RANKING_2023), 2026 edition. Rankings consider a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and admissions data drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: Dms College Quality · Scope: Nation. *Averages shown above reflect the top 55 ranked schools only.
References
- Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) — National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education (core institutional data).
- College Scorecard — U.S. Department of Education (graduate earnings and outcomes data).
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