2026 Best Value Outdoor Education Certificate Degree Schools
Looking for the best-value Outdoor Education certificate degree programs in the United States? This list ranks 55 colleges by value — the balance of cost and student outcomes, using our 2026 methodology. Our scores reflect factors such as tuition, student debt, and post-graduation earnings to surface the strongest return on investment.
To arm you with the information you need, Course Advisor reviewed schools to produce this 2026 value ranking, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). View our full ranking methodology.
Top 25 Best-Value Outdoor Education Certificate Degree Schools in the United States
Learn more about these high-value schools below:
For return on investment, no school beat Black Hills State University this year in the United States. Set in Spearfish, SD, Black Hills State University is a public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $8,916, with out-of-state students paying around $12,018. Black Hills State University Outdoor Education students take on a median of $26,820 in debt. Ten years after enrolling, students earn a median of $46,674. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. About 96% of those who apply are admitted. Read more about Black Hills State University
Out of the 55 schools in the United States in this year's value ranking, Temple University landed the #2 spot. More on Temple University
Weber State University came in at #3 on this year's best-value Outdoor Education ranking in the United States. More on Weber State University
A rank of #4 makes The University Of Montana one of the best values in the United States. Get the full The University Of Montana report
Out of the 55 schools in the United States in this year's value ranking, Elon University landed the #5 spot. Read more about Elon University
Warren Wilson College came in at #6 in this year's value ranking. More on Warren Wilson College
Rogue Community College ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the best-value Outdoor Education schools. Read the full report on Rogue Community College
Southwestern Community College Sylva came in at #8 in this year's value ranking. See the full Southwestern Community College Sylva profile
Western Carolina University landed the #9 spot for value in the United States this year. Read the full report on Western Carolina University
John Brown University came in at #10 in this year's value ranking. Read the full report on John Brown University
Plymouth State University placed #11 among the best-value Outdoor Education schools in the United States. More on Plymouth State University
College Of Southern Idaho landed the #12 spot for value in the United States this year. Read the full report on College Of Southern Idaho
Northland College landed the #13 spot for value in the United States this year. Get the full Northland College report
Mt Hood Community College offered strong value this year, earning the #14 position. See the full Mt Hood Community College profile
Northern Arizona University ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the best-value Outdoor Education schools. Read the full report on Northern Arizona University
Adirondack Community College came in at #16 in this year's value ranking. See the full Adirondack Community College profile
East Tennessee State University offered strong value this year, earning the #17 position. Read more about East Tennessee State University
Red Rocks Community College offered strong value this year, earning the #18 position. See the full Red Rocks Community College profile
Sterling College Vermont came in at #19 in this year's value ranking. Read the full report on Sterling College Vermont
Murray State University offered strong value this year, earning the #20 position. More on Murray State University
University Of Alaska Anchorage placed #21 among the best-value Outdoor Education schools in the United States. Read the full report on University Of Alaska Anchorage
Unity College
Unity College placed #22 among the best-value Outdoor Education schools in the United States. Read more about Unity College
Suny College Of Technology At Delhi came in at #23 in this year's value ranking. Read the full report on Suny College Of Technology At Delhi
Hampshire College offered strong value this year, earning the #24 position. Read the full report on Hampshire College
Alaska Pacific University came in at #25 in this year's value ranking. Get the full Alaska Pacific University report
Rest of the Top 50 Best-Value Outdoor Education Certificate Degree Schools in the United States
These schools rounded out the top of this year’s value ranking:
Vermont Technical College ranked #26 on our 2026 list of the best-value Outdoor Education schools. More on Vermont Technical College
Colorado Christian University offered strong value this year, earning the #27 position. Get the full Colorado Christian University report
Lees Mcrae College ranked #28 on our 2026 list of the best-value Outdoor Education schools. Read the full report on Lees Mcrae College
Prescott College
Prescott College placed #29 among the best-value Outdoor Education schools in the United States. More on Prescott College
Asbury University placed #30 among the best-value Outdoor Education schools in the United States. See the full Asbury University profile
New England College offered strong value this year, earning the #31 position. More on New England College
North Idaho College offered strong value this year, earning the #32 position. Read more about North Idaho College
Missouri State University Springfield came in at #33 in this year's value ranking. Get the full Missouri State University Springfield report
Central Oregon Community College offered strong value this year, earning the #34 position. Get the full Central Oregon Community College report
Montreat College
Montreat College ranked #35 on our 2026 list of the best-value Outdoor Education schools. See the full Montreat College profile
Hibbing Community College A Technical And Community College offered strong value this year, earning the #36 position. Read the full report on Hibbing Community College A Technical And Community College
Suny College At Cortland placed #37 among the best-value Outdoor Education schools in the United States. Read more about Suny College At Cortland
Liberty University came in at #38 in this year's value ranking. More on Liberty University
Minnesota State University Mankato placed #39 among the best-value Outdoor Education schools in the United States. More on Minnesota State University Mankato
Young Harris College came in at #40 in this year's value ranking. Read the full report on Young Harris College
Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #41 spot for value in the United States this year. Get the full Virginia Commonwealth University report
Gordon College
Gordon College landed the #42 spot for value in the United States this year. Read more about Gordon College
Central Michigan University landed the #43 spot for value in the United States this year. Get the full Central Michigan University report
Westminster College Utah offered strong value this year, earning the #44 position. See the full Westminster College Utah profile
Greenfield Community College landed the #45 spot for value in the United States this year. More on Greenfield Community College
Winona State University landed the #46 spot for value in the United States this year. See the full Winona State University profile
Snow College
Snow College landed the #47 spot for value in the United States this year. See the full Snow College profile
Fort Lewis College landed the #48 spot for value in the United States this year. More on Fort Lewis College
Brevard College
Brevard College placed #49 among the best-value Outdoor Education schools in the United States. More on Brevard College
Salisbury University landed the #50 spot for value in the United States this year. Get the full Salisbury University report
Related Outdoor Education Value Rankings
Compare value rankings at other degree levels:
- Best Value Outdoor Education Schools (All Levels)
- Best Value Outdoor Education Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Value Outdoor Education Associate’s Degree Schools
- Best Value Outdoor Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools
- Best Value Outdoor Education Graduate Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Value Outdoor Education Master’s Degree Schools
- Best Value Outdoor Education Doctoral Degree Schools
Ranking Methodology & Notes
These rankings are produced by Course Advisor (DMS_RANKING_2023), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment — drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 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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