2026 Best Value Outdoor Education Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools
Looking for the best-value Outdoor Education undergraduate certificate degree programs in the United States? This list ranks 55 institutions by value — the balance of cost and student outcomes, using our 2026 methodology. Each school below is scored on factors such as tuition, student debt, and post-graduation earnings to surface the strongest return on investment.
To help you make your decision, Course Advisor evaluated schools to build 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 Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools in the United States
Learn more about these high-value schools below:
Our analysis found The University Of Montana to be the best-value Outdoor Education school in the United States. The University Of Montana is a public school based in Missoula, MT. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $8,552, while out-of-state students pay about $33,671. The University Of Montana Outdoor Education students take on a median of $24,342 in debt. A decade after starting, students earn a median of $44,511. That is a strong return on a $24,342 median debt. The acceptance rate is 96%. Read more about The University Of Montana
You'll get strong value at New England College, which ranked #2 this year. More on New England College
Pacific University came in at #3 on this year's best-value Outdoor Education ranking in the United States. Read more about Pacific University
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Central Michigan University earned it the #4 place in the United States. See the full Central Michigan University profile
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at College Of Southern Idaho earned it the #5 place in the United States. Read the full report on College Of Southern Idaho
Gratz College ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the best-value Outdoor Education schools. See the full Gratz College profile
Hampshire College placed #7 among the best-value Outdoor Education schools in the United States. Read more about Hampshire College
Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #8 spot for value in the United States this year. More on Virginia Commonwealth University
Murray State University offered strong value this year, earning the #9 position. Read more about Murray State University
Warren Wilson College placed #10 among the best-value Outdoor Education schools in the United States. Read the full report on Warren Wilson College
Alaska Pacific University landed the #11 spot for value in the United States this year. More on Alaska Pacific University
Hibbing Community College A Technical And Community College ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the best-value Outdoor Education schools. Read more about Hibbing Community College A Technical And Community College
Western Wyoming Community College landed the #13 spot for value in the United States this year. Get the full Western Wyoming Community College report
John Brown University offered strong value this year, earning the #14 position. See the full John Brown University profile
University Of Alaska Anchorage ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the best-value Outdoor Education schools. See the full University Of Alaska Anchorage profile
Central Oregon Community College placed #16 among the best-value Outdoor Education schools in the United States. See the full Central Oregon Community College profile
Vermont Technical College ranked #17 on our 2026 list of the best-value Outdoor Education schools. More on Vermont Technical College
Western Carolina University offered strong value this year, earning the #18 position. See the full Western Carolina University profile
North Idaho College ranked #19 on our 2026 list of the best-value Outdoor Education schools. See the full North Idaho College profile
Asbury University placed #20 among the best-value Outdoor Education schools in the United States. Get the full Asbury University report
Lees Mcrae College came in at #21 in this year's value ranking. Read the full report on Lees Mcrae College
Adirondack Community College placed #22 among the best-value Outdoor Education schools in the United States. More on Adirondack Community College
Suny College At Cortland landed the #23 spot for value in the United States this year. Read more about Suny College At Cortland
Northland College placed #24 among the best-value Outdoor Education schools in the United States. More on Northland College
Temple University came in at #25 in this year's value ranking. See the full Temple University profile
Rest of the Top 50 Best-Value Outdoor Education Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools in the United States
These schools rounded out the top of this year’s value ranking:
East Tennessee State University placed #26 among the best-value Outdoor Education schools in the United States. Get the full East Tennessee State University report
Mt Hood Community College offered strong value this year, earning the #27 position. Read more about Mt Hood Community College
Winona State University came in at #28 in this year's value ranking. Read more about Winona State University
Unity College
Unity College came in at #29 in this year's value ranking. Read the full report on Unity College
Westminster College Utah ranked #30 on our 2026 list of the best-value Outdoor Education schools. See the full Westminster College Utah profile
Southwestern Community College Sylva placed #31 among the best-value Outdoor Education schools in the United States. See the full Southwestern Community College Sylva profile
Black Hills State University came in at #32 in this year's value ranking. Read more about Black Hills State University
Northern Arizona University placed #33 among the best-value Outdoor Education schools in the United States. Read the full report on Northern Arizona University
Weber State University placed #34 among the best-value Outdoor Education schools in the United States. Read the full report on Weber State University
Northwest Nazarene University landed the #35 spot for value in the United States this year. More on Northwest Nazarene University
Red Rocks Community College offered strong value this year, earning the #36 position. See the full Red Rocks Community College profile
Young Harris College ranked #37 on our 2026 list of the best-value Outdoor Education schools. Read more about Young Harris College
Greenfield Community College ranked #38 on our 2026 list of the best-value Outdoor Education schools. Get the full Greenfield Community College report
Sterling College Vermont landed the #39 spot for value in the United States this year. Read the full report on Sterling College Vermont
Suny College Of Technology At Delhi ranked #40 on our 2026 list of the best-value Outdoor Education schools. Get the full Suny College Of Technology At Delhi report
Liberty University came in at #41 in this year's value ranking. Read the full report on Liberty University
Minnesota State University Mankato ranked #42 on our 2026 list of the best-value Outdoor Education schools. Read more about Minnesota State University Mankato
Gordon College
Gordon College ranked #43 on our 2026 list of the best-value Outdoor Education schools. See the full Gordon College profile
Plymouth State University offered strong value this year, earning the #44 position. Get the full Plymouth State University report
Montreat College
Montreat College offered strong value this year, earning the #45 position. Get the full Montreat College report
Toccoa Falls College ranked #46 on our 2026 list of the best-value Outdoor Education schools. Read more about Toccoa Falls College
Snow College
Snow College offered strong value this year, earning the #47 position. See the full Snow College profile
Elon University
Elon University ranked #48 on our 2026 list of the best-value Outdoor Education schools. Read more about Elon University
Salisbury University offered strong value this year, earning the #49 position. Read more about Salisbury University
Colorado Christian University ranked #50 on our 2026 list of the best-value Outdoor Education schools. More on Colorado Christian University
Related Outdoor Education Value Rankings
Explore other degree levels:
- Best Value Outdoor Education Schools (All Levels)
- Best Value Outdoor Education 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
The ranking above is published by Course Advisor (DMS_RANKING_2023), 2026 edition. Rankings consider 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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