by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking to study outdoor education, you’ve come to the right place. We have ranked 4 colleges ranked on how well they support veterans pursuing outdoor education, using our 2026 methodology.
This ranking is based on the factors that matter most to veteran and military-affiliated students: affordability and veteran financial benefits (including GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon support), academic quality, on-campus veteran resources and support services, veteran-friendly policies, and the size of the veteran student community. To help you decide, College Factual analyzed colleges nationwide, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ready to build your own comparison? Try our College Combat tool to weigh the factors that matter most to you.
Narrow this ranking to a degree level below:
Explore the leading outdoor education colleges for veterans below:
Leading the list is Minnesota State University-Mankato, our #1 outdoor education college for veterans. It scores 81.1 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. More about the outdoor education program at Minnesota State University-Mankato
A rank of #2 makes Central Michigan University one of the top outdoor education colleges for veteran students. The school's overall veterans score is 78.6 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the outdoor education program at Central Michigan University
Black Hills State University is a great choice for veterans pursuing outdoor education, landing the #3 spot this year. The school's overall veterans score is 75.9 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the outdoor education program at Black Hills State University
A rank of #4 makes Western Carolina University one of the top outdoor education colleges for veteran students. Western Carolina University scores 72.7 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. See the full outdoor education report for Western Carolina University
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
We measure this ranking on the factors that matter most to veteran and military-affiliated students studying outdoor education: affordability and veteran financial benefits (GI Bill, Yellow Ribbon), academic quality, on-campus veteran resources and support services, veteran-friendly policies, and the size of the veteran student community.
These rankings are produced by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.
