LendEDU ranks Appalachian among its ‘30 Best Colleges for Outdoor Sports and Recreation’

BOONE, N.C.—Appalachian State University is among LendEDU’s “30 Best Colleges for Outdoor Sports and Recreation” for 2017.

LendEDU is a marketplace for student loans and student loan refinance. Appalachian ranked 17th on a list that also includes two other schools in North Carolina: Warren Wilson College and Davidson College, which ranked 25th and 28th, respectively. See the list at https://lendedu.com/blog/best-colleges-outdoor-sports-recreation

LendEDU said it arrived at the list by analyzing and weighting the following factors as it researched 300 schools:

• Proximity to excellent off-campus outdoor experiences
• Frequent weather suitable for enjoying the outdoors
• Notable natural beauty on campus
• School-sponsored activities outdoors
• Opportunities for academic work in the natural world

Specifically, LendEDU said the Blue Ridge Mountains afforded Appalachian’s students “some of the best mountain sports in the country.” It also praised an environment conducive to studying such subjects as recreation and park management and outdoor experiential education. It mentioned “many non-academic ways for students who want to integrate the outdoors into their college careers, including Wilderness First Responder courses and volunteer opportunities with the Blue Ridge Parkway Corps.”

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls nearly 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.

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