Surf & Ski Colleges
Schools within 10 miles of the ocean AND 25 miles of a ski resort
A select group of four-year colleges in the United States sit within 10 miles of an ocean beach and within 25 miles of a ski resort. This list ranks the 20 largest by enrollment. Surf in the morning, ski the same weekend: at these schools that is a normal semester, not a bucket-list trip.
The geography does the gatekeeping. Coastline with mountains close behind it exists in only a few regions, so the list runs heavy on California, the Pacific Northwest, and New England. Each row shows both distances, and the sweet-spot schools keep both numbers low at the same time.
Enrollment, admissions, and cost data come from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS). Beach and ski distances are CollegeCove proximity measurements from each campus to the nearest ocean beach and ski resort. Click any school for its safety score, costs, and the specific beach and mountain you would be choosing between.
Ranking methodology: Schools must meet both thresholds: within 10 miles of the nearest ocean beach AND within 25 miles of a ski resort. Only 4-year degree-granting institutions are included. Ranked by total enrollment largest-first.
10 schools meet this page’s criteria: four-year colleges within 10 miles of an ocean beach and 25 miles of a ski resort.
CollegeCove features four-year colleges and universities that primarily award bachelor's degrees or higher. Community colleges, vocational and certificate schools, graduate-only institutions, seminaries and other single-subject schools, and institutions that are primarily online are not included. Search all schools to reach community colleges and specialized institutions too.
Boston University
Boston, MA
Northeastern University
Boston, MA
University of Rhode Island
Kingston, RI
University of Massachusetts-Boston
Boston, MA
Berklee College of Music
Boston, MA
Wentworth Institute of Technology
Boston, MA
Emmanuel College
Boston, MA
Northeastern University Professional Programs
Boston, MA
Simmons University
Boston, MA
Hellenic College-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology
Brookline, MA
Frequently Asked Questions
How many surf and ski colleges are there?
10 four-year colleges are within 10 miles of the ocean and 25 miles of a ski resort. This list shows the 20 largest by enrollment; you can find the rest by combining the beach and ski filters on our search page.
Can you actually surf and ski in the same day?
Same weekend is routine at every school on this list. Same day is genuinely possible at the schools where both distances are short and the season cooperates, especially in Southern California and the Pacific Northwest, where spring snow overlaps with surfable swell.
How is this different from the D1 Ski & Beach list?
That list applies the same beach and ski thresholds but only to NCAA Division I schools, which cuts it to a handful. This one includes every qualifying four-year school, so smaller campuses and non-D1 athletic programs make the cut.