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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication in the Southeast Region

21 Ranked Colleges
1,053 Degrees Awarded
$21,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Schools for a Bachelor's in the Southeast Region

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region” ranking.

Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication is the 183rd most popular major in the country with 3,827 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across the Southeast region, there were 1,171 public relations, advertising, and applied communication graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,053 public relations, advertising, and applied communication graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,277 and $25,415 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region” ranking analyzed 21 colleges that offered a degree in public relations, advertising, and applied communication. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great public relations, advertising, and applied communication programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the public relations, advertising, and applied communication program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region.

Top 21 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication in the Southeast Region

#1

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Florida State University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region list. Tallahassee, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public relations, advertising, and applied communication degrees to 109 students in 2019-2020.

Florida State also made our “Best Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $9,789 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication students per year to attend Florida State University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Florida State University Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Report

#2

Kennesaw State University

Kennesaw, Georgia
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 21 schools in the Best Value Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Kennesaw State University landed the #2 spot on the list. KSU Georgia is a large school located in Kennesaw, Georgia that handed out 140 bachelors’s public relations, advertising, and applied communication degrees in 2019-2020.

KSU Georgia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Kennesaw State University is $17,221 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations, advertising, and applied communication students.

Read full report on Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication at Kennesaw State University

#5 in overall quality

Out of the 21 schools in the Best Value Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Florida International University landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Miami, Florida, and it awarded 171 bachelors’s public relations, advertising, and applied communication degrees in 2019-2020.

FIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend FIU is $7,296 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations, advertising, and applied communication students.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full FIU Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Report

#4

Harding University

Searcy, Arkansas
#9 in overall quality

Out of the 21 schools in the Best Value Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Harding University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Searcy, Arkansas, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s public relations, advertising, and applied communication students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Harding, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $19,375 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations, advertising, and applied communication students per year to attend Harding University.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Full Harding University Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Report

#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of South Florida - Main Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region. This large school is located in Tampa, Florida, and it awarded 80 bachelors’s public relations, advertising, and applied communication degrees in 2019-2020.

USF Tampa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for USF Tampa is $8,355 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Full USF Tampa Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Report

#14 in overall quality

University of Central Arkansas came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking. University of Central Arkansas is a fairly large school located in Conway, Arkansas that handed out 43 bachelors’s public relations, advertising, and applied communication degrees in 2019-2020.

UCA also made our “Best Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $15,376 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication students per year to attend University of Central Arkansas.

Full UCA Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Report

#7

University of Southern Mississippi

Hattiesburg, Mississippi
#20 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, University of Southern Mississippi did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region list. Located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, this fairly large public school awarded 9 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public relations, advertising, and applied communication students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations, advertising, and applied communication students list, Southern Miss has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern Mississippi is $14,923 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication students.

Full Southern Miss Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Report

#8

Flagler College - St Augustine

Saint Augustine, Florida
#13 in overall quality

Flagler College - St Augustine landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking. Saint Augustine, Florida is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s public relations, advertising, and applied communication degrees to 52 students in 2019-2020.

Flagler St. Augustine also made our “Best Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for Flagler St. Augustine is $23,237 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication students.

Read more about Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication at Flagler College - St Augustine

#9

The University of Tampa

Tampa, Florida
#3 in overall quality

The University of Tampa did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #9. The University of Tampa is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Tampa, Florida. It awarded 75 bachelors’s public relations, advertising, and applied communication degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations, advertising, and applied communication students list, UT has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UT is $30,990 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations, advertising, and applied communication students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full UT Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Report

#10

Columbia College

Columbia, South Carolina
#21 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Columbia College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region list. Columbia College South Carolina is located in Columbia, South Carolina and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s public relations, advertising, and applied communication degrees to qualified students.

Columbia College South Carolina also took the #21 spot in our “Best Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia College South Carolina is $18,307 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication students.

Read more about Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication at Columbia College

#15 in overall quality

University of Louisiana at Lafayette did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #11. This fairly large school is located in Lafayette, Louisiana, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s public relations, advertising, and applied communication degrees in 2019-2020.

UL Lafayette also took the #15 spot in our “Best Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UL Lafayette is $12,487 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication students.

Read more about Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication at University of Louisiana at Lafayette

#12

Elon University

Elon, North Carolina
#1 in overall quality

Elon University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #12. Elon, North Carolina is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s public relations, advertising, and applied communication degrees to 172 students in 2019-2020.

Elon also took the #1 spot in our “Best Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $37,230 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations, advertising, and applied communication students per year to attend Elon.

The low student loan default rate of 1.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Elon Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Report

#13

Southeastern University

Lakeland, Florida
#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, Southeastern University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region list. SEU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Lakeland, Florida. It awarded 3 bachelors’s public relations, advertising, and applied communication degrees in 2019-2020.

SEU also made our “Best Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #17. The estimated yearly cost for SEU is $24,909 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication students.

Read full report on Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication at Southeastern University

#14

Anderson University South Carolina

Anderson, South Carolina
#18 in overall quality

Anderson University South Carolina did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #14. This small school is located in Anderson, South Carolina, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s public relations, advertising, and applied communication degrees in 2019-2020.

Anderson University South Carolina did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Anderson University South Carolina is $21,756 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations, advertising, and applied communication students.

Full Anderson University South Carolina Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Report

#15

Belmont University

Nashville, Tennessee
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, Belmont University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region list. Belmont is a private not-for-profit institution located in Nashville, Tennessee. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Belmont not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $35,548 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations, advertising, and applied communication students per year to attend Belmont University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication at Belmont

#16

Wingate University

Wingate, North Carolina
#12 in overall quality

Wingate University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking. Wingate is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wingate, North Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Wingate did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Wingate University is $18,759 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication at Wingate University

#17

William Peace University

Raleigh, North Carolina
#19 in overall quality

William Peace University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #17. WPU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Raleigh, North Carolina. It awarded 7 bachelors’s public relations, advertising, and applied communication degrees in 2019-2020.

WPU also made our “Best Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #19. It costs about $24,134 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations, advertising, and applied communication students per year to attend WPU.

Read more about Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication at William Peace University

#18

Florida Southern College

Lakeland, Florida
#10 in overall quality

Florida Southern College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in Lakeland, Florida, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 22 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s public relations, advertising, and applied communication students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Florida Southern, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Florida Southern College is $25,646 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations, advertising, and applied communication students.

Full Florida Southern College Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Report

#19

Meredith College

Raleigh, North Carolina
#11 in overall quality

Meredith College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking. This small school is located in Raleigh, North Carolina, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s public relations, advertising, and applied communication degrees in 2019-2020.

Meredith also took the #11 spot in our “Best Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $23,683 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication students per year to attend Meredith College.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Meredith Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Report

#20

Loyola University New Orleans

New Orleans, Louisiana
#7 in overall quality

Loyola University New Orleans did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #20. Located in New Orleans, Louisiana, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 20 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s public relations, advertising, and applied communication students in 2019-2020.

Loyola New Orleans not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $21,486 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations, advertising, and applied communication students per year to attend Loyola New Orleans.

Read more about Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication at Loyola New Orleans

#21

Lynn University

Boca Raton, Florida
#16 in overall quality

Lynn University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region list. Lynn University is located in Boca Raton, Florida and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s public relations, advertising, and applied communication degrees to qualified students.

Lynn University Fighting Knights also made our “Best Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $36,044 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication students per year to attend Lynn University.

Read full report on Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication at Lynn University Fighting Knights

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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