2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Relations (With Aid)
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Public Relations is the 136th most popular major in the country with 5,347 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,798 public relations graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 108 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public relations. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent public relations programs, but they also 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 program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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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 PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree pr students with aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Relations (With Aid)
Out of the 108 schools in the Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the #1 spot on the list. UF is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 196 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UF also took the #4 spot in our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Florida is $6,302 for bachelor’s degree pr students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Austin. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 181 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2019-2020.
UT Austin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UT Austin is $18,023 for bachelor’s degree pr students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, 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 97%.
Out of the 108 schools in the Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Provo landed the #3 spot on the list. Brigham Young University - Provo is a large school located in Provo, Utah that handed out 101 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at BYU, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Brigham Young University - Provo is $13,322 for bachelor’s degree pr students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Dominguez Hills. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 70 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Dominguez Hills is $4,215 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 California State University - Dominguez Hills Public Relations Report
Out of the 108 schools in the Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Georgia landed the #5 spot on the list. University of Georgia is a large school located in Athens, Georgia that handed out 161 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2019-2020.
UGA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $13,649 for bachelor’s degree pr students with aid per year to attend UGA.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on Public Relations at University of Georgia
With a ranking of #6, Appalachian State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Appalachian State University is a large school located in Boone, North Carolina that handed out 89 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Appalachian State University is $13,920 for bachelor’s degree pr students with aid.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras did quite well in the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. San Juan, is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s PR degrees to 37 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras is $11,714 for bachelor’s degree pr students with aid.
Franklin University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s PR degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Franklin University is $12,895 for bachelor’s degree pr students with aid.
California State University - Long Beach ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s PR degrees to 46 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $9,622 for bachelor’s degree pr students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Texas Tech University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Texas Tech University is a large school located in Lubbock, Texas that handed out 157 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2019-2020.
Texas Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $17,571 for bachelor’s degree pr students with aid per year to attend Texas Tech University.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
San Jose State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. San Jose, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s PR degrees to 60 students in 2019-2020.
San Jose State also made our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #16. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $14,928 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #12, Texas State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Texas State is a large public school situated in San Marcos, Texas. It awarded 202 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Texas State is $15,230 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students with aid.
Iowa State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Ames, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s PR degrees to 77 students in 2019-2020.
Iowa State also made our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #18. It costs about $15,496 for bachelor’s degree pr students with aid per year to attend Iowa State University.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #14, University of Houston did quite well on the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Houston, Texas, this large public school handed out 86 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s PR students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $12,838 for bachelor’s degree pr students with aid per year to attend University of Houston.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read full report on Public Relations at University of Houston
Northern Kentucky University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. NKU is located in Highland Heights, Kentucky and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 31 bachelors’s PR degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend NKU is $9,049 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students with aid.
Read full report on Public Relations at Northern Kentucky University
University of Rhode Island did quite well in the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. This fairly large school is located in Kingston, Rhode Island, and it awarded 83 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend University of Rhode Island is $20,607 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read more about Public Relations at University of Rhode Island
University of Oregon did quite well in the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. University of Oregon is a large public school situated in Eugene, Oregon. It awarded 181 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2019-2020.
UO also made our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #17. The yearly cost to attend UO is $16,461 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.
University of Northern Iowa did quite well in the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, this medium-sized public school handed out 33 degrees to qualified bachelors’s PR students in 2019-2020.
UNI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Northern Iowa is $15,620 for bachelor’s degree pr students with aid.
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 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Washington and Lee University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Washington and Lee is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lexington, Virginia. It awarded 21 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree pr students with aid list, Washington and Lee has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Washington and Lee is $22,615 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Washington State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Pullman, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s PR degrees to 119 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree pr students with aid list, Wazzu has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $16,358 for bachelor’s degree pr students with aid per year to attend Washington State University.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Central Michigan University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Mount Pleasant, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s PR degrees to 70 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,981 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students with aid per year to attend Central Michigan.
Read full report on Public Relations at Central Michigan University
SUNY Fredonia landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Fredonia, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s PR degrees to 29 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend SUNY Fredonia is $14,824 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #23, Murray State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Murray, Kentucky, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Murray State University is $11,390 for bachelor’s degree pr students with aid.
Georgia Southern University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Statesboro, Georgia, and it awarded 87 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Georgia Southern University is $15,536 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students with aid.
Read more about Public Relations at Georgia Southern University
Western Kentucky University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, this fairly large public school handed out 30 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s PR students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Western Kentucky University is $11,962 for bachelor’s degree pr students with aid.
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Bill Koplitz.
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