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2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

265 Ranked Colleges
16,820 Degrees Awarded
$12,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Getting Aid

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Public Relations & Advertising is the 53rd most popular major in the country with 20,229 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, public relations and advertising graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $36,513 and had an average of $25,130 in loans still to pay off.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 16,820 public relations and advertising graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 265 colleges that offered a degree in public relations and advertising. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public relations and advertising programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the public relations and advertising program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Relations & Advertising (With Aid)

#1

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Florida. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. University of Florida is a large school located in Gainesville, Florida that handed out 394 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

UF did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $6,302 for bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid per year to attend UF.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at University of Florida

#2

Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, New York

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Fashion Institute of Technology. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Fashion Institute of Technology is a medium-sized public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 282 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

FIT SUNY not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $10,523 for bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid per year to attend Fashion Institute of Technology.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Fashion Institute of Technology Public Relations & Advertising Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 245 bachelors’s public relations degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $15,880 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students with aid per year to attend UIUC.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at UIUC

Out of the 265 schools in the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Austin landed the #4 spot on the list. The University of Texas at Austin is a large school located in Austin, Texas that handed out 567 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Austin not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $18,023 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students with aid per year to attend UT Austin.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UT Austin Public Relations & Advertising Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brigham Young University - Provo. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Brigham Young University - Provo is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Provo, Utah. It awarded 243 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

BYU also made our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #17. The yearly cost to attend Brigham Young University - Provo is $13,322 for bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Full BYU Public Relations & Advertising Report

California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. CSUDH is a fairly large public school situated in Carson, California. It awarded 70 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills is $4,215 for bachelor’s degree public relations 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 CSUDH Public Relations & Advertising Report

With a ranking of #7, Florida International University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. FIU is a large public school situated in Miami, Florida. It awarded 171 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for FIU is $7,296 for bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Full FIU Public Relations & Advertising Report

#8

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida

With a ranking of #8, Florida State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Florida State is a large school located in Tallahassee, Florida that handed out 109 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

Florida State excels when it comes to public relations quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Florida State University is $9,789 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Florida State University Public Relations & Advertising Report

#9

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia

With a ranking of #9, University of Georgia did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UGA is a large school located in Athens, Georgia that handed out 348 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UGA, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,649 for bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid per year to attend University of Georgia.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at UGA

#10

Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina

Appalachian State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Appalachian State is a public institution located in Boone, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 156 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Appalachian State University is $13,920 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Appalachian State University

University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in San Juan, , and it awarded 37 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UPR Rio Piedras is $11,714 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students with aid.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras

#12

University of Central Florida

Orlando, Florida

University of Central Florida came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Orlando, Florida, and it awarded 132 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UCF is $10,274 for bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at University of Central Florida

#13

Franklin University

Columbus, Ohio

Franklin University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Franklin University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 22 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Franklin University is $12,895 for bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Franklin University

#14

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in East Lansing, Michigan, and it awarded 517 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid list, Michigan State has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Michigan State University is $19,173 for bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Michigan State University

University of South Florida - Main Campus ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. USF Tampa is a public institution located in Tampa, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 80 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend USF Tampa is $8,355 for bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its 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%.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at University of South Florida - Main Campus

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. California State University - Long Beach is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 46 bachelors’s public relations degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $9,622 for bachelor’s degree public relations 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 low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 CSULB Public Relations & Advertising Report

#17

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin
Top 25% in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - River Falls ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in River Falls, Wisconsin, and it awarded 57 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls is $13,748 for bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 at UW - River Falls

#18

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Texas Tech is located in Lubbock, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 262 bachelors’s public relations degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Texas Tech is also in the top of our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Texas Tech is $17,571 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Texas Tech University

University of Nebraska - Lincoln landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Lincoln, Nebraska, and it awarded 221 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNL, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $17,208 for bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid per year to attend University of Nebraska - Lincoln.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at University of Nebraska - Lincoln

#20

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public relations degrees to 31 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $14,788 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national 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.

Full San Diego State University Public Relations & Advertising Report

#21

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

With a ranking of #21, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. San Jose State University is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 100 bachelors’s public relations degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on this list, San Jose State is in the top on our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $14,928 for bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid per year to attend San Jose State.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at San Jose State

#22

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas

Texas State University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Texas State University is a large public school situated in San Marcos, Texas. It awarded 315 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,230 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students with aid per year to attend Texas State.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Texas State University

Iowa State University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Iowa State is a large public school situated in Ames, Iowa. It awarded 130 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa State excels when it comes to public relations quality. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State is $15,496 for bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Iowa State University

#24

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

University of Houston did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #24. UH is located in Houston, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 154 bachelors’s public relations degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend UH is $12,838 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UH Public Relations & Advertising Report

Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #25. Tempe, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public relations degrees to 92 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for ASU - Tempe is $11,706 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at ASU - Tempe

Rest of the Best 40 in Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

Not only did these schools make the top 40 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#26

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky
#27

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
#28

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana
#30

University of Rhode Island

Kingston, Rhode Island
#31

University of Oregon

Eugene, Oregon
#32

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa
#33

Washington and Lee University

Lexington, Virginia
#34

Southeast Missouri State University

Cape Girardeau, Missouri
#37

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington
#38

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, Michigan
#40

Rhode Island College

Providence, Rhode Island

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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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