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2022 Best Value Colleges for Public Relations & Advertising in Illinois (With Aid)

16 Ranked Colleges
953 Degrees Awarded
$22,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Relations Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 20,229 people earned their degree in public relations and advertising, making the major the 53rd most popular in the United States. 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.

Across Illinois, there were 953 public relations and advertising graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,467 and $24,558 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Relations Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 16 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the public relations and advertising program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Public Relations & Advertising Schools

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 in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most 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 Public Relations Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Relations Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid.

Top 16 Best Value Colleges for Public Relations & Advertising in Illinois (With Aid)

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 #1 for the Best Value Public Relations Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public relations degrees to 269 students in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $15,880 for illinois public relations students with aid.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Public Relations & Advertising Report

#2

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Public Relations Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 50 ’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $24,664 for illinois public relations students with aid per year to attend Northwestern University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Northwestern University

#3

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Public Relations Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Illinois University landed the #3 spot on the list. Eastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Charleston, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 15 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

EIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $14,607 for Illinois Public Relations students with aid per year to attend EIU.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Eastern Illinois University

#4

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Public Relations Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Saint Xavier University landed the #4 spot on the list. SXU is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 1 ’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

SXU also took the #15 spot in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $14,528 for illinois public relations students with aid per year to attend SXU.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at SXU

#5

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Public Relations Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school awarded 80 diplomas to qualified ’s public relations students in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also made our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State is $20,895 for Illinois Public Relations students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Illinois State

#6

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois

With a ranking of #6, Dominican University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Located in River Forest, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified ’s public relations students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Dominican U, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Dominican U is $19,268 for illinois public relations students with aid.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Dominican U

#7

Monmouth College

Monmouth, Illinois

Monmouth College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Public Relations Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Monmouth, Illinois, and it awarded 7 ’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

Monmouth also made our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for Monmouth College is $17,061 for illinois public relations 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Monmouth

#8

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois

With a ranking of #8, Elmhurst University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Elmhurst University is a small school located in Elmhurst, Illinois that handed out 1 ’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

Elmhurst not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $21,485 for illinois public relations students with aid per year to attend Elmhurst.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Elmhurst

#9

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Public Relations Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Bradley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Peoria, Illinois. It awarded 69 ’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

Bradley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Bradley University is $25,634 for Illinois Public Relations students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 more about Public Relations & Advertising at Bradley University

#10

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois

North Central College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Relations Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. North Central is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Naperville, Illinois. It awarded 10 ’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

North Central did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for North Central is $24,786 for illinois 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%.

Full North Central Public Relations & Advertising Report

#11

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Public Relations Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, and it awarded 11 ’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

Olivet Nazarene did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Olivet Nazarene University is $20,195 for illinois public relations students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 Olivet Nazarene University

#12

Trinity Christian College

Palos Heights, Illinois

With a ranking of #12, Trinity Christian College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Trinity Christian College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Palos Heights, Illinois. It awarded 4 ’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

Trinity Christian not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Trinity Christian College is $21,904 for Illinois Public Relations students with aid.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Trinity Christian

#13

North Park University

Chicago, Illinois

North Park University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. North Park is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 2 ’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois public relations students with aid list, North Park has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend North Park University is $19,170 for illinois public relations students with aid.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at North Park University

#14

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Columbia College Chicago landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Columbia College Chicago is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 35 ’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia also took the #10 spot in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia is $31,099 for Illinois Public Relations students with aid.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Columbia

#15

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Public Relations Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 227 degrees to qualified ’s public relations students in 2019-2020.

DePaul also took the #7 spot in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $30,090 for illinois public relations students with aid per year to attend DePaul.

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%.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at DePaul

#16

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Relations Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Loyola Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 121 ’s public relations degrees to qualified students.

Loyola Chicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola Chicago is $35,407 for Illinois Public Relations students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 Loyola University Chicago

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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

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