2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Relations & Advertising in the Southeast Region
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region” 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 the Southeast region, there were 4,987 public relations and advertising graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,413 and $23,814 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,233 public relations and advertising graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,277 and $25,415 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region” ranking, we looked at 56 colleges that offer 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
The public relations school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region”.
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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Relations & Advertising in the Southeast Region
Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Florida State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Tallahassee, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public relations degrees to 109 students in 2019-2020.
Florida State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Florida State is $9,789 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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%.
Full Florida State University Public Relations & Advertising Report
Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Georgia Southern University landed the #2 spot on the list. GaSou is a large school located in Statesboro, Georgia that handed out 87 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.
GaSou also took the #19 spot in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Georgia Southern University is $15,536 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Florida. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region list. Located in Gainesville, Florida, this large public school awarded 394 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s public relations students in 2019-2020.
UF did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $6,302 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students per year to attend UF.
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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at University of Florida
Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Kennesaw State University landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Kennesaw, Georgia, and it awarded 210 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.
KSU Georgia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $17,221 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students per year to attend Kennesaw State University.
Full Kennesaw State University Public Relations & Advertising Report
Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Florida International University landed the #5 spot on the list. FIU is located in Miami, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 171 bachelors’s public relations degrees to qualified students.
FIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Public Relations & Advertising 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 students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Florida International University Public Relations & Advertising Report
Appalachian State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region list. Appalachian State University is a large school located in Boone, North Carolina that handed out 156 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Appalachian State, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $13,920 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students per year to attend Appalachian State.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full Appalachian State Public Relations & Advertising Report
With a ranking of #7, Harding University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region list. Harding is a private not-for-profit institution located in Searcy, Arkansas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Harding, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $19,375 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students per year to attend Harding University.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #8. Tampa, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public relations degrees to 80 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students list, USF Tampa has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend USF Tampa is $8,355 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations 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 University of South Florida - Main Campus Public Relations & Advertising Report
With a ranking of #9, University of Central Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region list. University of Central Florida is located in Orlando, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 132 bachelors’s public relations degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students list, UCF has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCF is $10,274 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. 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 Central Arkansas came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking. University of Central Arkansas is a fairly large public school situated in Conway, Arkansas. It awarded 43 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,376 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students per year to attend UCA.
Full University of Central Arkansas Public Relations & Advertising Report
With a ranking of #11, University of Georgia did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region list. UGA is a public institution located in Athens, Georgia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 348 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UGA, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Georgia is $13,649 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Full University of Georgia Public Relations & Advertising Report
University of Memphis ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region list. Memphis, Tennessee is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public relations degrees to 42 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $13,248 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students per year to attend UofM.
Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at University of Memphis
Arkansas State University - Main Campus came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking. Jonesboro, Arkansas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public relations degrees to 36 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend A-State is $13,406 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students.
Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Arkansas State University - Main Campus
University of Southern Mississippi did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #14. Southern Miss is located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s public relations degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend University of Southern Mississippi is $14,923 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students.
Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at University of Southern Mississippi
Murray State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #15. Murray State is a public institution located in Murray, Kentucky. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 79 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $11,390 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students per year to attend Murray State.
Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Murray State
Northern Kentucky University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking. NKU is a public institution located in Highland Heights, Kentucky. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Northern Kentucky University is $9,049 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students.
Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Northern Kentucky University
Flagler College - St Augustine ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region list. Flagler College - St Augustine is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Augustine, Florida. The school has a small population, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Flagler College - St Augustine is $23,237 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students.
Full Flagler St. Augustine Public Relations & Advertising Report
Lee University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking. Lee University is a medium-sized school located in Cleveland, Tennessee that handed out 45 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Lee University is $17,696 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students.
Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Lee University
Mississippi College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking. Clinton, Mississippi is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s public relations degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for MC is $17,186 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students.
Union University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #20. This small school is located in Jackson, Tennessee, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Union University is $28,249 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of South Carolina - Columbia came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking. University of South Carolina - Columbia is located in Columbia, South Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 243 bachelors’s public relations degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students list, UofSC has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $20,509 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students per year to attend UofSC.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Full University of South Carolina - Columbia Public Relations & Advertising Report
The University of Tampa came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking. Tampa, Florida is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s public relations degrees to 75 students in 2019-2020.
UT did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $30,990 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students per year to attend UT.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at The University of Tampa
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region list. Tallahassee, Florida is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public relations degrees to 33 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,060 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students per year to attend Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
Columbia College ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Public Relations 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 degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Columbia College South Carolina is $18,307 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students.
Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Columbia College
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking. The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is located in Knoxville, Tennessee and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 114 bachelors’s public relations degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Knoxville, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UT Knoxville is $18,825 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, 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 89%.
Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at UT Knoxville
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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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