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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Relations (Income $0-$30k)

108 Ranked Colleges
4,798 Degrees Awarded
$9,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 108 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public relations. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public relations programs that also have a lower cost than 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Public Relations Schools

The pr 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 PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k”.

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 PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Relations (Income $0-$30k)

#1

Washington and Lee University

Lexington, Virginia
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington and Lee University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. 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.

Washington and Lee did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Washington and Lee is $1,612 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.

Read more about Public Relations at Washington and Lee

#2

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 108 schools in the Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the #2 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UF, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Florida is $1,994 for bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 full report on Public Relations at UF

#3

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia
#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Georgia. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. UGA is a large public school situated in Athens, Georgia. It awarded 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. The yearly cost to attend University of Georgia is $7,541 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read full report on Public Relations at UGA

#10 in overall quality

Out of the 108 schools in the Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Provo landed the #4 spot on the list. BYU is located in Provo, Utah and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 101 bachelors’s PR degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $0-$30k list, BYU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Brigham Young University - Provo is $8,834 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. 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%.

Full BYU Public Relations Report

#5

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington
#20 in overall quality

Out of the 108 schools in the Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Washington State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Pullman, Washington, this large public school handed out 119 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s PR students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $0-$30k list, Wazzu has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Washington State University is $9,334 for bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Full Wazzu Public Relations Report

California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSUDH is a public institution located in Carson, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 70 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Dominguez Hills is $2,455 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 Report

#2 in overall quality

The University of Texas at Austin landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 181 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Austin also made our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $12,203 for bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UT Austin.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Public Relations at The University of Texas at Austin

#8

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas
#19 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Texas Tech University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lubbock, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s PR degrees to 157 students in 2019-2020.

Texas Tech also took the #19 spot in our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Texas Tech is $12,317 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read more about Public Relations at Texas Tech

#9

Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina

With a ranking of #9, Appalachian State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Appalachian State University is located in Boone, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 89 bachelors’s PR degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Appalachian State University is $7,169 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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 Appalachian State Public Relations Report

#18 in overall quality

Iowa State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Iowa State University is a large public school situated in Ames, Iowa. It awarded 77 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa State also made our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #18. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State is $10,054 for bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Iowa State Public Relations Report

#11

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky

Northern Kentucky University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Highland Heights, Kentucky is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s PR degrees to 31 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for NKU is $4,156 for bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Public Relations at Northern Kentucky University

California State University - Long Beach ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSULB is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 46 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $6,364 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Public Relations at CSULB

#13

Franklin University

Columbus, Ohio

With a ranking of #13, Franklin University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Franklin University is located in Columbus, Ohio and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s PR degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Franklin University is $11,328 for bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Public Relations at Franklin University

#14

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa
#23 in overall quality

University of Northern Iowa landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Northern Iowa is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 33 bachelors’s PR degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $0-$30k list, UNI has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UNI is $10,757 for bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. 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 more about Public Relations at University of Northern Iowa

#15

University of South Carolina - Columbia

Columbia, South Carolina
#15 in overall quality

University of South Carolina - Columbia ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of South Carolina - Columbia is a large school located in Columbia, South Carolina that handed out 167 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2019-2020.

UofSC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UofSC is $12,426 for bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.

Full UofSC Public Relations Report

#16

University of Houston

Houston, Texas
Top 25% in overall quality

University of Houston landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Houston is located in Houston, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 86 bachelors’s PR degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend UH is $10,203 for bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read more about Public Relations at UH

#17

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#16 in overall quality

San Jose State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $10,940 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Jose State.

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

Full San Jose State University Public Relations Report

University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. 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 $11,337 for bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

#19

Ferris State University

Big Rapids, Michigan

Ferris State University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Ferris is a public institution located in Big Rapids, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,207 for bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Ferris State University.

Full Ferris Public Relations Report

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville did quite well in the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. UT Knoxville is located in Knoxville, Tennessee and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 61 bachelors’s PR degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is $10,224 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Relations at UT Knoxville

#12 in overall quality

Miami University - Oxford ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Miami University - Oxford is a fairly large public school situated in Oxford, Ohio. It awarded 183 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2019-2020.

Miami University - Oxford also made our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for Miami University - Oxford is $13,759 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Public Relations at Miami University - Oxford

#22

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

With a ranking of #22, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s PR degrees to 100 students in 2019-2020.

USC also took the #3 spot in our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend USC is $14,668 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Relations at University of Southern California

#23

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas

Texas State University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in San Marcos, Texas, and it awarded 202 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Texas State is $11,125 for bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Public Relations at Texas State University

#24

SUNY Oswego

Oswego, New York

SUNY Oswego came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Oswego, New York, this medium-sized public school handed out 46 degrees to qualified bachelors’s PR students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,698 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SUNY Oswego.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.

Read full report on Public Relations at SUNY Oswego

#25

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Central Michigan University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Central Michigan is located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 70 bachelors’s PR degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $11,598 for bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Central Michigan University.

Read full report on Public Relations at Central Michigan University

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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