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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Relations (Income $30-$48k)

108 Ranked Colleges
4,798 Degrees Awarded
$10,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 5,347 people earned their degree in public relations, making the major the 136th most popular in the United States.

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 $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 108 colleges that offered a degree 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.

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

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Relations (Income $30-$48k)

#1

Washington and Lee University

Lexington, Virginia
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 108 schools in the Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Washington and Lee University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Lexington, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 21 degrees to qualified bachelors’s PR students in 2019-2020.

Washington and Lee also made our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend Washington and Lee University is $2,039 for bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $30-$48k.

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. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, 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 97%.

Read full report on Public Relations at Washington and Lee

#2

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k. UF is a large school located in Gainesville, Florida that handed out 196 bachelors’s PR 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 $4,069 for bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, 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%.

Full University of Florida Public Relations Report

#3

Franklin University

Columbus, Ohio

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Franklin University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k. 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 $11,992 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Public Relations at Franklin University

#4

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 #4 for the Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k. Athens, Georgia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s PR degrees to 161 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UGA, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Georgia is $10,241 for bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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 at UGA

#10 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brigham Young University - Provo. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Provo, Utah, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 101 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s PR students in 2019-2020.

BYU also made our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for BYU is $10,425 for bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Public Relations at Brigham Young University - Provo

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. CSUDH is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 70 bachelors’s PR degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $3,115 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills.

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%.

Read full report on Public Relations at California State University - Dominguez Hills

#7

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington
#20 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Washington State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Washington State University is a large public school situated in Pullman, Washington. It awarded 119 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wazzu, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Washington State University is $11,337 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Read more about Public Relations at Wazzu

#2 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s PR degrees to 181 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $30-$48k list, UT Austin has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UT Austin is $13,575 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 UT Austin

#9

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas
#19 in overall quality

Texas Tech University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k 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. The estimated yearly cost for Texas Tech is $13,326 for bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Full Texas Tech University Public Relations Report

California State University - Long Beach ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k 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 yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $7,595 for bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. 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 more about Public Relations at California State University - Long Beach

#11

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky

Northern Kentucky University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Highland Heights, Kentucky, this fairly large public school awarded 31 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s PR students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Northern Kentucky University is $6,295 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Northern Kentucky University Public Relations Report

#18 in overall quality

Iowa State University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Iowa State is a large public school situated in Ames, Iowa. It awarded 77 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $30-$48k list, Iowa State has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $10,843 for bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Iowa State.

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 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Relations at Iowa State University

#13

Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina

With a ranking of #13, Appalachian State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Boone, North Carolina, and it awarded 89 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Appalachian State University is $9,884 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Appalachian State Public Relations Report

#14

University of Houston

Houston, Texas
Top 25% in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, University of Houston did quite well on the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. 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.

It costs about $9,925 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students whose families make $30-$48k 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 more about Public Relations at UH

#15

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. USC is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 100 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2019-2020.

USC also made our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $16,252 for bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $30-$48k.

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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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 full report on Public Relations at USC

University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras did quite well in the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #16. This fairly large school is located in San Juan, , and it awarded 37 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras is $11,928 for bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Public Relations at UPR Rio Piedras

#17

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas

Texas State University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. San Marcos, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s PR degrees to 202 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Texas State University is $12,292 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Public Relations at Texas State

#18

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#16 in overall quality

San Jose State University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 60 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $11,752 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students whose families make $30-$48k.

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.

Read full report on Public Relations at San Jose State University

#19

University of Oregon

Eugene, Oregon
#17 in overall quality

University of Oregon did quite well in the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #19. Located in Eugene, Oregon, this large public school handed out 181 degrees to qualified bachelors’s PR students in 2019-2020.

UO not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UO is $13,108 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 full report on Public Relations at UO

#20

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa
#23 in overall quality

University of Northern Iowa ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Northern Iowa is a medium-sized public school situated in Cedar Falls, Iowa. It awarded 33 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI also took the #23 spot in our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UNI is $12,495 for bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UNI Public Relations Report

#12 in overall quality

Miami University - Oxford came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Oxford, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s PR degrees to 183 students in 2019-2020.

Miami University - Oxford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Public Relations Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $17,692 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Miami University - Oxford.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.

Read full report on Public Relations at Miami University - Oxford

#22

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Central Michigan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #22. 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 $12,127 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Central Michigan University.

Read full report on Public Relations at Central Michigan

#23

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Charleston, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s PR degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,316 for bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend EIU.

Full Eastern Illinois University Public Relations Report

#24

University of Rhode Island

Kingston, Rhode Island

University of Rhode Island ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. URI is located in Kingston, Rhode Island and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 83 bachelors’s PR degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $15,509 for bachelor’s degree pr students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend URI.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full URI Public Relations Report

#25

Ferris State University

Big Rapids, Michigan

Ferris State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value PR Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Big Rapids, Michigan, this fairly large public school awarded 7 degrees to qualified bachelors’s PR students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,521 for Bachelor’s Degree PR students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Ferris State University.

Read full report on Public Relations at Ferris

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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