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2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid

56 Ranked Colleges
4,233 Degrees Awarded
$14,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor's in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 in the Southeast Region 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.

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 For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 56 colleges that offer a degree in public relations and advertising. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great public relations and advertising programs and cost less that 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid

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

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

#1

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public relations degrees to 394 students in 2019-2020.

UF also made our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $6,302 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students with aid 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 low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 UF Public Relations & Advertising Report

#17 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Florida International University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid. Florida International University is a public institution located in Miami, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 171 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid list, FIU has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend FIU is $7,296 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students with aid.

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

#3

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Florida State University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Tallahassee, Florida, and it awarded 109 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

Florida State also took the #7 spot in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Florida State is $9,789 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Florida State

#4

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia

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 Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Athens, Georgia, and it awarded 348 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

UGA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UGA is $13,649 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid.

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 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at UGA

#5

Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Appalachian State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Boone, North Carolina, and it awarded 156 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

Appalachian State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Appalachian State University is $13,920 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.9% 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.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Appalachian State University

University of Central Florida landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Orlando, Florida, this large public school awarded 132 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public relations students in 2019-2020.

UCF did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCF is $10,274 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid.

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%. 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 & Advertising at UCF

#21 in overall quality

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 For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Tampa, Florida, this large public school awarded 80 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s public relations students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USF Tampa, the school also landed the #21 spot 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 with aid.

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

#8

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky

With a ranking of #8, Northern Kentucky University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. Northern Kentucky University is a fairly large school located in Highland Heights, Kentucky that handed out 32 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Northern Kentucky University is $9,049 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students with aid.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at NKU

#9

Washington and Lee University

Lexington, Virginia
#1 in overall quality

Washington and Lee University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Lexington, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 21 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public relations students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Washington and Lee, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $22,615 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students with aid per year to attend Washington and Lee 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Washington and Lee

#10

Murray State University

Murray, Kentucky

With a ranking of #10, Murray State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. Murray State is a medium-sized public school situated in Murray, Kentucky. It awarded 79 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Murray State is $11,390 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students with aid.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Murray State University

#11

Georgia Southern University

Statesboro, Georgia

Georgia Southern University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. Georgia Southern University is a large school located in Statesboro, Georgia that handed out 87 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid list, GaSou has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Georgia Southern University is $15,536 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students with aid.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Georgia Southern University

#12

Western Kentucky University

Bowling Green, Kentucky

Western Kentucky University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. Bowling Green, Kentucky is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public relations degrees to 87 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend WKU is $11,962 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Western Kentucky University

With a ranking of #13, University of Louisiana at Lafayette did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Lafayette, Louisiana, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,487 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid per year to attend UL Lafayette.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at UL Lafayette

#14

The University of Alabama

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

With a ranking of #14, The University of Alabama did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, this large public school handed out 371 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public relations students in 2019-2020.

UA also took the #8 spot in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UA is $22,597 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at The University of Alabama

#15

Kennesaw State University

Kennesaw, Georgia

Kennesaw State University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. KSU Georgia is located in Kennesaw, Georgia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 210 bachelors’s public relations degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at KSU Georgia, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $17,221 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid per year to attend Kennesaw State University.

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

#16

University of South Carolina - Columbia

Columbia, South Carolina

University of South Carolina - Columbia did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Columbia, South Carolina, this large public school handed out 243 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s public relations students in 2019-2020.

UofSC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UofSC is $20,509 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UofSC Public Relations & Advertising Report

#17

University of Kentucky

Lexington, Kentucky

University of Kentucky did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. University of Kentucky is located in Lexington, Kentucky and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 153 bachelors’s public relations degrees to qualified students.

UK also took the #9 spot in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UK is $17,127 for Southeast Region 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 more about Public Relations & Advertising at University of Kentucky

#18

University of Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee

University of Memphis came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Memphis is a large school located in Memphis, Tennessee that handed out 42 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Memphis is $13,248 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at UofM

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Tallahassee, Florida, this medium-sized public school handed out 33 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s public relations students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University is $15,060 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid.

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 full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Florida A&M University

Arkansas State University - Main Campus landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Arkansas State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Jonesboro, Arkansas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend A-State is $13,406 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid.

Full A-State Public Relations & Advertising Report

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Knoxville, Tennessee, and it awarded 114 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

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 estimated yearly cost for UT Knoxville is $18,825 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students with aid.

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 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Public Relations & Advertising Report

University of Central Arkansas ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. UCA is located in Conway, Arkansas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 43 bachelors’s public relations degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend UCA is $15,376 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Relations students with aid.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at UCA

#23

Harding University

Searcy, Arkansas

Harding University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Searcy, Arkansas, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid list, Harding has also earned the #22 rank 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 with aid per year to attend Harding.

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

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Harding

#24

Eastern Kentucky University

Richmond, Kentucky

Eastern Kentucky University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. Eastern is a fairly large school located in Richmond, Kentucky that handed out 31 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,149 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid per year to attend Eastern.

Full Eastern Public Relations & Advertising Report

#25

University of Southern Mississippi

Hattiesburg, Mississippi

University of Southern Mississippi ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Southern Mississippi is a public institution located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,923 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public relations students with aid per year to attend Southern Miss.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at University of Southern Mississippi

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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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