2023 Best Value Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Iowa
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Public Relations & Advertising School for You
Public Relations & Advertising is the #36 most popular major in Iowa with 289 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Iowa ranking. Our analysis looked at 8 schools in Iowa to see which programs offered the best value experiences for public relations students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Featured Public Relations Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
BA in Communication - Public Relations
Prepare to develop your skills in building mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their public audiences.
MA in Communication - Public Relations
Learn how to use the latest technology and tactics to manage the flow of information between brands and the public with your Master's in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations at Southern New Hampshire University.
Best Iowa Schools for Affordable Quality in Public Relations & Advertising
Our 2023 rankings named Iowa State University the best value school in Iowa for public relations and advertising students. Iowa State is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Ames.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Iowa State are $9,634 per year. After completing their degree, public relations graduates from Iowa State carry an average student debtload of $24,024. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $236, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Iowa State is ranked #4 for overall quality for public relations in Iowa.
Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Iowa State University
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Northern Iowa is a great value for public relations and advertising students. Located in the city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UNI are $9,053 a year. After completing their degree, public relations graduates from UNI carry an average student debtload of $25,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $137.
UNI did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Iowa list.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Drake University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Iowa list. Located in the medium-sized city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Drake undergraduate students pay an average of $45,912 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Public Relations majors at Drake take out an average of $21,500 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $353.
Drake did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Iowa list.
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The excellent programs at Loras College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best public relations and advertising schools in Iowa. Located in the small city of Dubuque, Loras is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Loras are $35,268 per year. After completing their degree, public relations graduates from Loras carry an average student debtload of $27,000.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Saint Ambrose University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Iowa list. Located in the medium-sized city of Davenport, St. Ambrose University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
St. Ambrose University undergraduate students pay an average of $33,570 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Saint Ambrose University
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Simpson College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Iowa list. Located in the fringe town of Indianola, Simpson College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Simpson College are $44,030 a year. Public Relations majors at Simpson College take out an average of $23,250 in student loans while working on their egree.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Simpson College also is in the top 15% of our Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Iowa ranking.
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Coe College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public relations and advertising students. It came in at #7 on the list. Coe is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Cedar Rapids.
Coe undergraduate students pay an average of $48,822 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, public relations graduates from Coe take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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With a ranking of #8, Waldorf University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public relations and advertising students. Waldorf is a small private for-profit school located in the remote town of Forest City.
Waldorf undergraduate students pay an average of $23,666 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Waldorf University
Request InformationBest Value Public Relations & Advertising Colleges in the Plains States Region
Explore all the Best Value Public Relations & Advertising Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Missouri | 356 |
| Minnesota | 128 |
| Kansas | 107 |
| Nebraska | 347 |
| North Dakota | 30 |
| South Dakota | 27 |
More Public Relations & Advertising Rankings in Iowa
Other Related Public Relations Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
BA in Communication - Public Relations
Prepare to develop your skills in building mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their public audiences.
MA in Communication - Public Relations
Learn how to use the latest technology and tactics to manage the flow of information between brands and the public with your Master's in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations at Southern New Hampshire University.
MA in Communication - New Media & Marketing
Keep your skills and knowledge at the forefront of new media technologies with this specialized online master's from Southern New Hampshire University.
Majors Related to Public Relations
One of 5 majors within the area of study, public relations and advertising has other similar majors worth exploring.
Majors Similar to Public Relations
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Communication & Media Studies | 66,787 |
| Radio, Television & Digital Communication | 17,669 |
| Journalism | 13,552 |
| Communication & Journalism (Other) | 1,128 |
| Publishing | 336 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 8 schools only.
- 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Bill Koplitz.
More about our data sources and methodologies.