Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication at Blackburn College

Borrowing $26,000 to earn an estimated $41,000 in your first year creates a manageable 0.63 debt-to-earnings ratio—lower than many bachelor's programs. Based on comparable communications programs in Illinois, this degree appears to position graduates near the state median for the field, though top-performing programs like North Central and UIUC report first-year earnings above $48,000. For a school serving predominantly working-class students (54% receive Pell grants), that's a meaningful gap worth considering.

The challenge here is uncertainty. These figures come from peer programs across Illinois, not Blackburn's actual outcomes, because too few graduates enter the earnings data pipeline. That could reflect a small program size or graduates moving out of state—common in communications fields. What we do know is that similar programs in Illinois typically produce debt loads around $24,750 and first-year earnings of $41,234, which aligns closely with national benchmarks.

If your child is drawn to Blackburn's distinctive work program or tight-knit campus, the estimated financial profile doesn't raise red flags. But given the data limitations, ask the school directly about recent graduate outcomes and job placement support, especially compared to larger Illinois programs with documented success placing communications graduates into solid first jobs.