Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication at Eastern Illinois University

Eastern Illinois University's communications program trails both state and national benchmarks by a concerning margin. Graduates earn roughly $3,000 less than the Illinois median and $1,400 below the national average, placing this program squarely in the bottom half of options—40th percentile in Illinois and 41st nationally. Meanwhile, the state's strongest programs at North Central College and U of I produce graduates earning over $48,000, nearly $10,000 more annually.

The debt load of $23,745 looks reasonable on paper—below both state and national medians—but the 0.62 debt-to-earnings ratio reveals the real concern. Your child would be borrowing more than half their first-year salary, which creates tight cash flow in entry-level communications roles. In an industry where unpaid internships and freelance work are common early on, starting $10,000 behind peers from stronger Illinois programs compounds the challenge.

The caveat here matters: with fewer than 30 graduates in this cohort, these numbers could swing significantly year to year. However, the pattern is consistent—this program underperforms its Illinois peers across the board. If your child is set on Eastern Illinois for cost or location reasons, understand they'll likely need to hustle harder early in their career to catch up to graduates from the state's mid-tier programs like Illinois State, which produces similar outcomes at comparable debt levels but with $5,500 higher starting salaries.