Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication at North Central College

North Central College's communication program outperforms 95% of similar programs nationally—impressive at first glance—but the small sample size means a handful of successful graduates could be skewing these numbers significantly. With fewer than 30 graduates tracked, these results may not reflect what typical students experience. That said, the $48,549 starting salary nearly matches University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the state's flagship, while debt remains quite manageable at $26,899.

The 60th percentile ranking among Illinois schools provides important context: this program sits solidly in the middle of the state pack, trailing U of I by just $500 but ahead of well-known options like DePaul and Columbia College Chicago. The 20% earnings growth to $58,050 by year four suggests graduates find decent career traction, though we'd need more data points to know if this trajectory holds for most students. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.55 means borrowers face roughly six months of gross salary in debt—reasonable by today's standards.

For parents considering North Central over cheaper state options, the question is whether these potentially inflated numbers reflect institutional quality or just a lucky cohort. The program *could* deliver excellent outcomes, particularly for students who thrive in a smaller college environment. But with such limited data, you're essentially betting on anecdotal evidence rather than proven patterns. If your child gets in-state tuition elsewhere with larger, more reliable data, that's worth serious consideration.