2023 Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools
Finding the Best Public Relations & Advertising School for You
Public Relations & Advertising is the #52 most popular major in the country with 21,099 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
The Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 312 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the United States
Check out the public relations programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 25 Top Schools in Public Relations & Advertising
Our 2023 rankings named Georgetown University the best school in the United States for public relations and advertising students. Located in the city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
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The excellent programs at University of Florida helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best public relations and advertising schools in the United States. UF is a very large public school located in the city of Gainesville.
While working on their degree, public relations majors at UF accumulate an average of around $17,500 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $234, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Austin. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools list. UT Austin is a very large public school located in the large city of Austin.
On average, public relations graduates from UT Austin take out $22,115 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $253, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Out of the 312 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Evanston.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Elon University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools list. Located in the midsize suburb of Elon, Elon is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
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With a ranking of #6, Marquette University did quite well on this year’s best schools for public relations and advertising students. Located in the city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
On average, public relations graduates from Marquette take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $593, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Villanova University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools list. Villanova is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Villanova.
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With a ranking of #8, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on this year’s best schools for public relations and advertising students. UIUC is a very large public school located in the city of Champaign.
On average, public relations graduates from UIUC take out $20,500 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $428, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Drake University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools list. Located in the midsize city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
While working on their degree, public relations majors at Drake accumulate an average of around $21,500 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $353, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public relations and advertising students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public school with a very large student population.
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University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #11 on this year’s Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools list. UW - Madison is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Madison.
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University of Nebraska - Lincoln came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools ranking. Located in the city of Lincoln, UNL is a public college with a very large student population.
Public Relations majors at UNL take out an average of $21,750 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $355.
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With a ranking of #13, University of Dayton did quite well on this year’s best schools for public relations and advertising students. UDayton is a large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Dayton.
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University of Florida-Online ranked #14 on this year’s Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools list. Located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville, UF Online is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
While working on their degree, public relations majors at UF Online accumulate an average of around $17,500 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $234, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #15, Southern Methodist University did quite well on this year’s best schools for public relations and advertising students. SMU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Dallas.
On average, public relations graduates from SMU take out $21,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Pepperdine University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public relations and advertising students. It came in at #16 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Malibu, Pepperdine is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
While working on their degree, public relations majors at Pepperdine accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $511.
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University of Colorado Boulder did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public relations and advertising students. It came in at #17 on the list. Located in the city of Boulder, CU - Boulder is a public school with a very large student population.
Public Relations majors at CU - Boulder take out an average of $19,500 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $619.
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With a ranking of #18, Miami University - Oxford did quite well on this year’s best schools for public relations and advertising students. Miami University - Oxford is a large public school located in the town of Oxford.
Public Relations majors at Miami University - Oxford take out an average of $24,000 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $511.
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With a ranking of #19, Illinois Media School did quite well on this year’s best schools for public relations and advertising students. Located in the large suburb of Lombard, Illinois Media School is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
The average amount in student loans that public relations majors at Illinois Media School take out is $15,833.
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George Washington University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools list. Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
On average, public relations graduates from GWU take out $20,375 in student loans while working on their degree.
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With a ranking of #21, Fairfield University did quite well on this year’s best schools for public relations and advertising students. Fairfield U is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Fairfield.
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San Jose State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public relations and advertising students. It came in at #22 on the list. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Jose.
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University of Southern California ranked #23 on this year’s Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
Public Relations majors at USC take out an average of $19,500 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $494, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Syracuse University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools list. Syracuse is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Syracuse.
Public Relations majors at Syracuse take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $588, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Michigan State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools ranking. Located in the small city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public school with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that public relations majors at Michigan State take out is $25,122. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $511.
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Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 47 | Washington State University | Pullman, WA |
| 48 | Simpson College | Indianola, IA |
| 49 | Columbia University in the City of New York | New York, NY |
| 50 | University of Oklahoma Norman Campus | Norman, OK |
| 51 | Baldwin Wallace University | Berea, OH |
| 52 | Xavier University | Cincinnati, OH |
| 53 | Appalachian State University | Boone, NC |
| 54 | Loyola University Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| 55 | North Central College | Naperville, IL |
| 56 | Siena Heights University | Adrian, MI |
| 57 | University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls, IA |
| 58 | Carthage College | Kenosha, WI |
| 59 | Illinois State University | Normal, IL |
| 60 | Bradley University | Peoria, IL |
| 61 | School of Visual Arts | New York, NY |
| 62 | The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL |
Public Relations & Advertising by Region
View the Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Public Relations & Advertising Rankings
Rankings in Majors Related to Public Relations
One of 5 majors within the area of study, public relations and advertising has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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.
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