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Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois

2023 Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois

15 Colleges
$40,755 Avg Salary
$23,047 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Public Relations & Advertising School for You

Public Relations & Advertising is the #40 most popular major in Illinois with 930 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. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 15 schools in Illinois to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois

Check out the public relations programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Our 2023 rankings named Northwestern University the best school in Illinois for public relations and advertising students. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Evanston.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great place for public relations and advertising students. UIUC is a very large public school located in the city of Champaign.

Public Relations majors at UIUC take out an average of $20,500 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $428, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Public Relations & Advertising at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report

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#3

Illinois Media School

Lombard, IL

The excellent programs at Illinois Media School helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best public relations and advertising schools in Illinois. Located in the large suburb of Lombard, Illinois Media School is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

On average, public relations graduates from Illinois Media School take out $15,833 in student loans while working on their degree.

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The excellent programs at Loyola University Chicago helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best public relations and advertising schools in Illinois. Loyola Chicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

Public Relations majors at Loyola Chicago take out an average of $25,000 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 $801.

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#5

North Central College

Naperville, IL

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend North Central College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois list. Located in the medium-sized city of Naperville, North Central is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Public Relations majors at North Central take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

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Illinois State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public relations and advertising students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that public relations majors at Illinois State take out is $21,739. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $259.

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#7

Bradley University

Peoria, IL

Bradley University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois list. Bradley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Peoria.

While working on their degree, public relations majors at Bradley accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $716, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Illinois Media School-Chicago Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Chicago, Illinois Media School-Chicago Campus is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

After completing their degree, public relations graduates from Illinois Media School-Chicago Campus carry an average student debtload of $15,833.

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#9

DePaul University

Chicago, IL

DePaul University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public relations and advertising programs. DePaul is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

After completing their degree, public relations graduates from DePaul carry an average student debtload of $24,500. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $571, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Public Relations & Advertising at DePaul University Report

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#10

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, IL

Columbia College Chicago landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public relations and advertising programs. Columbia is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

After completing their degree, public relations graduates from Columbia carry an average student debtload of $25,697. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $495.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Columbia College Chicago

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Best Public Relations & Advertising Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 1,190
Ohio 634
Indiana 322
Wisconsin 288

One of 5 majors within the area of study, public relations and advertising has other similar majors worth exploring.

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 15 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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