by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major” ranking.
In 2021-2022, 21,275 people earned their degree in public relations & advertising, making the major the 52nd most popular in the United States. In , public relations & advertising graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $38,341 and had an average of $24,610 in loans still to pay off.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 16,847 public relations & advertising graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,724 and $23,030 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major” ranking looked at 426 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public relations & advertising. That schools that top this list have a program in public relations & advertising in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Webber International University. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major. Located in Babson Park, Florida, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 7 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public relations students in 2021-2022.
Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Webber International University
Out of the 426 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Oregon landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Eugene, Oregon, and it awarded 470 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ithaca College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major list. Ithaca College is located in Ithaca, New York and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 138 bachelors’s public relations degrees to qualified students.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 426 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Elon University landed the #4 spot on the list. Elon is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Elon, North Carolina. It awarded 176 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Florida-Online. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major list. UF Online is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 56 bachelors’s public relations degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at University of Florida-Online
With a ranking of #6, Fashion Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major list. FIT SUNY is a medium-sized school located in New York, New York that handed out 254 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Franklin College landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major ranking. Located in Franklin, Indiana, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 11 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public relations students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Franklin College of Indiana
Great Lakes Christian College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Lansing, Michigan, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 4 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s public relations students in 2021-2022.
Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Great Lakes Christian College
With a ranking of #9, Flagler College - St Augustine did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major list. Flagler College - St Augustine is located in Saint Augustine, Florida and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 31 bachelors’s public relations degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Flagler St. Augustine
With a ranking of #10, Universidad del Sagrado Corazon did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major list. Universidad del Sagrado Corazon is located in Santurce, Puerto Rico and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 61 bachelors’s public relations degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Universidad del Sagrado Corazon Public Relations & Advertising Report
University of Puerto Rico - Carolina did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major ranking, coming in at #11. UPR Carolina is located in Carolina, Puerto Rico and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s public relations degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at UPR Carolina
Butler University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major ranking. Butler is a medium-sized school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 88 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Butler University
College of the Ozarks ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major list. Point Lookout, Missouri is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s public relations degrees to 11 students in 2021-2022.
Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Hard Work U
Howard University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major ranking, coming in at #14. This fairly large school is located in Washington, District of Columbia, and it awarded 80 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Howard
Pepperdine University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major ranking. Pepperdine University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Malibu, California. It awarded 127 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #16, Freed-Hardeman University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major list. FHU is located in Henderson, Tennessee and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s public relations degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Freed-Hardeman University
Susquehanna University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major ranking. Susquehanna University is a small school located in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania that handed out 26 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Susquehanna University Public Relations & Advertising Report
Otterbein University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major ranking. Westerville, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s public relations degrees to 25 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Michigan State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major ranking. Michigan State is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 552 bachelors’s public relations degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Michigan State
With a ranking of #21, Bradley University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major list. Located in Peoria, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 65 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public relations students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Bradley University
University of Wisconsin - River Falls landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major ranking. Located in River Falls, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school awarded 60 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public relations students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at University of Wisconsin - River Falls
Hampton University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major ranking. Hampton, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s public relations degrees to 0 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Hampton University
SUNY Fredonia came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major ranking. SUNY Fredonia is a small school located in Fredonia, New York that handed out 35 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at SUNY Fredonia
Florida Southern College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Relations Major ranking. This small school is located in Lakeland, Florida, and it awarded 43 bachelors’s public relations degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Florida Southern College
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Southeast Missouri State University | Cape Girardeau, MO |
| 52 | Cleveland State University | Cleveland, OH |
| 53 | University of Portland | Portland, OR |
| 54 | Marquette University | Milwaukee, WI |
| 55 | Kennesaw State University | Kennesaw, GA |
| 56 | University of Idaho | Moscow, ID |
| 57 | University of Miami | Coral Gables, FL |
| 58 | William Peace University | Raleigh, NC |
| 59 | Lee University | Cleveland, TN |
| 60 | Midway University | Midway, KY |
| 61 | Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY |
| 62 | University of South Carolina - Columbia | Columbia, SC |
| 63 | Dalton State College | Dalton, GA |
| 64 | Hastings College | Hastings, NE |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
