Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication 2026
20 schools ranked by graduate earnings — real data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication graduates are well-positioned for careers across multiple industries. The rankings below are based on actual graduate earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Earnings shown are median graduate earnings 4 years after graduation (or 1 year if 4-year data is unavailable), sourced from the College Scorecard.See full major data
Top 20 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Programs by Graduate Earnings
| # | School | Earnings | Tuition | Accept Rate | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA | $86,425 | $58,222 | 51% | 5,697 |
| 2 | American University Washington, DC | $75,287 | $56,543 | 47% | 7,593 |
| 3 | Syracuse University Syracuse, NY | $71,592 | $63,061 | 42% | 15,245 |
| 4 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA | $70,999 | $68,237 | 10% | 20,817 |
| 5 | Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX | $66,005 | $57,220 | 43% | 10,919 |
| 6 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX | $65,345 | $42,778 | 29% | 42,100 |
| 7 | Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX | $65,215 | $64,460 | 61% | 7,106 |
| 8 | Miami University-Hamilton Hamilton, OH | $65,121 | $18,847 | N/A | 2,025 |
| 9 | Miami University-Middletown Middletown, OH | $65,121 | $18,847 | N/A | 871 |
| 10 | Miami University-Oxford Oxford, OH | $65,121 | $40,025 | 82% | 16,361 |
| 11 | Pepperdine University Malibu, CA | $64,905 | $66,742 | 50% | 3,629 |
| 12 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Norman, OK | $64,730 | $26,665 | 77% | 21,496 |
| 13 | University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI | $62,762 | $35,804 | 77% | 13,822 |
| 14 | Gonzaga University Spokane, WA | $62,725 | $53,500 | 76% | 5,098 |
| 15 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL | $62,665 | $34,501 | 44% | 34,623 |
| 16 | University of Georgia Athens, GA | $62,187 | $30,220 | 37% | 31,310 |
| 17 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA | $62,118 | $20,170 | 34% | 33,654 |
| 18 | University of Miami Coral Gables, FL | $61,959 | $59,926 | 19% | 12,570 |
| 19 | University of Portland Portland, OR | $61,776 | $54,900 | 95% | 3,104 |
| 20 | Manhattan University Riverdale, NY | $61,402 | $50,850 | 78% | 2,928 |
Explore All Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Programs
See earnings data for all 183 schools offering Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication, including debt figures and graduate counts.
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