Major Rankings

Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication

Ranked by graduate earnings. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard — updated 2026.

Programs tracked: 183

Avg grad salary: $48,448

Total graduates: 16,949

Top Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication — Ranked by Graduate Earnings

Showing schools with reported earnings data. Earnings reflect median graduate salary 4 years after graduation (or 1 year where 4-year data is unavailable).

#	School	Median Salary (4yr)	Starting Salary (1yr)	Graduates	Median Debt	Admit Rate
1	University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA	$86,425	$37,856	37	$23,250	50.8%
2	American University Washington, DC	$75,287	$50,026	116	$26,442	47.4%
3	Syracuse University Syracuse, NY	$71,592	$54,934	263	$26,000	41.7%
4	USC Los Angeles, CA	$70,999	$50,041	65	$20,251	10.0%
5	Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX	$66,005	$48,053	81	$24,148	42.6%
6	UT Austin Austin, TX	$65,345	$47,972	420	$20,995	29.1%
7	Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX	$65,215	$51,828	79	$19,750	61.2%
8	Miami University-Hamilton Hamilton, OH	$65,121	$50,700	177	$25,000	N/A
9	Miami University-Middletown Middletown, OH	$65,121	$50,700	177	$25,000	N/A
10	Miami University-Oxford Oxford, OH	$65,121	$50,700	177	$25,000	82.1%
11	Pepperdine University Malibu, CA	$64,905	$45,988	81	$26,000	49.9%
12	University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Norman, OK	$64,730	$45,759	66	$20,718	76.5%
13	University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI	$62,762	$42,181	108	$23,000	77.1%
14	Gonzaga University Spokane, WA	$62,725	$39,013	47	$26,000	76.0%
15	UIUC Champaign, IL	$62,665	$48,063	216	$23,250	43.7%
16	University of Georgia Athens, GA	$62,187	$45,326	293	$21,787	37.2%
17	San Diego State University San Diego, CA	$62,118	$44,197	102	$17,038	34.4%
18	University of Miami Coral Gables, FL	$61,959	$43,917	88	$18,000	18.5%
19	University of Portland Portland, OR	$61,776	$35,605	30	$20,828	95.4%
20	Manhattan University Riverdale, NY	$61,402	$26,502	19	$25,832	78.5%
21	Fashion Institute of Technology New York, NY	$61,399	$36,849	351	$21,500	57.6%
22	Pace University New York, NY	$61,347	$44,485	123	$25,000	77.1%
23	Quinnipiac University Hamden, CT	$61,306	$43,591	70	$23,250	77.0%
24	Hofstra University Hempstead, NY	$60,872	$42,030	72	$24,000	70.6%
25	Assumption University Worcester, MA	$60,628	$51,114	30	$27,000	86.5%
26	University of Oregon Eugene, OR	$60,519	$42,159	449	$21,500	85.1%
27	Emerson College Boston, MA	$60,272	$28,606	30	$24,625	47.5%
28	Chapman University Orange, CA	$60,270	$40,141	52	$22,625	55.6%
29	St. John's University-New York Queens, NY	$59,577	$38,210	94	$26,848	79.7%
30	University of Florida Gainesville, FL	$58,636	$42,099	403	$17,439	24.0%
31	University of Florida-Online Gainesville, FL	$58,636	$42,099	403	$17,439	64.4%
32	Endicott College Beverly, MA	$58,417	$47,903	21	$27,000	72.3%
33	DePaul University Chicago, IL	$58,268	$41,234	303	$24,500	73.5%
34	Brigham Young University Provo, UT	$58,056	$51,436	229	$11,975	69.2%
35	North Central College Naperville, IL	$58,050	$48,549	20	$26,899	58.3%
36	Drake University Des Moines, IA	$58,012	$44,492	35	$23,250	64.1%
37	Michigan State East Lansing, MI	$57,693	$45,158	552	$23,899	83.9%
38	The University of Tampa Tampa, FL	$57,182	$36,977	82	$25,000	40.9%
39	Coe College Cedar Rapids, IA	$57,149	$40,167	18	N/A	70.7%
40	Ithaca College Ithaca, NY	$56,952	$39,446	179	$23,250	69.9%
41	Marquette University Milwaukee, WI	$56,772	$40,583	133	$25,000	87.4%
42	Suffolk University Boston, MA	$56,527	$44,863	99	$27,000	84.7%
43	Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL	$56,347	$43,308	119	$25,000	81.4%
44	University of Scranton Scranton, PA	$55,313	$35,568	36	$26,000	84.4%
45	State University of New York at Plattsburgh Plattsburgh, NY	$54,719	$40,143	27	$24,975	75.2%
46	University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia, SC	$54,570	$42,974	264	$24,250	61.5%
47	Otterbein University Westerville, OH	$54,544	$37,430	25	$23,800	83.3%
48	Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA	$54,237	$40,976	45	$23,342	90.2%
49	The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL	$54,063	$42,445	333	$25,000	75.8%
50	Rider University Lawrenceville, NJ	$53,996	$38,600	32	$25,000	79.4%
51	Temple University Philadelphia, PA	$53,863	$41,165	456	$26,000	82.9%
52	Illinois State University Normal, IL	$53,696	$43,874	106	$22,500	89.0%
53	Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI	$53,615	$41,420	21	$24,755	81.3%
54	Iowa State University Ames, IA	$53,543	$42,530	157	$24,750	89.1%
55	Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH	$53,234	$40,867	112	$25,000	86.7%
56	Utah State University Logan, UT	$53,112	$32,741	31	N/A	93.6%
57	Rowan University Glassboro, NJ	$52,670	$35,116	167	$23,125	77.8%
58	Wayne State University Detroit, MI	$52,584	$41,306	46	$27,000	82.0%
59	Northwood University Midland, MI	$52,483	$41,857	17	$20,250	83.9%
60	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN	$51,859	$42,173	116	$21,368	46.0%

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are median among graduates who received federal financial aid.

Choosing the Best Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Program

Graduate Earnings

Median salary 4 years post-graduation measures the long-term ROI of a program. Higher earnings with lower debt means better financial outcomes.

Program Size

Graduate count signals program maturity. Larger programs often have stronger alumni networks and more job placement resources.

Debt-to-Earnings Ratio

Compare median debt against starting salary. A ratio below 1x means most graduates can repay loans within a year of earnings.

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