Program ranking · CIP 09.09 bachelor's · College Scorecard · Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals

Best Colleges for Public Relations

Using U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data retrieved March-July 2026, these colleges rank highest on median earnings for Public Relations (CIP 09.09) bachelor's completers. Rankings use earnings only - not prestige, selectivity, or editorial judgment - and require at least 25 completers so tiny suppressed cohorts do not dominate the list.

Compiled by PlainCollege , College outcomes data analysis

$90,535
Highest public relations earnings: 100
Colleges ranked: $51,824
#100 cutoff

The list in one line

Every college on this list reports at least $51,824 median earnings for Public Relations bachelor's (CIP 09.09) completers. Syracuse University leads at $90,535.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

$90,535
#1 - Syracuse University: $51,824
#100 - the cutoff to make this list: 25+
completers required per school: 428
US schools offering this CIP

Earnings are field-of-study medians for federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled; see methodology for horizon and lag details.

Syracuse University

$90,535
Southern Methodist Unive…

$89,330
University of Southern C…

$87,946
George Washington Univer…

$85,459
University of Illinois U…

$83,451
University of Miami

$82,999
Pepperdine University

$81,417
Brigham Young University

$80,841
The University of Texas at

$80,221
Chapman University

$80,139
Miami University-Oxford

$79,710
Pace University

$79,376
American University

$78,410
Pennsylvania State Unive…

$76,246
Pennsylvania State Unive…

$76,246

What this shows PR and advertising medians mix agency, corporate comms, and media roles - debt still matters when freelance and metro markets swing pay.

The full top 100

#	School Name	State	Median Earnings	Median Debt	Completers
1	Syracuse University	NY	$90,535	$24,375	198
2	Southern Methodist University	TX	$89,330	$19,500	120
3	University of Southern California	CA	$87,946	$19,500	77
4	George Washington University	DC	$85,459	$23,250	45
5	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign	IL	$83,451	$21,875	200
6	University of Miami	FL	$82,999	$17,000	162
7	Pepperdine University	CA	$81,417	$24,112	127
8	Brigham Young University	UT	$80,841	$11,974	185
9	The University of Texas at Austin	TX	$80,221	$20,402	506
10	Chapman University	CA	$80,139	$22,250	43
11	Miami University-Oxford	OH	$79,710	$23,500	156
12	Pace University	NY	$79,376	$24,525	87
13	American University	DC	$78,410	$26,442	132
14	Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus	PA	$76,246	$23,250	293
15	Pennsylvania State University-World Campus	PA	$76,246	$23,250	30
16	University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus	OK	$76,148	$20,718	87
17	Butler University	IN	$75,382	$26,588	88
18	Assumption University	MA	$74,900	$27,000	25
19	University of Colorado Boulder	CO	$74,779	$18,500	409
20	University of Georgia	GA	$74,531	$18,750	310
21	Quinnipiac University	CT	$73,547	$23,250	63
22	University of Oregon	OR	$73,410	$20,500	470
23	University of Rhode Island	RI	$72,328	$22,214	97
24	Clemson University	SC	$71,968	$21,375	25
25	Texas Christian University	TX	$71,186	$23,668	150
26	DePaul University	IL	$71,045	$22,332	168
27	Gonzaga University	WA	$69,977	$26,000	32
28	Fashion Institute of Technology	NY	$69,954	$20,500	254
29	University of Florida	FL	$69,600	$15,321	369
30	University of Florida-Online	FL	$69,600	$15,321	56
31	Michigan State University	MI	$69,300	$22,605	552
32	Loyola University Chicago	IL	$68,942	$23,250	139
33	The University of Alabama	AL	$68,227	$24,889	321
34	Ithaca College	NY	$68,029	$23,125	138
35	Howard University	DC	$67,881	$25,750	80
36	Temple University	PA	$67,840	$23,827	249
37	Illinois State University	IL	$67,752	$21,500	78
38	St. John's University-New York	NY	$67,728	$26,000	55
39	Washington State University	WA	$67,647	$19,112	301
40	San Diego State University	CA	$67,414	$16,111	41
41	Auburn University	AL	$67,413	$23,000	114
42	Columbia College Chicago	IL	$66,798	$24,225	28
43	Hofstra University	NY	$66,780	$23,250	39
44	Drexel University	PA	$66,750	$24,249	54
45	Suffolk University	MA	$66,709	$26,012	96
46	Florida State University	FL	$65,941	$14,442	92
47	University of Vermont	VT	$65,706	$21,070	52
48	Florida International University	FL	$65,343	$11,572	287
49	University of South Carolina-Columbia	SC	$65,248	$22,990	200
50	Marquette University	WI	$64,978	$24,286	100
51	Georgia Southern University	GA	$64,934	$23,250	42
52	Duquesne University	PA	$64,538	$23,250	55
53	Kennesaw State University	GA	$64,501	$22,660	187
54	Western Michigan University	MI	$64,127	$25,146	66
55	Franklin University	OH	$64,101	$26,332	26
56	University of Northern Iowa	IA	$64,067	$19,500	31
57	The University of Tampa	FL	$63,368	$23,375	89
58	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville	TN	$63,314	$21,119	122
59	Drake University	IA	$63,302	$21,500	47
60	Iowa State University	IA	$62,965	$23,125	109
61	University of Kentucky	KY	$62,754	$23,000	162
62	Rowan University	NJ	$62,661	$18,159	190
63	Central Connecticut State University	CT	$62,580	$20,158	45
64	University of Portland	OR	$62,264	$17,509	25
65	Texas Tech University	TX	$62,247	$20,250	292
66	University of Central Florida	FL	$62,140	$17,883	125
67	Susquehanna University	PA	$61,423	$27,000	26
68	University of Nebraska-Lincoln	NE	$61,145	$22,102	239
69	Ball State University	IN	$60,686	$23,250	84
70	Xavier University	OH	$60,642	$26,515	29
71	Missouri State University-Springfield	MO	$60,390	$22,505	56
72	Kent State University at Kent	OH	$60,218	$24,417	68
73	University of Houston	TX	$60,180	$18,750	208
74	Arizona State University Campus Immersion	AZ	$59,864	$19,500	120
75	Southern New Hampshire University	NH	$59,801	$19,790	595
76	Central Michigan University	MI	$59,522	$27,000	91
77	Emerson College	MA	$59,301	$23,719	44
78	Wayne State University	MI	$59,025	$24,055	39
79	Texas State University	TX	$59,009	$19,536	386
80	SUNY at Fredonia	NY	$58,820	$22,325	35
81	State University of New York at Oswego	NY	$58,675	$23,750	51
82	Bradley University	IL	$58,515	$25,000	65
83	Murray State University	KY	$58,265	$21,235	55
84	University of Memphis	TN	$58,237	$21,250	39
85	Southeast Missouri State University	MO	$58,082	$24,908	56
86	Otterbein University	OH	$58,065	$20,500	25
87	Grand Valley State University	MI	$57,599	$25,000	157
88	Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania	PA	$56,381	$26,000	56
89	Oklahoma State University-Main Campus	OK	$56,319	$21,250	92
90	University of Idaho	ID	$56,032	$24,634	52
91	Northern Arizona University	AZ	$55,863	$20,500	148
92	Appalachian State University	NC	$55,671	$18,836	158
93	Cleveland State University	OH	$55,174	$21,500	102
94	North Dakota State University-Main Campus	ND	$54,656	$21,968	27
95	University of Southern Indiana	IN	$54,422	$25,135	38
96	Arkansas State University	AR	$54,196	$23,250	46
97	Western Kentucky University	KY	$53,839	$25,000	87
98	Flagler College	FL	$53,353	$18,956	31
99	Florida Southern College	FL	$52,796	$25,710	43
100	University of Akron Main Campus	OH	$51,824	$25,965	45

About This Ranking

Schools are ranked by College Scorecard field-of-study median earnings for Public Relations (CIP 09.09) bachelor's completers. Only operating schools with at least 25 completers and a published median are included. Ties break toward larger completer cohorts. For the full program profile - including every reporting school and national distribution - see Public Relations (bachelor's). Methodology lives on our methodology page.

Caveats and limitations

"Best" here means highest reported median earnings for the stated CIP scope - not teaching quality, licensure pass rates, clinical placement strength, or fit for any one student. This list covers Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (CIP 09.09) - the honest Scorecard answer for PR/advertising demand. Communications (CIP 09.01) and journalism (CIP 09.04) are ranked separately.

Figures cover federally aided completers only, use Treasury-linked earnings, and describe a lagged cohort. Regional pay scales and graduate-school paths both move the median without proving a causal school effect.

This ranking is for informational purposes only and does not constitute academic or career advice. Earnings do not predict any individual graduate's outcome.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Rankings are computed directly from College Scorecard field-of-study data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals.