2026 Best Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Schools in Illinois
Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. A focused field like this rewards careful comparison of the schools that offer it.
College Factual analyzed 3 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best public relations, advertising, & applied communication schools.
What’s on this page:
Best Schools for Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication in Illinois
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the public relations, advertising, & applied communication degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication
Bradley University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in public relations, advertising, & applied communication. This moderately-sized private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Peoria. The six-year graduation rate is 76%. There were roughly 18 public relations, advertising, & applied communication students who graduated with this degree at Bradley University in the most recent data year. Students who receive their public relations, advertising, & applied communication degree from Bradley University earn around $38,351 in the first couple years of their career. Bradley University graduates carry a median of $26,819 in student loans.
See the full public relations, advertising, & applied communication program report for Bradley University
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and program focus, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 3 schools evaluated.
- 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 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
