by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 5,216 people earned their degree in public relations, making the major the 138th most popular in the United States.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,593 public relations graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,682 and $26,217 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s” ranking looked at 151 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public relations. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular public relations programs in the United States.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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 colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree pr students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Oregon. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Eugene, Oregon, this large public school handed out 244 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s PR students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas State University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s. Texas State University is a large school located in San Marcos, Texas that handed out 201 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 151 schools in the Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the #3 spot on the list. UF is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 195 bachelors’s PR degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Alabama. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s. UA is a large public school situated in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It awarded 194 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read more about Public Relations at The University of Alabama
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of South Carolina - Columbia. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s list. UofSC is located in Columbia, South Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 153 bachelors’s PR degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #6, Miami University - Oxford did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s list. This fairly large school is located in Oxford, Ohio, and it awarded 146 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Relations at Miami University - Oxford
With a ranking of #6, Texas Tech University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in Lubbock, Texas, and it awarded 146 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
The University of Texas at Austin landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. UT Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 139 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read full report on Public Relations at The University of Texas at Austin
University of Georgia came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. This large school is located in Athens, Georgia, and it awarded 132 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Washington State University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s list. Wazzu is a large school located in Pullman, Washington that handed out 106 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Syracuse University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Syracuse, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s PR degrees to 102 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
American University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s list. This fairly large school is located in Washington, District of Columbia, and it awarded 100 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #13, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s list. CSUDH is a fairly large school located in Carson, California that handed out 96 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Rhode Island came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Kingston, Rhode Island is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s PR degrees to 96 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Temple University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this large public school awarded 92 degrees to qualified bachelors’s PR students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Illinois State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #16. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 89 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #17, Brigham Young University - Provo did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s list. Brigham Young University - Provo is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Provo, Utah. It awarded 88 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Miami landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of Miami is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Coral Gables, Florida. It awarded 81 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
University of Houston ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s list. UH is a large public school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 81 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
University of Southern California ranked #20 on this year’s Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s list. USC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 78 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Rowan University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Glassboro, New Jersey, this fairly large public school handed out 75 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s PR students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Appalachian State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #22. Appalachian State is a large public school situated in Boone, North Carolina. It awarded 73 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Auburn University landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Auburn, Alabama is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s PR degrees to 70 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Iowa State University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Iowa State University is a large public school situated in Ames, Iowa. It awarded 69 bachelors’s PR degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Central Michigan University ranked #25 on this year’s Most Well Attended PR Major for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, this fairly large public school awarded 67 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s PR students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 our data sources and methodologies
