2026 Best Value Public Relations & Advertising Schools in District of Columbia
[Public Relations & Advertising](/majors/communication-journalism-media/public-relations-advertising/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools to find the best return on investment for public relations & advertising students.
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2026 Best Value Public Relations & Advertising Schools in District of Columbia
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in public relations & advertising, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Public Relations & Advertising Schools
Leading the list is George Washington University, our #1 best value for public relations & advertising in District of Columbia. George Washington University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $67,710. Students borrow a median of $23,250 to complete the public relations & advertising program here. Soon after graduation, public relations & advertising degree recipients from George Washington University generally make around $73,569. Set against $23,250 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 47%.
A rank of #2 makes Georgetown University one of the best values for public relations & advertising. Set in the city of Washington, Georgetown University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $68,089. Students borrow a median of $16,483 to complete the public relations & advertising program here. Public Relations & Advertising graduates of Georgetown University earn a median of $91,362 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Georgetown University admits about 13% of applicants.
A rank of #3 makes American University one of the best values for public relations & advertising. Located in the city of Washington, American University is a large private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $58,771. Typical student debt for public relations & advertising graduates is $26,442. Early-career public relations & advertising graduates make about $56,877. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. American University admits about 62% of applicants.
Howard University came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the best value public relations & advertising schools. Howard University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $35,810. Students borrow a median of $26,000 to complete the public relations & advertising program here. Early-career public relations & advertising graduates make about $39,120. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 41%.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 5 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 ranked schools only.
- 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.
