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2023 Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region

103 Ranked Colleges
3,669 Degrees Awarded
$30,400 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region

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 Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Public Relations & Advertising is the 52nd most popular major in the country with 21,099 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, public relations and advertising graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $38,287 and had an average of $23,973 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 3,669 public relations and advertising graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,239 and $24,698 respectively.

This year’s “Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking looked at 103 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public relations and advertising. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in public relations and advertising.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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The public relations school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region public relations students.

1
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Michigan State University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in East Lansing, Michigan, this large public school handed out 588 diplomas to qualified ’s public relations students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Michigan State University

2

Out of the 103 schools in the Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #2 spot on the list. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 247 ’s public relations degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

3
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 103 schools in the Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, DePaul University landed the #3 spot on the list. DePaul University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 217 ’s public relations degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full DePaul University Public Relations & Advertising Report

4

Out of the 103 schools in the Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Grand Valley State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Allendale, Michigan, this large public school handed out 208 degrees to qualified ’s public relations students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full GVSU Public Relations & Advertising Report

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Miami University - Oxford. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Miami University - Oxford is located in Oxford, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 146 ’s public relations degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, 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 88%.

Full Miami University - Oxford Public Relations & Advertising Report

6
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #6. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 127 ’s public relations degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Loyola Chicago

7

Cleveland State University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Cleveland, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public relations degrees to 121 students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Cleveland State University

8
Ball State crest
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Muncie, Indiana, this large public school awarded 111 degrees to qualified ’s public relations students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Ball State University

9
Marquette crest
Marquette University
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Marquette University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 103 degrees to qualified ’s public relations students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Marquette University

10
Central Michigan crest
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Central Michigan University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Central Michigan University is a fairly large public school situated in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. It awarded 101 ’s public relations degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Central Michigan

11
Butler crest
Butler University
Indianapolis, Indiana

Butler University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #11. Butler is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Indianapolis, Indiana. It awarded 91 ’s public relations 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 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Butler University

12

Illinois State University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Illinois State University is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 89 ’s public relations 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%.

Full Illinois State Public Relations & Advertising Report

13
WMU crest
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Western Michigan University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. WMU is a fairly large public school situated in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It awarded 75 ’s public relations degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at WMU

14
Bradley crest
Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Bradley is located in Peoria, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 69 ’s public relations degrees to qualified students.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Bradley

15

University of Wisconsin - River Falls came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Wisconsin - River Falls is a public institution located in River Falls, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 64 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at UW - River Falls

16
Wayne State crest
Wayne State University
Detroit, Michigan

Wayne State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. Wayne State is a large public school situated in Detroit, Michigan. It awarded 58 ’s public relations degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Wayne State University Public Relations & Advertising Report

17

University of Akron Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #17. Akron, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public relations degrees to 76 students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at University of Akron Main Campus

18

Kent State University at Kent came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Kent, Ohio, this large public school awarded 55 degrees to qualified ’s public relations students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Kent State University at Kent

19
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 54 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Northwestern Public Relations & Advertising Report

19

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #19. This fairly large school is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and it awarded 56 ’s public relations degrees in 2020-2021.

Full UW - Eau Claire Public Relations & Advertising Report

21

University of Southern Indiana did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Evansville, Indiana, this medium-sized public school handed out 38 degrees to qualified ’s public relations students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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%.

Full USI Public Relations & Advertising Report

22
Xavier crest
Xavier University
Cincinnati, Ohio

With a ranking of #22, Xavier University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Xavier is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 36 ’s public relations degrees to qualified students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Xavier University Public Relations & Advertising Report

23
Otterbein crest
Otterbein University
Westerville, Ohio

Otterbein University ranked #23 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Otterbein is a private not-for-profit institution located in Westerville, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 32 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Otterbein University

23

With a ranking of #23, Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Athens, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public relations degrees to 32 students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at OHIO Athens

25
Eastern Michigan crest
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, Michigan

Eastern Michigan University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Eastern Michigan is a fairly large public school situated in Ypsilanti, Michigan. It awarded 28 ’s public relations degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Eastern Michigan

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