College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Most Popular Colleges for Public Relations & Advertising in Illinois

21 Ranked Colleges
942 Degrees Awarded
$31,900 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in Illinois

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in Illinois” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 Illinois, there were 942 public relations and advertising graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,755 and $23,047 respectively.

This year’s “Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in Illinois” ranking looked at 21 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Public Relations Rankings Other Ranking Categories

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in Illinois” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in Illinois”.

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in Illinois list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 247 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at UIUC

2
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend DePaul University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in Illinois. DePaul is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 217 ’s public relations degrees to qualified students.

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%.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at DePaul

3
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Loyola University Chicago. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in Illinois. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 127 ’s public relations degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Full Loyola Chicago Public Relations & Advertising Report

4

Out of the 21 schools in the Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school handed out 89 diplomas to qualified ’s public relations students 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

5
Bradley crest
Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois

Out of the 21 schools in the Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Bradley University landed the #5 spot on the list. Peoria, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public relations degrees to 69 students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 Bradley Public Relations & Advertising Report

6
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

With a ranking of #6, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in Illinois list. 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.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Northwestern

7
Columbia crest
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Columbia College Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 26 degrees to qualified ’s public relations students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Columbia College Chicago

8
EIU crest
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #8. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 25 ’s public relations degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at EIU

9
Olivet Nazarene crest
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #9. Olivet Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bourbonnais, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 11 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Olivet Nazarene

9
North Central crest
North Central College
Naperville, Illinois

North Central College landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in Illinois ranking. North Central College is a small school located in Naperville, Illinois that handed out 11 ’s public relations degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 Public Relations & Advertising at North Central College

11
Lewis crest
Lewis University
Romeoville, Illinois

Lewis University ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in Illinois list. Lewis University is located in Romeoville, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 ’s public relations degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Lewis

11
Trinity Christian crest
Trinity Christian College
Palos Heights, Illinois

Trinity Christian College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in Illinois ranking. Trinity Christian is located in Palos Heights, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 ’s public relations degrees to qualified students.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Trinity Christian

13
Dominican U crest
Dominican University
River Forest, Illinois

Dominican University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in Illinois ranking. Dominican U is a private not-for-profit institution located in River Forest, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Dominican University

14
McKendree crest
McKendree University
Lebanon, Illinois

McKendree University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in Illinois list. McKendree is a small school located in Lebanon, Illinois that handed out 7 ’s public relations degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 full report on Public Relations & Advertising at McKendree University

15
Monmouth crest
Monmouth College
Monmouth, Illinois

Monmouth College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #15. This small school is located in Monmouth, Illinois, and it awarded 4 ’s public relations 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 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%.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Monmouth College

16
SXU crest
Saint Xavier University
Chicago, Illinois

Saint Xavier University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #16. SXU is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 ’s public relations degrees to qualified students.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Saint Xavier University

16
North Park crest
North Park University
Chicago, Illinois

North Park University ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public relations degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at North Park

18
Elmhurst crest
Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, Illinois

With a ranking of #18, Elmhurst University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in Illinois list. Located in Elmhurst, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 1 diplomas to qualified ’s public relations students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Elmhurst

18
Wabash Valley College crest
Wabash Valley College
Mount Carmel, Illinois

Wabash Valley College ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in Illinois list. Mount Carmel, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public relations degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Wabash Valley College

20

Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #20. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public relations degrees to 0 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 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Illinois Institute of Technology Public Relations & Advertising Report

20
Roosevelt crest
Roosevelt University
Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University ranked #20 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Relations Major in Illinois list. Roosevelt is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 0 ’s public relations degrees to qualified students.

Full Roosevelt Public Relations & Advertising Report

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options