30 Best colleges for Communications and Public Relations in Illinois

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Illinois ranked based on their research performance in Communications and Public Relations. A graph of 825K citations received by 22.6K academic papers made by 30 universities in Illinois was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign

Champaign

For Communications and Public Relations

#19 in the United States

#22 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 42%
Average SAT: 1415
Average ACT: 32
Receiving Aid: 64%

2. University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago

For Communications and Public Relations

#32 in the United States

#37 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Average SAT: 1240
Average ACT: 28
Receiving Aid: 80%

3. Northwestern University

Evanston

For Communications and Public Relations

#36 in the United States

#41 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 8%
Average SAT: 1540
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $26,830

4. University of Chicago

Chicago

For Communications and Public Relations

#42 in the United States

#49 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 4%
Average SAT: 1545
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $28,060

5. DePaul University

Chicago

For Communications and Public Relations

#101 in the United States

#118 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 76%
Average SAT: 1235
Average ACT: 28
Net Price: $34,135

6. Loyola University Chicago

Chicago

For Communications and Public Relations

#108 in the United States

#126 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 82%
Average SAT: 1265
Average ACT: 30
Net Price: $39,147

7. Northern Illinois University

DeKalb

For Communications and Public Relations

#128 in the United States

#151 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Receiving Aid: 99%
Average Aid: $14,387
Enrollment: 15,414

8. Illinois State University

Normal

For Communications and Public Relations

#145 in the United States

#170 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 88%
Average SAT: 1100
Average ACT: 24
Receiving Aid: 98%

9. Southern Illinois University - Carbondale

Carbondale

For Communications and Public Relations

#155 in the United States

#182 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 87%
Average SAT: 1030
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 98%

10. Illinois Institute of Technology

Chicago

For Communications and Public Relations

#176 in the United States

#204 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 55%
Average SAT: 1310
Average ACT: 29
Net Price: $24,796

11. Eastern Illinois University

Charleston

For Communications and Public Relations

#180 in the United States

#208 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 65%
Average SAT: 985
Receiving Aid: 96%
Average Aid: $12,960

12. Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville

Edwardsville

For Communications and Public Relations

#314 in the United States

#352 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 97%
Average SAT: 1070
Average ACT: 24
Receiving Aid: 95%

13. Western Illinois University

Macomb

For Communications and Public Relations

#359 in the United States

#399 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Receiving Aid: 55%
Average Aid: $14,994
Enrollment: 6,332

14. Bradley University

Peoria

For Communications and Public Relations

#377 in the United States

#420 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Net Price: $23,787
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $30,808

15. Illinois College

Jacksonville

For Communications and Public Relations

#411 in the United States

#457 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 78%
Average SAT: 1032
Average ACT: 23
Net Price: $17,375

16. University of Illinois at Springfield

Springfield

For Communications and Public Relations

#442 in the United States

#491 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 86%
Average SAT: 1070
Average ACT: 24
Receiving Aid: 97%

17. Governors State University

University Park

For Communications and Public Relations

#503 in the United States

#554 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 48%
Receiving Aid: 88%
Average Aid: $11,455
Enrollment: 4,397

18. Northeastern Illinois University

Chicago

For Communications and Public Relations

#510 in the United States

#561 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Receiving Aid: 90%
Average Aid: $12,876
Enrollment: 5,734

19. Roosevelt University

Chicago

For Communications and Public Relations

#520 in the United States

#571 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 97%
Average SAT: 1035
Average ACT: 22
Net Price: $22,366

20. Wheaton College - Illinois

Wheaton

For Communications and Public Relations

#524 in the United States

#575 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 87%
Average SAT: 1365
Average ACT: 30
Net Price: $31,356

21. Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington

For Communications and Public Relations

#527 in the United States

#578 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 39%
Average SAT: 1230
Average ACT: 28
Net Price: $28,644

22. Rush University

Chicago

For Communications and Public Relations

#589 in the United States

#644 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 33%
Enrollment: 2,769
Male:Female: 21:79
Founded: 1972

23. National Louis University

Chicago

For Communications and Public Relations

#631 in the United States

#690 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 95%
Net Price: $13,150
Receiving Aid: 87%
Average Aid: $11,056

24. Benedictine University

Lisle

For Communications and Public Relations

#673 in the United States

#735 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 95%
Net Price: $23,139
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $22,911

25. Dominican University

River Forest

For Communications and Public Relations

#677 in the United States

#739 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Average SAT: 990
Average ACT: 21
Net Price: $13,402

26. North Central College

Naperville

For Communications and Public Relations

#714 in the United States

#777 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Average SAT: 1183
Average ACT: 27
Net Price: $23,276

27. Saint Xavier University

Chicago

For Communications and Public Relations

#732 in the United States

#796 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 84%
Net Price: $11,318
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $31,985

28. Chicago State University

Chicago

For Communications and Public Relations

#775 in the United States

#839 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 43%
Receiving Aid: 99%
Average Aid: $18,194
Enrollment: 2,238

29. NorthShore University HealthSystem School of Nurse Anesthesia

Evanston

For Communications and Public Relations

#804 in the United States

#871 in North America

Enrollment: 80
Male:Female: 25:75

30. John Marshall Law School

Chicago

For Communications and Public Relations

#825 in the United States

#892 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 52%
Founded: 1899

Closest to Illinois states to learn Communications and Public Relations

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
Indiana	17	27
Missouri	17	52
Iowa	7	46
Kentucky	11	51
Wisconsin	14	14
Tennessee	21	49
Ohio	30	16
Michigan	18	1
Arkansas	7	124
West Virginia	4	97
Minnesota	20	9
Mississippi	7	142
Kansas	8	65
Alabama	12	81
Virginia	23	23
Georgia	26	26
North Carolina	21	20
Oklahoma	8	59
Nebraska	7	54
South Carolina	12	43
Pennsylvania	54	2
South Dakota	3	301
District of Columbia	8	30
Louisiana	17	93
Maryland	16	12
New York	82	11
New Jersey	17	17
North Dakota	2	210
Connecticut	16	28
Texas	53	22
Vermont	4	137
Colorado	14	68
Massachusetts	41	4
Rhode Island	7	166
Florida	29	21
New Hampshire	6	95
Maine	6	218
Utah	7	71
Arizona	6	5
Idaho	3	196
Oregon	12	91
Washington	16	3
California	78	6
Puerto Rico	4	792
Hawaii	4	129