21 Best colleges for Communications and Public Relations in North Carolina

Updated: March 02, 2025

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in North Carolina ranked based on their research performance in Communications and Public Relations. A graph of 555K citations received by 18.7K academic papers made by 21 universities in North Carolina 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 North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill

For Communications and Public Relations

#20 in the United States

#23 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 19%
Average SAT: 1450
Average ACT: 32
Receiving Aid: 58%

2. Duke University

Durham

For Communications and Public Relations

#45 in the United States

#53 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 7%
Average SAT: 1540
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $23,422

3. North Carolina State University at Raleigh

Raleigh

For Communications and Public Relations

#62 in the United States

#72 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 40%
Average SAT: 1380
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 68%

4. University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Charlotte

For Communications and Public Relations

#109 in the United States

#127 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Average SAT: 1215
Average ACT: 24
Receiving Aid: 72%

5. University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Greensboro

For Communications and Public Relations

#111 in the United States

#130 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Average SAT: 1190
Average ACT: 25
Receiving Aid: 90%

6. East Carolina University

Greenville

For Communications and Public Relations

#123 in the United States

#144 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Average SAT: 1125
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 79%

7. Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem

For Communications and Public Relations

#174 in the United States

#202 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Average SAT: 1450
Average ACT: 33
Net Price: $27,790

8. Appalachian State University

Boone

For Communications and Public Relations

#197 in the United States

#226 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Average SAT: 1190
Average ACT: 24
Receiving Aid: 70%

9. University of North Carolina Wilmington

Wilmington

For Communications and Public Relations

#228 in the United States

#261 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 74%
Average SAT: 1290
Average ACT: 26
Receiving Aid: 72%

10. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee

For Communications and Public Relations

#258 in the United States

#291 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 87%
Average SAT: 1155
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 99%

11. Elon University

Elon

For Communications and Public Relations

#297 in the United States

#332 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 67%
Average SAT: 1224
Average ACT: 26
Net Price: $41,849

12. North Carolina A&T State University

Greensboro

For Communications and Public Relations

#312 in the United States

#350 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 46%
Average SAT: 1075
Average ACT: 19
Receiving Aid: 96%

13. Fayetteville State University

Fayetteville

For Communications and Public Relations

#481 in the United States

#530 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Average SAT: 950
Average ACT: 18
Receiving Aid: 95%

14. North Carolina Central University

Durham

For Communications and Public Relations

#541 in the United States

#592 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Average SAT: 1040
Average ACT: 18
Receiving Aid: 96%

15. University of North Carolina at Pembroke

Pembroke

For Communications and Public Relations

#549 in the United States

#601 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 92%
Receiving Aid: 88%
Average Aid: $7,008
Enrollment: 7,630

16. Davidson College

Davidson

For Communications and Public Relations

#601 in the United States

#657 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 14%
Average SAT: 1435
Average ACT: 33
Net Price: $26,510

17. Winston-Salem State University

Winston-Salem

For Communications and Public Relations

#678 in the United States

#740 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 69%
Average SAT: 935
Average ACT: 16
Receiving Aid: 96%

18. Campbell University

Buies Creek

For Communications and Public Relations

#744 in the United States

#808 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 94%
Net Price: $24,517
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $34,413

19. Queens University of Charlotte

Charlotte

For Communications and Public Relations

#746 in the United States

#810 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 68%
Average SAT: 1205
Average ACT: 27
Net Price: $27,178

20. High Point University

High Point

For Communications and Public Relations

#749 in the United States

#813 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Average SAT: 1205
Average ACT: 27
Net Price: $43,578

21. University of North Carolina at Asheville

Asheville

For Communications and Public Relations

#777 in the United States

#841 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 94%
Average SAT: 1260
Average ACT: 26
Receiving Aid: 93%

Closest to North Carolina states to learn Communications and Public Relations

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
South Carolina	12	44
Virginia	23	23
West Virginia	4	97
Georgia	26	26
District of Columbia	8	31
Maryland	16	12
Kentucky	11	51
Tennessee	20	48
Ohio	30	16
Pennsylvania	54	2
Alabama	11	83
New Jersey	17	17
Indiana	17	27
Florida	29	21
Connecticut	16	28
Illinois	30	19
New York	82	11
Mississippi	7	139
Rhode Island	7	170
Massachusetts	40	4
Michigan	18	1
Arkansas	7	124
Vermont	4	137
Missouri	17	52
New Hampshire	6	93
Louisiana	17	92
Wisconsin	14	14
Iowa	7	46
Maine	6	217
Oklahoma	8	58
Kansas	8	64
Minnesota	20	9
Nebraska	6	54
Texas	53	22
South Dakota	3	296
North Dakota	2	213
Colorado	14	68
Puerto Rico	4	790
Utah	7	70
Arizona	6	5
Idaho	3	200
Oregon	12	89
California	78	6
Washington	16	3
Hawaii	4	127