23 Best colleges for Communications and Public Relations in Virginia

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Virginia ranked based on their research performance in Communications and Public Relations. A graph of 537K citations received by 16.8K academic papers made by 23 universities in Virginia 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 Virginia

Charlottesville

For Communications and Public Relations

#23 in the United States

#26 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 17%
Average SAT: 1475
Average ACT: 34
Receiving Aid: 57%

2. George Mason University

Fairfax

For Communications and Public Relations

#48 in the United States

#57 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 87%
Average SAT: 1260
Average ACT: 28
Receiving Aid: 79%

3. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg

For Communications and Public Relations

#50 in the United States

#59 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 55%
Average SAT: 1365
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 67%

4. Virginia Commonwealth University

Richmond

For Communications and Public Relations

#86 in the United States

#98 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 93%
Average SAT: 1140
Average ACT: 26
Receiving Aid: 92%

5. Old Dominion University

Norfolk

For Communications and Public Relations

#140 in the United States

#165 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Average SAT: 1190
Average ACT: 27
Receiving Aid: 94%

6. University of Richmond

Richmond

For Communications and Public Relations

#156 in the United States

#183 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Average SAT: 1470
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $30,037

7. College of William and Mary

Williamsburg

For Communications and Public Relations

#162 in the United States

#189 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Average SAT: 1465
Average ACT: 33
Receiving Aid: 55%

8. James Madison University

Harrisonburg

For Communications and Public Relations

#165 in the United States

#193 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Average SAT: 1255
Average ACT: 27
Receiving Aid: 58%

9. Marymount University

Arlington

For Communications and Public Relations

#179 in the United States

#207 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 93%
Net Price: $31,989
Receiving Aid: 99%
Average Aid: $26,069

10. Regent University

Virginia Beach

For Communications and Public Relations

#194 in the United States

#223 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 38%
Average SAT: 1120
Average ACT: 23
Net Price: $20,512

11. Radford University

Radford

For Communications and Public Relations

#370 in the United States

#412 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Average SAT: 1050
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 96%

12. Washington and Lee University

Lexington

For Communications and Public Relations

#376 in the United States

#419 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 14%
Average SAT: 1485
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $23,055

13. Emory & Henry College

Emory

For Communications and Public Relations

#469 in the United States

#518 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 84%
Average SAT: 1137
Average ACT: 23
Net Price: $21,446

14. Longwood University

Farmville

For Communications and Public Relations

#535 in the United States

#586 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Average SAT: 1120
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 99%

15. Liberty University

Lynchburg

For Communications and Public Relations

#536 in the United States

#587 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 99%
Net Price: $29,532
Receiving Aid: 97%
Average Aid: $12,489

16. Christopher Newport University

Newport News

For Communications and Public Relations

#544 in the United States

#596 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 86%
Average SAT: 1175
Average ACT: 28
Receiving Aid: 78%

17. Eastern Virginia Medical School

Norfolk

For Communications and Public Relations

#546 in the United States

#599 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 9%
Enrollment: 1,216
Male:Female: 34:66
Founded: 1973

18. University of Lynchburg

Lynchburg

For Communications and Public Relations

#558 in the United States

#611 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 43%
Average SAT: 1105
Net Price: $23,845
Receiving Aid: 100%

19. Shenandoah University

Winchester

For Communications and Public Relations

#564 in the United States

#617 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Net Price: $27,181
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $24,747

20. University of Mary Washington

Fredericksburg

For Communications and Public Relations

#592 in the United States

#647 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Average SAT: 1270
Average ACT: 29
Receiving Aid: 99%

21. Virginia State University

Petersburg

For Communications and Public Relations

#642 in the United States

#703 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Average SAT: 955
Average ACT: 17
Receiving Aid: 92%

22. Norfolk State University

Norfolk

For Communications and Public Relations

#728 in the United States

#792 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 88%
Average SAT: 927
Average ACT: 19
Receiving Aid: 94%

23. Hampton University

Hampton

For Communications and Public Relations

#819 in the United States

#886 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 62%
Average SAT: 940
Average ACT: 18
Net Price: $27,428

Closest to Virginia states to learn Communications and Public Relations

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
West Virginia	4	97
District of Columbia	8	30
North Carolina	21	20
Maryland	16	12
Pennsylvania	54	2
South Carolina	12	43
Ohio	30	16
New Jersey	17	17
Kentucky	11	51
Tennessee	21	49
Georgia	26	26
Indiana	17	27
New York	82	11
Connecticut	16	28
Rhode Island	7	166
Massachusetts	41	4
Alabama	12	81
Vermont	4	137
Illinois	30	19
Michigan	18	1
New Hampshire	6	95
Florida	29	21
Mississippi	7	142
Wisconsin	14	14
Missouri	17	52
Maine	6	218
Arkansas	7	124
Iowa	7	46
Louisiana	17	93
Minnesota	20	9
Kansas	8	65
Oklahoma	8	59
Nebraska	7	54
South Dakota	3	301
Texas	53	22
North Dakota	2	210
Colorado	14	68
Puerto Rico	4	792
Utah	7	71
Arizona	6	5
Idaho	3	196
Washington	16	3
Oregon	12	91
California	78	6
Hawaii	4	129