MAJORS · 68 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI

Is a public relations & advertising degree worth it?

Part of Communications and Journalism — see the whole category’s numbers.

On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$322,754. But the spread is the real story.

MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED

+$322,754

across 198 bachelor’s programs · 28,380 graduates

MEDIAN GRADUATE

+$336K

MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN

+$198K ⟷ +$448K

NEVER BREAK EVEN

4.2%

MEDIAN PROGRAM-ESTIMATED BREAK-EVEN AGE

32

Among programs that break even; weighted by graduate cohorts. These are program estimates, not tracked individual graduate outcomes.

ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES

+$200K

IF YOU DROP OUT

−$116K

Questions

Is a public relations & advertising degree worth it?
On average yes — across 198 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Public Relations & Advertising is +$322,754 and the median is +$335,703. 4.2% of graduate cohort weight with reported break-even data is in programs flagged as never breaking even. The honest answer depends heavily on the specific program and school: the middle half of graduates land between +$197,504 and +$447,541.
How long until a public relations & advertising degree pays off?
For Public Relations & Advertising, Among programs that break even, the median program-estimated break-even age, weighted by graduate cohorts, is 32. 4.2% of graduate cohort weight with reported break-even data is in programs flagged as never breaking even. FREOPP 2021.
Does the school matter for a public relations & advertising major?
Enormously. The middle 50% of Public Relations & Advertising graduates span +$197,504 to +$447,541 — a +$250K spread within one major. The same field can be a strong trade at one school and a losing one at another, which is why the per-school number matters more than the field average.

↓ Download the data (CSV) · All 115 subfields with full statistics. Free to cite with attribution. · Methodology

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “Public Relations & Advertising: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/public-relations-and-advertising