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 BREAK-EVEN AGE
32
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 graduates in this field never break even on the degree. 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?
- Among Public Relations & Advertising programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 32 (FREOPP 2021). 4.2% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- 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