Best Public Relations Schools Near Louisville, KY (2026)

Updated August 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Louisville, Kentucky has 15 accredited schools offering public relations programs, with tuition ranging from $8,424 to $34,140 per year for indexed programs. Louisville has a population of about 1,003,412. In the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area, the top-earning public relations-related role is Public Relations Manager at a median $115,000 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Public Relations Schools to Louisville

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public relations programs near Louisville, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Louisville city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Louisville. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Kentucky State University

Frankfort, KY 42.9 miles from Louisville
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
40.3 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 96%
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,382
Avg net price $8,040/yr
Tuition
In‑state$9,387
Out‑of‑state$13,658
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 62%
  • Programs offered: 22

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Midway University

Midway, KY 53.0 miles from Louisville
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
32.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 50%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,246
Avg net price $29,579/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 68%
  • Programs offered: 11

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

University of Kentucky

Lexington, KY 63.1 miles from Louisville
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
70.9 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 93%
Graduation rate 71%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,025
Avg net price $18,851/yr
Tuition
In‑state$13,502
Out‑of‑state$34,140
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 76

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Eastern Kentucky University

Richmond, KY 79.0 miles from Louisville
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
52.8 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 78%
Graduation rate 50%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,795
Avg net price $11,040/yr
Tuition
In‑state$10,320
Out‑of‑state$21,230
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 72

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, KY 87.7 miles from Louisville
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
56.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 51%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $50,220
Avg net price $8,191/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 51

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Western Kentucky University

Bowling Green, KY 92.9 miles from Louisville
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
52.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,889
Avg net price $10,990/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 85

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Morehead State University

Morehead, KY 120.3 miles from Louisville
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
46.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 51%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,197
Avg net price $9,793/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 67%
  • Programs offered: 34

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Murray State University

Murray, KY 181.8 miles from Louisville
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
58.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,737
Avg net price $9,096/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 54

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Kentucky schools on the Kentucky public relations page.

Public Relations Wages Near Louisville

Louisville is part of the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area (BLS area code 31140). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Kentucky statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Public Relations Specialist$61,640Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN$66,208
Public Relations Manager$115,000Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN$123,523
News Analyst, Reporter, and Journalist$60,150Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN$64,608

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Louisville at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Regional Price Parity (US=100)93.1 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Louisville-Area Cities With Public Relations Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public relations schools are near Louisville, KY?

Our directory has 15 accredited schools offering public relations programs near Louisville. The closest is Simmons College of Kentucky in Louisville, KY (8.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Cincinnati-Main Campus (90.5 miles). 10 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying public relations roles near Louisville?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public relations-related roles near Louisville are: Public Relations Manager ($115,000), Public Relations Specialist ($61,640), News Analyst, Reporter, and Journalist ($60,150). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Kentucky statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Jeffersontown instead of Louisville?

Jeffersontown, KY is 5.1 miles from Louisville and has its own set of local public relations programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Public Relations Programs

Other Programs Available in Louisville

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Louisville:

Data verified: August 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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