Best Public Relations Schools Near Ridgewood, NJ (2026)

Updated August 31, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Ridgewood, New Jersey has 5 accredited schools offering public relations programs, with tuition ranging from $53,400 to $64,348 per year for indexed programs. Ridgewood has a population of about 26,076. Median household income is $217,250 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 80.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area, the top-earning public relations-related role is Public Relations Manager at a median $192,360 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Public Relations Schools to Ridgewood

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public relations programs near Ridgewood, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Ridgewood 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 Ridgewood. 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

William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ 5.2 miles from Ridgewood
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
59.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,780
Avg net price $18,745/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 85

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Montclair State University

Montclair, NJ 9.5 miles from Ridgewood
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
73.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,415
Avg net price $15,566/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 114

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Saint Peter's University

Jersey City, NJ 17.8 miles from Ridgewood
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
62.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,815
Avg net price $12,199/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 62

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Seton Hall University

South Orange, NJ 18.0 miles from Ridgewood
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
66.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $70,196
Avg net price $31,446/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 91

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Kean University

Union, NJ 21.9 miles from Ridgewood
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
65.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,237
Avg net price $12,447/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 73

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Rutgers University-New Brunswick

New Brunswick, NJ 37.7 miles from Ridgewood
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
79.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 84%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $74,479
Avg net price $24,406/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 93%
  • Programs offered: 185

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Monmouth University

West Long Branch, NJ 48.8 miles from Ridgewood
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
66.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 72%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $67,991
Avg net price $30,988/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Programs offered: 50

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Rider University

Lawrenceville, NJ 58.6 miles from Ridgewood
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
64.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,208
Avg net price $24,792/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 89

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Public Relations Wages Near Ridgewood

Ridgewood is part of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area (BLS area code 35620). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to New Jersey statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Public Relations Specialist$84,130New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$74,716
Public Relations Manager$192,360New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$170,835
News Analyst, Reporter, and Journalist$101,670New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$90,293

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.

Ridgewood at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population26,076Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$217,250Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+80.6%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)112.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Ridgewood-Area Cities With Public Relations Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public relations schools are near Ridgewood, NJ?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering public relations programs near Ridgewood. The closest is William Paterson University of New Jersey in Wayne, NJ (5.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Columbia University in the City of New York (14.4 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public relations-related roles near Ridgewood are: Public Relations Manager ($192,360), News Analyst, Reporter, and Journalist ($101,670), Public Relations Specialist ($84,130). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with New Jersey statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Fair Lawn instead of Ridgewood?

Fair Lawn, NJ is 3.2 miles from Ridgewood 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.

Is Ridgewood an affordable place to study public relations?

Ridgewood’s median household income of $217,250 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Ridgewood while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and New Jersey public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

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 Ridgewood

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

Data verified: August 31, 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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