College of Communication and Information

Tombras School of Advertising & Public Relations

Accreditation Information

The Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is one of the premier schools in the country, with graduates working at a multitude of companies from: Nike, Twitter, Ralph Lauren, Disney, Scripps Network, YVMLY&R, Tombras Group, Anomaly, and more.

With state-of-the-art facilities including the Adam Brown Social Media Command Center (ABSMCC), the Scripps Lab, and the Message Effects Lab—the Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations provides a unique experience for students within our majors. The school offers internship services to pair students within their field of interest from a variety of agencies and corporations across the country.

Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) information

Reported Summer 2026

Undergraduate Enrollment (Mass Communication Majors)*

Fall ’25Fall ’24Fall ’23Fall ’22Fall ’21Fall ’20
Advertising335307282217187195
Public Relations324289246230219215

*Total major numbers are based on 14th-day enrollment data. 

Fall 2021 Cohort – Graduation Rates

3rd Year Graduation4th Year Graduation5th Year Graduation6th Year Graduation
Advertising0.0%92.9%TBDTBD
Public Relations0.0%87%TBDTBD

Fall 2020 Cohort – Graduation Rates

3rd Year Graduation4th Year Graduation5th Year Graduation6th Year Graduation
Advertising0.0%73.1%90%TBD
Public Relations0.0%83.3%91.7%TBD

Fall 2019 Cohort – Graduation Rates

3rd Year Graduation4th Year Graduation5th Year Graduation6th Year Graduation
Advertising5.0%85%90%90%
Public Relations0.0%82.8%82.8%82.8%

Fall 2018 Cohort – Graduation Rates

3rd Year Graduation4th Year Graduation5th Year Graduation6th Year Graduation
Advertising0.0%78.6%85.7%92.9%
Public Relations2.9%68.6%68.6%68.6%

Fall 2017 Cohort – Graduation Rates

3rd Year Graduation4th Year Graduation5th Year Graduation6th Year Graduation
Advertising0.0%66.7%66.7%66.7%
Public Relations9.1%77.3%81.8%86.4%

Average 1st year retention rates – college-wide

Fall 2019–Fall 202088.2%
Fall 2020–Fall 202189.5%
Fall 2021–Fall 202285.1%
Fall 2022–Fall 202392.1%
Fall 2023–Fall 202492.1%
Fall 2024–Fall 202592.7%

1st-Year Retention Rates by Major

MajorFall 2024–Fall 2025Fall 2023–Fall 2024Fall 2022–Fall 2023Fall 2021–Fall 2022Fall 2020–Fall 2021Fall 2019–Fall 2020
Advertising100%100%89.5%92.9%92.3%90.0%
Public Relations90.5%84.2%92.3%95.7%95.8%86.2%