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 September 2025

Undergraduate Enrollment (Mass Communication Majors)*
	Fall ’25	Fall ’24	Fall ’23	Fall ’22	Fall ’21	Fall ’20
Advertising	335	307	282	217	187	195
Public Relations	324	289	246	230	219	215

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

Fall 2020 Cohort – Graduation Rates
	3^rd Year Graduation	4^th Year Graduation	5^th Year Graduation	6^th Year Graduation
Advertising & Public Relations	0.0%	78%	TBD	TBD

Fall 2019 Cohort – Graduation Rates
	3^rd Year Graduation	4^th Year Graduation	5^th Year Graduation	6^th Year Graduation
Advertising & Public Relations	5.0%	83.7%	85.7%	TBD

Fall 2018 Cohort – Graduation Rates
	3^rd Year Graduation	4^th Year Graduation	5^th Year Graduation	6^th Year Graduation
Advertising & Public Relations	2.9%	71.4%	73.5%	75.5%

Fall 2017 Cohort – Graduation Rates
	3^rd Year Graduation	4^th Year Graduation	5^th Year Graduation	6^th Year Graduation
Advertising & Public Relations	9.1%	73%	75.7%	78.4%

Fall 2016 Cohort – Graduation Rates
	3^rd Year Graduation	4^th Year Graduation	5^th Year Graduation	6^th Year Graduation
Advertising & Public Relations	4.2%	83.9%	89.3%	91.1%

Average 1^st Year Retention Rates – College-wide

Fall 2018 – Fall 2019	87.4%
Fall 2019 – Fall 2020	88.2%
Fall 2020 – Fall 2021	89.5%
Fall 2021 – Fall 2022	85.1%
Fall 2022 – Fall 2023	92.1%
Fall 2023 – Fall 2024	92.1%

1st-Year Retention Rates by Major

	Fall 2023 – 2024	Fall 2022 – Fall 2023	Fall 2021 – Fall 2022	Fall 2020 – Fall 2021	Fall 2019 – Fall 2020	Fall 2018 – Fall 2019
Advertising & Public Relations	89.3%	91.1%	94.6%	94.0%	87.8%	93.9%