Public Relations is an important part of an institution, including in Universitas Islam Negeri Sumatera Utara (UIN-SU), which is responsible for disseminating information on inquiry, both internally and externally. Such a way as an effort to introduce the institution to the public. The PR job is to introduce UIN-SU in North Sumatra and globally. Thus, in this study further discussed the PR strategy in improving the image of the university, with the issue: how far does the role of PR in improving the image of the university? This research is a qualitative research with descriptive-qualitative method. From this research can be seen that the role of PR still not maximal. It can be seen that one of them is the lack of publication or documentation related to the activities of UIN-SU which can actually be published as an attractiveness of this institution. In addition, the PR has several obstacles, such as the lack of funds and adequate facilities, thus becoming an obstacle for the optimization of PR work.
Keywords: Public Relations (PR), UIN Sumatera Utara, institutional image
