22 Agriculture colleges in the Midwest with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $59,653.
Most rankings ignore accessibility. We flipped the model: first, filter for schools that actually enroll and graduate low-income students (60th percentile+ mobility). Then rank by earnings. These 19 Agriculture programs made the cut.
University Of Illinois Urbana-Champaign leads the rankings, producing Agriculture graduates earning $81,054 while maintaining a 98th percentile mobility score. University Of Wisconsin-Madison follows at $73,792, with Purdue University-Main Campus close behind at $72,424—proving schools serving low-income students can compete on outcomes.
Illinois State University serves 30% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $62,117. The best mobility schools deliver a double win: University Of Nebraska At Kearney exemplifies this with a 72nd percentile mobility score and just a 7.3% payment burden, landing in the 'Excellent' affordability category.
Earnings: $81,054 | Mobility: 98th percentile
30% Pell students with $62,117 earnings
7.3% payment burden | Excellent
13.4% family burden | Manageable
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | $81,054 | $19,500 | Excellent | $34,511 | Challenging | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #2 | $73,792 | $20,484 | Excellent | $28,364 | Manageable | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | $72,424 | $19,500 | Excellent | $29,448 | Manageable | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #4 | $69,020 | $19,500 | Excellent | $25,729 | Manageable | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #5 | $67,253 | $23,250 | Excellent | $37,401 | High | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #6 | $63,403 | $20,500 | Excellent | $32,529 | Manageable | 93th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | Iowa State UniversityPublic | $63,386 | $22,869 | Excellent | $25,950 | Manageable | 92th percentile mobility |
| #8 | $62,203 | $23,199 | Good | $14,621 | Good | 81th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | $62,117 | $20,482 | Excellent | $28,767 | Manageable | 94th percentile mobility | |
| #10 | $61,760 | $21,977 | Excellent | $15,000 | Manageable | 75th percentile mobility | |
| #11 | $60,409 | $19,976 | Excellent | $25,868 | Manageable | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #12 | Kansas State UniversityPublic | $57,262 | $21,250 | Excellent | $27,283 | Manageable | 82th percentile mobility |
| #13 | $56,887 | $21,000 | Excellent | $25,798 | Manageable | 89th percentile mobility | |
| #14 | Truman State UniversityPublic | $56,280 | $21,000 | Good | $14,503 | Manageable | 60th percentile mobility |
| #15 | $54,458 | $20,500 | Good | $14,500 | Manageable | 73th percentile mobility | |
| #16 | $54,163 | $25,251 | Good | $20,764 | Challenging | 70th percentile mobility | |
| #17 | $53,390 | $21,543 | Excellent | $19,500 | Manageable | 88th percentile mobility | |
| #18 | $52,021 | $21,503 | Excellent | $14,012 | Manageable | 85th percentile mobility | |
| #19 | $50,105 | $19,500 | Excellent | $14,457 | Manageable | 70th percentile mobility | |
| #20 | $49,827 | $21,992 | Manageable | $15,092 | Challenging | 76th percentile mobility | |
| #21 | $49,560 | $21,000 | Good | $14,000 | Challenging | 61th percentile mobility | |
| #22 | College Of The OzarksPrivate | $41,592 | — | — | — | — | 62th percentile mobility |
Our social mobility rankings answer: "Which schools deliver the best outcomes for students from low-income backgrounds?"
This is not simply "which schools admit the most low-income students" — it's which schools both serve low-income students and deliver strong earnings outcomes.
Data based on May 2026 refresh for 2026 rankings, based on Department of Education reporting standards. Learn about our methodology →
