Discover 93 Architecture colleges that excel at moving low-income students to success. Schools must be in the 60th percentile+ for mobility, ranked by graduate earnings. Average earnings: $66,482.
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 93 Architecture programs made the cut.
Carnegie Mellon University leads the rankings, producing Architecture graduates earning $114,862 while maintaining an 84th percentile mobility score. Cornell University follows at $104,043 with an impressive 94th percentile mobility rating. These outcomes prove schools serving low-income students can compete at the highest levels.
UC Berkeley serves 27% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $92,446. The best mobility schools deliver a double win: University of Washington achieves 96th percentile mobility with just a 5% payment burden, meaning graduates keep more of their earnings.
Earnings: $114,862 | Mobility: 84th percentile
27% Pell students with $92,446 earnings
5% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
14% family burden | Manageable - payment 12-18% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Carnegie Mellon UniversityPrivate | $114,862 | $21,750 | Good | $37,130 | High | 84th percentile mobility |
| #2 | Cornell UniversityPrivate | $104,043 | $14,000 | Excellent | $38,000 | Challenging | 94th percentile mobility |
| #3 | $102,772 | $21,672 | Good | $32,216 | Challenging | 92th percentile mobility | |
| #4 | $102,051 | $23,750 | Excellent | $52,241 | High | 79th percentile mobility | |
| #5 | University Of Notre DamePrivate | $99,980 | $19,000 | Excellent | $40,731 | Challenging | 88th percentile mobility |
| #6 | $92,498 | $18,000 | Excellent | $31,803 | Manageable | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | $92,446 | $13,000 | Good | $28,508 | High | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #8 | $90,768 | $18,500 | Excellent | $35,000 | Manageable | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | University Of San FranciscoPrivate | $89,812 | $23,000 | Excellent | $44,413 | Challenging | 76th percentile mobility |
| #10 | $86,863 | $17,500 | Excellent | $28,903 | Challenging | 93th percentile mobility | |
| #11 | University Of San DiegoPrivate | $86,522 | $22,940 | Good | $56,559 | High | 76th percentile mobility |
| #12 | Drexel UniversityPrivate | $84,648 | $25,325 | Excellent | $40,932 | Challenging | 89th percentile mobility |
| #13 | $84,276 | $21,000 | Good | $22,866 | Challenging | 94th percentile mobility | |
| #14 | $83,648 | $19,500 | Excellent | $30,250 | Challenging | 97th percentile mobility | |
| #15 | $82,860 | $19,000 | Excellent | $35,200 | Challenging | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #16 | $82,511 | $14,000 | Challenging | $26,176 | High | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #17 | $81,698 | $21,500 | Good | $35,325 | Challenging | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #18 | $81,054 | $19,500 | Manageable | $34,511 | High | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #19 | Syracuse UniversityPrivate | $79,164 | $26,000 | Good | $39,841 | High | 82th percentile mobility |
| #20 | $78,466 | $14,615 | Excellent | $24,883 | Challenging | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #21 | $75,121 | $20,500 | Excellent | $26,632 | Challenging | 100th percentile mobility | |
| #22 | $74,479 | $21,500 | Good | $25,294 | Challenging | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #23 | $73,792 | $20,484 | Good | $28,364 | High | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #24 | $72,424 | $19,500 | Good | $29,448 | High | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #25 | $72,097 | $17,804 | Excellent | $32,258 | Challenging | 99th 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 2024-2025 Dept of Education reporting standards. Learn about our methodology →
