17 Area Studies colleges in New York with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $71,585.
We started with Area Studies programs scoring 60th percentile or above for mobility—schools that actually serve low-income students. Then we ranked by earnings. The result: 17 programs that prove accessibility and strong outcomes aren't mutually exclusive.
Cornell University leads the rankings, producing Area Studies graduates earning $104,043 while maintaining a 94th percentile mobility score. Columbia University follows at $102,491 with 91st percentile mobility. These outcomes demonstrate that schools serving low-income students can compete at the highest levels.
CUNY City College serves 60% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $66,039. The best mobility schools deliver a double win: Cornell University ranks 94th percentile for mobility with just a 3.6% payment burden, meaning graduates keep more of their earnings.
Earnings: $104,043 | Mobility: 94th percentile
59.6% Pell students with $66,039 earnings
3.6% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
15.1% family burden | Manageable - payment 12-18% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Cornell UniversityPrivate | $104,043 | $14,000 | Excellent | $38,000 | Good | 93th percentile mobility |
| #2 | $102,491 | $21,500 | Excellent | $35,000 | Good | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | Fordham UniversityPrivate | $85,569 | $24,300 | Excellent | $37,095 | Manageable | 74th percentile mobility |
| #4 | New York UniversityPrivate | $82,509 | $20,500 | Excellent | $64,795 | High | 93th percentile mobility |
| #5 | Binghamton UniversityPublic | $80,596 | — | — | — | — | 93th percentile mobility |
| #6 | Syracuse UniversityPrivate | $79,164 | — | — | — | — | 82th percentile mobility |
| #7 | Stony Brook UniversityPublic | $74,502 | — | — | — | — | 97th percentile mobility |
| #8 | University At AlbanyPublic | $67,979 | $19,500 | Good | $22,398 | Challenging | 94th percentile mobility |
| #9 | Cuny City CollegePublic | $66,039 | $11,990 | Excellent | $17,460 | Manageable | 96th percentile mobility |
| #10 | Cuny Hunter CollegePublic | $63,163 | $11,000 | Excellent | $20,252 | Manageable | 97th percentile mobility |
| #11 | Cuny Queens CollegePublic | $62,763 | — | — | — | — | 93th percentile mobility |
| #12 | Cuny Brooklyn CollegePublic | $60,752 | $11,000 | Excellent | $17,273 | Manageable | 95th percentile mobility |
| #13 | Suny OneontaPublic | $60,386 | — | — | — | — | 83th percentile mobility |
| #14 | $58,073 | $18,750 | Good | $23,871 | High | 85th percentile mobility | |
| #15 | Cuny Lehman CollegePublic | $58,013 | $10,950 | Excellent | $11,955 | Good | 96th percentile mobility |
| #16 | $56,403 | $21,196 | Good | $19,010 | Challenging | 82th percentile mobility | |
| #17 | Suny BrockportPublic | $54,496 | $20,000 | Good | $16,353 | Challenging | 87th 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 →
