37 Area Studies colleges in the Northeast with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $73,182.
Top Area Studies graduates on this list earn over $104,043—and these schools actually serve the students who need them most. With mobility scores at the 60th percentile or above, these 37 programs deliver both access and results.
Cornell University leads the rankings, producing Area Studies graduates earning $104,043 while maintaining a 94th percentile mobility score. At $73,182 in average earnings across the list, these programs prove that schools serving low-income students can compete on outcomes, not just access.
Columbia University serves 23% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $102,491. The best mobility schools deliver a double win: they serve low-income students AND leave them with manageable debt. Cornell exemplifies this—94th percentile for mobility with just a 3.6% payment burden, meaning graduates keep more of their earnings.
Earnings: $104,043 | Mobility: 94th percentile
23% Pell students with $102,491 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 | Manageable | 94th percentile mobility |
| #2 | $102,491 | $21,500 | Excellent | $35,000 | Challenging | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | Harvard UniversityPrivate | $101,817 | $14,000 | Good | $28,000 | High | 90th percentile mobility |
| #4 | Yale UniversityPrivate | $100,533 | $12,975 | Manageable | $29,769 | High | 81th percentile mobility |
| #5 | Dartmouth CollegePrivate | $97,434 | $17,500 | Excellent | $44,481 | Challenging | 79th percentile mobility |
| #6 | Brown UniversityPrivate | $93,487 | $11,428 | Good | $48,245 | High | 84th percentile mobility |
| #7 | Fordham UniversityPrivate | $85,569 | $24,300 | Good | $37,095 | Challenging | 76th percentile mobility |
| #8 | Wellesley CollegePrivate | $84,803 | $10,000 | Excellent | $38,825 | Challenging | 75th percentile mobility |
| #9 | Boston UniversityPrivate | $83,238 | $23,250 | High | $39,000 | High | 91th percentile mobility |
| #10 | Tufts UniversityPrivate | $83,214 | $16,250 | Excellent | $38,325 | High | 83th percentile mobility |
| #11 | New York UniversityPrivate | $82,509 | $20,500 | High | $64,795 | High | 94th percentile mobility |
| #12 | Binghamton UniversityPublic | $80,596 | $18,500 | Good | $27,270 | High | 94th percentile mobility |
| #13 | Syracuse UniversityPrivate | $79,164 | $26,000 | High | $39,841 | High | 82th percentile mobility |
| #14 | Stony Brook UniversityPublic | $74,502 | $18,228 | Challenging | $21,400 | High | 97th percentile mobility |
| #15 | $74,479 | $21,500 | Manageable | $25,294 | High | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #16 | $73,997 | $21,500 | High | $35,324 | High | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #17 | $71,631 | $22,763 | Good | $26,243 | High | 93th percentile mobility | |
| #18 | Dickinson CollegePrivate | $70,204 | $19,000 | Good | $45,729 | High | 83th percentile mobility |
| #19 | $69,743 | $22,250 | Good | $28,000 | High | 87th percentile mobility | |
| #20 | University At AlbanyPublic | $67,979 | $19,500 | High | $22,398 | High | 94th percentile mobility |
| #21 | $66,479 | $26,814 | Manageable | $36,545 | High | 82th percentile mobility | |
| #22 | Cuny City CollegePublic | $66,039 | $11,990 | Excellent | $17,460 | Challenging | 96th percentile mobility |
| #23 | $65,865 | $21,974 | Manageable | $17,163 | High | 92th percentile mobility | |
| #24 | Temple UniversityPublic | $63,727 | $24,395 | Manageable | $36,495 | High | 97th percentile mobility |
| #25 | $63,435 | $25,000 | Challenging | $38,368 | High | 92th 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 →
