Discover 379 Art & Design 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: $61,322.
These 379 Art & Design programs aren't just accessible—they deliver results. Each school ranks in the 60th percentile or above for social mobility, meaning they actually enroll and graduate low-income students. Then we ranked them by graduate earnings, finding schools that are both accessible AND high-performing.
Carnegie Mellon University leads the rankings, producing Art & Design graduates earning $114,862 while maintaining an 84th percentile mobility score. At the top, graduates earn over $109,000—demonstrating that schools serving low-income students can compete on outcomes, not just access.
The best mobility schools deliver a double win: they serve low-income students AND leave them with manageable debt. Vanderbilt University exemplifies this—86th percentile for mobility with just a 4.3% payment burden, meaning graduates keep more of their earnings in the 'Excellent' affordability category.
Earnings: $114,862 | Mobility: 84th percentile
23% Pell students with $102,491 earnings
4.3% payment burden | Excellent
15.2% family burden | Manageable
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Carnegie Mellon UniversityPrivate | $114,862 | $21,750 | High | $37,130 | High | 84th percentile mobility |
| #2 | University Of PennsylvaniaPrivate | $111,371 | $15,715 | Manageable | $33,124 | High | 88th percentile mobility |
| #3 | Santa Clara UniversityPrivate | $109,183 | $19,162 | High | $56,271 | High | 75th percentile mobility |
| #4 | $108,772 | $27,000 | High | $53,192 | High | 74th percentile mobility | |
| #5 | Cornell UniversityPrivate | $104,043 | $14,000 | Excellent | $38,000 | Challenging | 94th percentile mobility |
| #6 | Boston CollegePrivate | $103,937 | $19,000 | High | $45,000 | High | 86th percentile mobility |
| #7 | $102,772 | $21,672 | Excellent | $32,216 | Manageable | 92th percentile mobility | |
| #8 | $102,491 | $21,500 | Challenging | $35,000 | High | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | $102,051 | $23,750 | Excellent | $52,241 | Challenging | 79th percentile mobility | |
| #10 | University Of Notre DamePrivate | $99,980 | $19,000 | Excellent | $40,731 | Challenging | 88th percentile mobility |
| #11 | Dartmouth CollegePrivate | $97,434 | $17,500 | High | $44,481 | High | 79th percentile mobility |
| #12 | Brown UniversityPrivate | $93,487 | $11,428 | Manageable | $48,245 | High | 84th percentile mobility |
| #13 | $92,498 | $18,000 | Good | $31,803 | High | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #14 | $92,446 | $13,000 | High | $28,508 | High | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #15 | University Of ChicagoPrivate | $91,885 | $15,000 | Manageable | $33,297 | High | 87th percentile mobility |
| #16 | Vanderbilt UniversityPrivate | $91,565 | $14,000 | Excellent | $30,844 | Manageable | 86th percentile mobility |
| #17 | George Washington UniversityPrivate | $90,873 | $20,449 | High | $30,881 | High | 79th percentile mobility |
| #18 | $90,768 | $18,500 | Excellent | $35,000 | Manageable | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #19 | University Of San FranciscoPrivate | $89,812 | $23,000 | High | $44,413 | High | 76th percentile mobility |
| #20 | Rice UniversityPrivate | $89,718 | $11,000 | Good | $35,338 | High | 78th percentile mobility |
| #21 | Northwestern UniversityPrivate | $89,363 | $15,000 | Challenging | $26,966 | High | 90th percentile mobility |
| #22 | Johns Hopkins UniversityPrivate | $87,555 | $10,250 | High | $29,048 | High | 87th percentile mobility |
| #23 | $86,863 | $17,500 | Good | $28,903 | High | 93th percentile mobility | |
| #24 | $86,182 | $17,500 | Manageable | $24,585 | High | 85th percentile mobility | |
| #25 | Fordham UniversityPrivate | $85,569 | $24,300 | Manageable | $37,095 | High | 76th 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 →
