41 Art & Design colleges in California with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $69,920.
We started with Art & Design programs scoring 60th percentile or above for mobility—schools that actually serve low-income students. Then we ranked by earnings. The result: 41 programs that prove accessibility and strong outcomes aren't mutually exclusive.
At $109,183 in median earnings, Santa Clara University tops this list of mobility-focused programs while maintaining a 75th percentile mobility score. University of Southern California follows at $92,498 with an exceptional 96th percentile mobility ranking, proving schools can excel at both access and outcomes.
UC Irvine serves 37% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $80,735. The best mobility schools deliver a double win: San Jose State University exemplifies this with 98th percentile mobility and just a 7% payment burden, earning 'Excellent' affordability status.
Earnings: $109,183 | Mobility: 75th percentile
37% Pell students with $80,735 earnings
7% payment burden | Excellent
19% family burden | Challenging
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Santa Clara UniversityPrivate | $109,183 | $19,162 | High | $56,271 | High | 75th percentile mobility |
| #2 | $92,498 | $18,000 | Good | $31,803 | High | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | $92,446 | $13,000 | High | $28,508 | High | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #4 | $90,768 | $18,500 | Excellent | $35,000 | Manageable | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #5 | University Of San FranciscoPrivate | $89,812 | $23,000 | High | $44,413 | High | 76th percentile mobility |
| #6 | $84,943 | $15,500 | Manageable | $24,257 | High | 100th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | Pepperdine UniversityPrivate | $82,939 | $23,510 | Manageable | $41,309 | High | 75th percentile mobility |
| #8 | $82,511 | $14,000 | Good | $26,176 | High | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | $80,838 | $13,000 | Good | $25,733 | High | 100th percentile mobility | |
| #10 | $80,735 | $15,000 | High | $22,665 | High | 100th percentile mobility | |
| #11 | $78,988 | $15,000 | Excellent | $20,820 | Good | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #12 | Loyola Marymount UniversityPrivate | $78,349 | $19,500 | Manageable | $58,361 | High | 71th percentile mobility |
| #13 | Occidental CollegePrivate | $75,951 | $23,000 | High | $51,450 | High | 75th percentile mobility |
| #14 | $74,915 | $13,993 | Excellent | $26,465 | Challenging | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #15 | $71,902 | $16,000 | Excellent | $15,000 | High | 100th percentile mobility | |
| #16 | $71,401 | $16,544 | Good | $15,738 | Challenging | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #17 | Chapman UniversityPrivate | $70,070 | $20,500 | Excellent | $44,954 | High | 72th percentile mobility |
| #18 | $68,396 | $16,666 | Challenging | $28,682 | High | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #19 | $68,077 | $15,371 | High | $19,732 | High | 97th percentile mobility | |
| #20 | $67,699 | $17,500 | Manageable | $18,275 | High | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #21 | Sonoma State UniversityPublic | $65,986 | $16,705 | Good | $27,986 | High | 88th percentile mobility |
| #22 | $64,909 | $15,000 | High | $25,565 | High | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #23 | $64,876 | $15,000 | Good | $16,507 | High | 100th percentile mobility | |
| #24 | Westmont CollegePrivate | $64,778 | $23,250 | High | $61,820 | High | 84th percentile mobility |
| #25 | $64,403 | $14,289 | High | $15,177 | High | 100th 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 →
