42 Art & Design colleges in California with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $70,123.
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 | — | — | — | — | 74th percentile mobility |
| #2 | $92,498 | $18,000 | Excellent | $31,803 | Challenging | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | $92,446 | $13,000 | Excellent | $28,508 | Challenging | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #4 | $90,768 | $18,500 | Manageable | $35,000 | High | 94th percentile mobility | |
| #5 | University Of San FranciscoPrivate | $89,812 | $23,000 | Good | $44,413 | High | 73th percentile mobility |
| #6 | $84,943 | $15,500 | Good | $24,257 | High | 100th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | Pepperdine UniversityPrivate | $82,939 | $23,510 | Good | $41,309 | High | 73th percentile mobility |
| #8 | $82,511 | $14,000 | Excellent | $26,176 | High | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | $80,838 | $13,000 | Excellent | $25,733 | Manageable | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #10 | $80,735 | $15,000 | Good | $22,665 | High | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #11 | $78,988 | — | — | — | — | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #12 | University Of The PacificPrivate | $78,445 | $19,500 | Manageable | $50,438 | High | 70th percentile mobility |
| #13 | Loyola Marymount UniversityPrivate | $78,349 | $19,500 | Excellent | $58,361 | High | 61th percentile mobility |
| #14 | Occidental CollegePrivate | $75,951 | — | — | — | — | 72th percentile mobility |
| #15 | $74,915 | $13,993 | Good | $26,465 | High | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #16 | $71,902 | $16,000 | Excellent | $15,000 | Manageable | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #17 | $71,401 | $16,544 | Good | $15,738 | Challenging | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #18 | Chapman UniversityPrivate | $70,070 | $20,500 | Excellent | $44,954 | High | 61th percentile mobility |
| #19 | $68,396 | $16,666 | Excellent | $28,682 | High | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #20 | $68,077 | $15,371 | Good | $19,732 | Challenging | 97th percentile mobility | |
| #21 | $67,699 | $17,500 | Excellent | $18,275 | Manageable | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #22 | Sonoma State UniversityPublic | $65,986 | $16,705 | Excellent | $27,986 | Manageable | 86th percentile mobility |
| #23 | $64,909 | $15,000 | Good | $25,565 | High | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #24 | $64,876 | $15,000 | Good | $16,507 | Challenging | 100th percentile mobility | |
| #25 | Westmont CollegePrivate | $64,778 | — | — | — | — | 83th 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 →
