11 Art & Design colleges in Michigan with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $60,036.
These 11 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.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor leads the rankings, producing Art & Design graduates earning $83,648 while maintaining a 97th percentile mobility score. At the other end, graduates still earn $47,107—demonstrating that schools serving low-income students can compete on outcomes across the entire range.
Wayne State University serves 43% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while producing graduates earning $53,493. Meanwhile, Michigan Technological University delivers a double win: 82nd percentile mobility with just a 12.6% payment burden, landing in the 'Manageable' category for affordability.
Earnings: $83,648 | Mobility: 97th percentile
43% Pell students with $53,493 earnings
12.6% payment burden | Manageable
29.7% family burden | High burden
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | $83,648 | $19,500 | Good | $30,250 | High | 97th percentile mobility | |
| #2 | $78,198 | $24,990 | Manageable | $29,300 | High | 82th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | $67,253 | $23,250 | Challenging | $37,401 | High | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #4 | Oakland UniversityPublic | $58,612 | $22,750 | High | $17,858 | High | 88th percentile mobility |
| #5 | $56,118 | $24,500 | High | $26,392 | High | 92th percentile mobility | |
| #6 | $55,874 | $27,000 | High | $23,103 | High | 88th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | Ferris State UniversityPublic | $54,735 | $21,000 | Challenging | $14,849 | High | 85th percentile mobility |
| #8 | $53,562 | $26,188 | High | $22,488 | High | 82th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | Wayne State UniversityPublic | $53,493 | $21,250 | High | $16,378 | High | 95th percentile mobility |
| #10 | $51,793 | $25,000 | High | $16,878 | High | 83th percentile mobility | |
| #11 | $47,107 | $21,474 | High | $17,287 | High | 73th 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 →
