12 Art & Design colleges in New Jersey with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $68,780.
Most rankings ignore accessibility. We flipped the model: first, filter for schools that actually enroll and graduate low-income students (60th percentile+ mobility). Then rank by earnings. These 12 Art & Design programs made the cut.
Stevens Institute Of Technology leads the rankings, producing Art & Design graduates earning $108,772 while maintaining a 74th percentile mobility score. New Jersey Institute Of Technology follows at $84,276 with an exceptional 94th percentile mobility ranking, proving accessible schools can deliver strong outcomes.
New Jersey Institute Of Technology serves 39% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while producing graduates earning $84,276. With just a 10.9% payment burden, it lands in the 'Good' affordability category. Meanwhile, William Paterson University reaches 45% Pell students, demonstrating real commitment to access.
Earnings: $108,772 | Mobility: 74th percentile
44.5% Pell students with $57,780 earnings
10.9% payment burden | Good - payment 8-12% of discretionary
24.6% family burden | Challenging - payment 18-25% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | $108,772 | $27,000 | High | $53,192 | High | 74th percentile mobility | |
| #2 | $84,276 | $21,000 | Good | $22,866 | Challenging | 94th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | $74,479 | $21,500 | High | $25,294 | High | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #4 | $73,323 | $23,250 | Manageable | $30,611 | High | 87th percentile mobility | |
| #5 | Seton Hall UniversityPrivate | $70,196 | $22,750 | High | $40,003 | High | 75th percentile mobility |
| #6 | $67,541 | $21,000 | Challenging | $27,655 | High | 82th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | $61,415 | $22,000 | Manageable | $24,693 | High | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #8 | Rowan UniversityPublic | $59,988 | $20,500 | Manageable | $27,445 | High | 94th percentile mobility |
| #9 | $57,780 | $22,334 | High | $20,000 | High | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #10 | Stockton UniversityPublic | $57,602 | $20,500 | Manageable | $23,182 | High | 93th percentile mobility |
| #11 | Kean UniversityPublic | $57,237 | $23,250 | Good | $22,000 | High | 92th percentile mobility |
| #12 | $52,745 | $18,500 | Manageable | $13,884 | Challenging | 84th 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 →
