14 Art & Design colleges in North Carolina with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $51,296.
Top Art & Design graduates on this list earn over $72,200—and these schools actually serve the students who need them most. With mobility scores at the 60th percentile or above, these 14 programs deliver both access and results.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill leads the rankings, producing Art & Design graduates earning $72,200 while maintaining a 95th percentile mobility score. North Carolina State follows at $68,758, proving that schools serving low-income students can compete on outcomes across the $40,144 to $72,200 earnings range.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte serves 34% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while achieving 96th percentile mobility. However, debt burdens vary significantly: Chapel Hill graduates face a manageable 17% payment burden, while Charlotte reaches 30%, demonstrating why both access and affordability matter for true mobility.
Earnings: $72,200 | Mobility: 95th percentile
62% Pell students with $45,344 earnings
17% payment burden | Manageable
49% family burden | High burden
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | $72,200 | $14,000 | Manageable | $25,072 | High | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #2 | $68,758 | $20,121 | High | $23,000 | High | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | $57,289 | $21,500 | Challenging | $19,809 | High | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #4 | East Carolina UniversityPublic | $55,146 | $22,750 | High | $19,710 | High | 93th percentile mobility |
| #5 | $54,967 | $19,500 | High | $22,737 | High | 87th percentile mobility | |
| #6 | $51,836 | $20,231 | High | $21,919 | High | 93th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | $49,458 | $21,868 | Manageable | $18,241 | High | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #8 | $48,160 | $22,858 | High | $14,638 | High | 93th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | $45,344 | $25,000 | High | $12,030 | High | 85th percentile mobility | |
| #10 | $44,440 | $27,000 | High | $20,004 | High | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #11 | $44,030 | $20,500 | High | $20,305 | High | 74th percentile mobility | |
| #12 | $43,407 | $25,000 | High | $10,984 | High | 77th percentile mobility | |
| #13 | $42,968 | $28,250 | High | $19,245 | High | 85th percentile mobility | |
| #14 | $40,144 | $22,987 | High | $8,791 | High | 80th 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 →
