17 Art & Design colleges in Pennsylvania with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $66,472.
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 17 Art & Design programs made the cut.
Carnegie Mellon University leads the rankings, producing Art & Design graduates earning $114,862 while maintaining an 84th percentile mobility score. University of Pennsylvania follows at $111,371 with 88th percentile mobility. These outcomes prove schools serving low-income students can compete at the highest levels.
Drexel University exemplifies balanced mobility—serving 25% Pell Grant recipients and 29% first-generation students while producing graduates earning $84,648. However, debt burdens vary widely across these programs. West Chester University of Pennsylvania offers the most manageable student debt at 14% payment burden, while others reach concerning levels above 25%.
Earnings: $114,862 | Mobility: 84th percentile
30% Pell students with $63,727 earnings
14% payment burden | Manageable
31% family burden | High burden
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Carnegie Mellon UniversityPrivate | $114,862 | $21,750 | High | $37,130 | High | 84th percentile mobility |
| #2 | University Of PennsylvaniaPrivate | $111,371 | $15,715 | Manageable | $33,124 | High | 88th percentile mobility |
| #3 | Drexel UniversityPrivate | $84,648 | $25,325 | Challenging | $40,932 | High | 89th percentile mobility |
| #4 | Dickinson CollegePrivate | $70,204 | $19,000 | High | $45,729 | High | 83th percentile mobility |
| #5 | Muhlenberg CollegePrivate | $69,107 | $25,455 | High | $48,779 | High | 80th percentile mobility |
| #6 | $66,125 | $24,250 | Good | $35,031 | High | 86th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | Temple UniversityPublic | $63,727 | $24,395 | High | $36,495 | High | 97th percentile mobility |
| #8 | $63,435 | $25,000 | High | $38,368 | High | 92th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | $61,258 | $23,500 | Manageable | $25,362 | High | 84th percentile mobility | |
| #10 | $56,351 | $25,000 | High | $28,373 | High | 76th percentile mobility | |
| #11 | $56,148 | $24,218 | High | $25,252 | High | 81th percentile mobility | |
| #12 | $55,246 | $23,507 | High | $29,193 | High | 78th percentile mobility | |
| #13 | $53,775 | $26,000 | High | $26,389 | High | 81th percentile mobility | |
| #14 | $53,032 | $25,000 | High | $23,528 | High | 87th percentile mobility | |
| #15 | $52,416 | $26,000 | Challenging | $26,233 | High | 89th percentile mobility | |
| #16 | $51,019 | $26,798 | High | $26,073 | High | 83th percentile mobility | |
| #17 | $47,295 | $23,725 | High | $17,794 | High | 87th 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 →
