28 Art & Design colleges in Texas with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $57,850.
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: 27 programs that prove accessibility and strong outcomes aren't mutually exclusive.
Rice University leads the rankings, producing Art & Design graduates earning $89,718 while maintaining a 78th percentile mobility score. At the other end, graduates still earn $50,923—demonstrating that schools serving low-income students can compete on outcomes across the entire list.
University of Houston-Clear Lake serves 44% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $59,004. Even better: graduates face just a 9% payment burden, landing in the 'Good' affordability category. Access AND manageable debt.
Earnings: $89,718 | Mobility: 78th percentile
44% Pell students with $59,004 earnings
9.4% payment burden | Good
17.3% family burden | Manageable
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Rice UniversityPrivate | $89,718 | — | — | — | — | 77th percentile mobility |
| #2 | $75,121 | $20,500 | Good | $26,632 | High | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | $72,097 | $17,804 | Excellent | $32,258 | Challenging | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #4 | Texas Christian UniversityPrivate | $68,424 | $21,500 | Excellent | $54,925 | High | 76th percentile mobility |
| #5 | $68,227 | $18,000 | Manageable | $21,495 | High | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #6 | $63,199 | $17,527 | Excellent | $12,313 | Good | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | Texas Tech UniversityPublic | $62,454 | $21,500 | Good | $23,443 | Challenging | 97th percentile mobility |
| #8 | University Of HoustonPublic | $62,377 | $18,194 | Excellent | $18,072 | Manageable | 100th percentile mobility |
| #9 | $59,004 | $17,831 | Manageable | $14,731 | High | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #10 | $57,131 | $20,500 | Good | $13,859 | Manageable | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #11 | $57,053 | $17,137 | Good | $15,463 | Challenging | 87th percentile mobility | |
| #12 | $57,010 | $19,250 | Excellent | $23,211 | High | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #13 | Texas State UniversityPublic | $56,906 | $21,000 | Good | $22,500 | Challenging | 99th percentile mobility |
| #14 | Texas Woman's UniversityPublic | $56,544 | $19,218 | Good | $13,471 | Manageable | 92th percentile mobility |
| #15 | $55,747 | $21,030 | Good | $19,367 | Challenging | 75th percentile mobility | |
| #16 | $54,211 | $21,983 | Good | $19,433 | Manageable | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #17 | $53,551 | $18,750 | Manageable | $10,000 | High | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #18 | $53,040 | $19,606 | Excellent | $17,125 | Manageable | 88th percentile mobility | |
| #19 | $51,865 | $23,000 | Manageable | $25,348 | High | 84th percentile mobility | |
| #20 | $51,450 | $22,934 | Good | $14,224 | Manageable | 76th percentile mobility | |
| #21 | $50,923 | $18,000 | Excellent | $11,916 | Good | 97th percentile mobility | |
| #22 | $50,741 | $19,500 | Good | $12,719 | Manageable | 80th percentile mobility | |
| #23 | $50,296 | $20,500 | Good | $15,265 | Manageable | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #24 | Lamar UniversityPublic | $49,652 | $21,250 | Good | $11,359 | Manageable | 79th percentile mobility |
| #25 | $49,634 | $23,409 | Good | $18,080 | High | 90th 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 →
