86 Art & Design colleges in the Northeast with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $67,732.
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: 86 programs that prove accessibility and strong outcomes aren't mutually exclusive in the Northeast.
Carnegie Mellon University leads the rankings, producing Art & Design graduates earning $114,862 while maintaining an 84th percentile mobility score. At the top, earnings reach over $111,000—demonstrating that schools serving low-income students can compete on outcomes across the Northeast region.
University of Pennsylvania serves 16% Pell Grant recipients while producing graduates earning $111,371. However, debt burdens vary significantly: Wellesley College graduates face just 3.4% payment burden (Excellent affordability), while others exceed 25%—a crucial difference for mobility outcomes.
Earnings: $114,862 | Mobility: 84th percentile
22.5% Pell students with $102,491 earnings
3.4% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
18.9% family burden | Challenging - payment 18-25% of discretionary
| 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 | $108,772 | $27,000 | High | $53,192 | High | 74th percentile mobility | |
| #4 | Cornell UniversityPrivate | $104,043 | $14,000 | Excellent | $38,000 | Challenging | 94th percentile mobility |
| #5 | Boston CollegePrivate | $103,937 | $19,000 | High | $45,000 | High | 86th percentile mobility |
| #6 | $102,491 | $21,500 | Challenging | $35,000 | High | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | $102,051 | $23,750 | Excellent | $52,241 | Challenging | 79th percentile mobility | |
| #8 | Dartmouth CollegePrivate | $97,434 | $17,500 | High | $44,481 | High | 79th percentile mobility |
| #9 | Brown UniversityPrivate | $93,487 | $11,428 | Manageable | $48,245 | High | 84th percentile mobility |
| #10 | Fordham UniversityPrivate | $85,569 | $24,300 | Manageable | $37,095 | High | 76th percentile mobility |
| #11 | Wellesley CollegePrivate | $84,803 | $10,000 | Excellent | $38,825 | Challenging | 74th percentile mobility |
| #12 | Drexel UniversityPrivate | $84,648 | $25,325 | Challenging | $40,932 | High | 89th percentile mobility |
| #13 | $84,276 | $21,000 | Good | $22,866 | Challenging | 94th percentile mobility | |
| #14 | Boston UniversityPrivate | $83,238 | $23,250 | Manageable | $39,000 | High | 91th percentile mobility |
| #15 | Tufts UniversityPrivate | $83,214 | $16,250 | Excellent | $38,325 | Challenging | 83th percentile mobility |
| #16 | New York UniversityPrivate | $82,509 | $20,500 | Good | $64,795 | High | 94th percentile mobility |
| #17 | Binghamton UniversityPublic | $80,596 | $18,500 | Manageable | $27,270 | High | 94th percentile mobility |
| #18 | Syracuse UniversityPrivate | $79,164 | $26,000 | High | $39,841 | High | 82th percentile mobility |
| #19 | University Of RochesterPrivate | $79,042 | $21,000 | High | $30,000 | High | 82th percentile mobility |
| #20 | $76,571 | $26,778 | Challenging | $35,625 | High | 81th percentile mobility | |
| #21 | $75,971 | $11,512 | Excellent | $20,000 | Challenging | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #22 | Stony Brook UniversityPublic | $74,502 | $18,228 | Manageable | $21,400 | High | 97th percentile mobility |
| #23 | $74,479 | $21,500 | High | $25,294 | High | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #24 | $73,997 | $21,500 | Manageable | $35,324 | High | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #25 | $73,323 | $23,250 | Manageable | $30,611 | 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 →
