108 Art & Design colleges in the Northeast with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $66,596.
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 | Manageable | $37,130 | High | 91th percentile mobility |
| #2 | University Of PennsylvaniaPrivate | $111,371 | $15,715 | Good | $33,124 | High | 93th percentile mobility |
| #3 | $108,772 | $27,000 | Good | $53,192 | High | 82th percentile mobility | |
| #4 | Cornell UniversityPrivate | $104,043 | $14,000 | Good | $38,000 | High | 96th percentile mobility |
| #5 | Boston CollegePrivate | $103,937 | $19,000 | High | $45,000 | High | 90th percentile mobility |
| #6 | $102,491 | $21,500 | High | $35,000 | High | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | $102,051 | $23,750 | Excellent | $52,241 | Manageable | 87th percentile mobility | |
| #8 | Dartmouth CollegePrivate | $97,434 | $17,500 | Excellent | $44,481 | Challenging | 86th percentile mobility |
| #9 | Brown UniversityPrivate | $93,487 | $11,428 | Excellent | $48,245 | Challenging | 90th percentile mobility |
| #10 | Northeastern UniversityPrivate | $92,538 | $24,250 | High | $34,984 | High | 81th percentile mobility |
| #11 | Lafayette CollegePrivate | $91,410 | $16,000 | Challenging | $59,000 | High | 78th percentile mobility |
| #12 | Fordham UniversityPrivate | $85,569 | $24,300 | Manageable | $37,095 | High | 85th percentile mobility |
| #13 | Wellesley CollegePrivate | $84,803 | $10,000 | Good | $38,825 | High | 83th percentile mobility |
| #14 | Drexel UniversityPrivate | $84,648 | $25,325 | Good | $40,932 | High | 94th percentile mobility |
| #15 | $84,276 | $21,000 | Excellent | $22,866 | Manageable | 97th percentile mobility | |
| #16 | Quinnipiac UniversityPrivate | $83,759 | $26,000 | Good | $64,334 | High | 75th percentile mobility |
| #17 | Boston UniversityPrivate | $83,238 | $23,250 | Challenging | $39,000 | High | 95th percentile mobility |
| #18 | Tufts UniversityPrivate | $83,214 | $16,250 | Excellent | $38,325 | Challenging | 90th percentile mobility |
| #19 | $82,721 | $25,028 | Excellent | $65,597 | High | 74th percentile mobility | |
| #20 | New York UniversityPrivate | $82,509 | $20,500 | Manageable | $64,795 | High | 96th percentile mobility |
| #21 | Binghamton UniversityPublic | $80,596 | $18,500 | Good | $27,270 | High | 97th percentile mobility |
| #22 | Syracuse UniversityPrivate | $79,164 | $26,000 | Manageable | $39,841 | High | 90th percentile mobility |
| #23 | University Of RochesterPrivate | $79,042 | $21,000 | Challenging | $30,000 | High | 89th percentile mobility |
| #24 | Molloy UniversityPrivate | $77,789 | $27,000 | High | $39,248 | High | 76th percentile mobility |
| #25 | Thomas Jefferson UniversityPrivate | $77,449 | $14,744 | Excellent | $32,255 | Challenging | 82th 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 →
