82 Business colleges in the Midwest with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $60,528.
We started with Business programs scoring 60th percentile or above for mobility—schools that actually serve low-income students. Then we ranked by earnings. The result: 82 programs that prove accessibility and strong outcomes aren't mutually exclusive.
At $99,980 in median earnings, University Of Notre Dame tops this list of mobility-focused programs while maintaining an 88th percentile mobility score. Northwestern University follows at $89,363 with 90th percentile mobility, proving that schools serving diverse student bodies can deliver exceptional financial outcomes.
University Of Illinois Urbana-Champaign serves 24% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $81,054. The best mobility schools deliver a double win: Washington University In St Louis exemplifies this with 85th percentile mobility and just a 3% payment burden, meaning graduates keep more of their earnings.
Earnings: $99,980 | Mobility: 88th percentile
24% Pell students with $81,054 earnings
3.0% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
7.8% family burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | University Of Notre DamePrivate | $99,980 | $19,000 | Excellent | $40,731 | Manageable | 87th percentile mobility |
| #2 | Northwestern UniversityPrivate | $89,363 | $15,000 | Excellent | $26,966 | Good | 90th percentile mobility |
| #3 | $87,989 | $24,000 | Excellent | $31,458 | Manageable | 80th percentile mobility | |
| #4 | $86,182 | $17,500 | Excellent | $24,585 | Excellent | 85th percentile mobility | |
| #5 | $83,648 | $19,500 | Excellent | $30,250 | Excellent | 97th percentile mobility | |
| #6 | $82,957 | $23,250 | Excellent | $30,462 | Challenging | 82th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | $81,054 | $19,500 | Excellent | $34,511 | Manageable | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #8 | Marquette UniversityPrivate | $78,257 | $23,940 | Excellent | $45,500 | Challenging | 80th percentile mobility |
| #9 | $78,198 | $24,990 | Manageable | $29,300 | High | 82th percentile mobility | |
| #10 | $73,792 | $20,484 | Excellent | $28,364 | Good | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #11 | $72,424 | $19,500 | Excellent | $29,448 | Manageable | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #12 | Loyola University ChicagoPrivate | $71,530 | $24,157 | Excellent | $54,045 | Challenging | 78th percentile mobility |
| #13 | Illinois Wesleyan UniversityPrivate | $70,871 | $27,000 | Excellent | $47,679 | Challenging | 82th percentile mobility |
| #14 | $69,020 | $19,500 | Excellent | $25,729 | Manageable | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #15 | Depaul UniversityPrivate | $68,751 | $23,168 | Excellent | $41,563 | Manageable | 86th percentile mobility |
| #16 | $68,740 | $16,704 | Excellent | $24,323 | Manageable | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #17 | $67,253 | $23,250 | Excellent | $37,401 | Manageable | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #18 | Kalamazoo CollegePrivate | $65,590 | $26,077 | Good | $49,500 | High | 83th percentile mobility |
| #19 | University Of IowaPublic | $64,762 | $22,500 | Excellent | $27,975 | Manageable | 92th percentile mobility |
| #20 | $63,742 | $19,509 | Excellent | $32,850 | Good | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #21 | $63,552 | $22,057 | Good | $14,269 | Manageable | 77th percentile mobility | |
| #22 | $63,403 | $20,500 | Excellent | $32,529 | Manageable | 93th percentile mobility | |
| #23 | Iowa State UniversityPublic | $63,386 | $22,869 | Excellent | $25,950 | Manageable | 92th percentile mobility |
| #24 | College Of Saint BenedictPrivate | $63,260 | $26,944 | Good | $15,778 | Manageable | 81th percentile mobility |
| #25 | $62,616 | $22,024 | Excellent | $22,127 | Manageable | 81th 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 →
