99 Business colleges in the Northeast with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $70,579.
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: 99 programs that prove accessibility and strong outcomes aren't mutually exclusive.
At $143,372 in median earnings, Massachusetts Institute Of Technology tops this list of mobility-focused programs while maintaining a 73rd percentile mobility score. Babson College follows at $123,938, proving that schools serving 14% Pell students can deliver exceptional career outcomes.
Stevens Institute Of Technology serves 21% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $108,772. The best mobility schools deliver a double win: Brown University exemplifies this with an 84th percentile mobility score and just a 2% payment burden, meaning graduates keep more of their earnings.
Earnings: $143,372 | Mobility: 73rd percentile
20.5% Pell students with $108,772 earnings
1.8% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
7.9% family burden | Good - payment 8-12% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | $143,372 | $14,768 | Excellent | $42,501 | Good | 73th percentile mobility | |
| #2 | Babson CollegePrivate | $123,938 | $20,000 | Excellent | $41,699 | Manageable | 75th percentile mobility |
| #3 | Bentley UniversityPrivate | $120,959 | $25,023 | Excellent | $43,757 | Manageable | 76th percentile mobility |
| #4 | Carnegie Mellon UniversityPrivate | $114,862 | $21,750 | Excellent | $37,130 | Good | 84th percentile mobility |
| #5 | University Of PennsylvaniaPrivate | $111,371 | $15,715 | Excellent | $33,124 | Good | 88th percentile mobility |
| #6 | $108,772 | $27,000 | Excellent | $53,192 | Manageable | 74th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | Lehigh UniversityPrivate | $105,584 | $21,960 | Excellent | $42,245 | Manageable | 81th percentile mobility |
| #8 | Cornell UniversityPrivate | $104,043 | $14,000 | Excellent | $38,000 | Good | 94th percentile mobility |
| #9 | Boston CollegePrivate | $103,937 | $19,000 | Excellent | $45,000 | Manageable | 86th percentile mobility |
| #10 | $102,051 | $23,750 | Excellent | $52,241 | Challenging | 79th percentile mobility | |
| #11 | Villanova UniversityPrivate | $100,423 | $25,874 | Excellent | $40,000 | Manageable | 74th percentile mobility |
| #12 | Suny Maritime CollegePublic | $95,951 | $23,250 | Excellent | $38,700 | Challenging | 76th percentile mobility |
| #13 | Bucknell UniversityPrivate | $93,807 | $27,000 | Excellent | $62,750 | Challenging | 74th percentile mobility |
| #14 | Brown UniversityPrivate | $93,487 | $11,428 | Excellent | $48,245 | Good | 84th percentile mobility |
| #15 | College Of The Holy CrossPrivate | $90,543 | $27,000 | Excellent | $39,032 | Challenging | 83th percentile mobility |
| #16 | Fordham UniversityPrivate | $85,569 | $24,300 | Excellent | $37,095 | Manageable | 76th percentile mobility |
| #17 | Drexel UniversityPrivate | $84,648 | $25,325 | Excellent | $40,932 | Challenging | 89th percentile mobility |
| #18 | $84,276 | $21,000 | Excellent | $22,866 | Manageable | 94th percentile mobility | |
| #19 | Boston UniversityPrivate | $83,238 | $23,250 | Good | $39,000 | High | 91th percentile mobility |
| #20 | New York UniversityPrivate | $82,509 | $20,500 | Excellent | $64,795 | Manageable | 94th percentile mobility |
| #21 | $82,392 | $25,000 | Excellent | $38,678 | Challenging | 87th percentile mobility | |
| #22 | Binghamton UniversityPublic | $80,596 | $18,500 | Excellent | $27,270 | Good | 94th percentile mobility |
| #23 | Syracuse UniversityPrivate | $79,164 | $26,000 | Excellent | $39,841 | Challenging | 82th percentile mobility |
| #24 | University Of RochesterPrivate | $79,042 | $21,000 | Good | $30,000 | Challenging | 82th percentile mobility |
| #25 | $76,571 | $26,778 | Good | $35,625 | Challenging | 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 →
