Data based on 2024-2025 Dept of Education reporting standards.Our methodology

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Best Business Colleges for Social Mobility in the South (2025)

152 Business colleges in the South with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $56,151.

📊 Schools must be in the 60th percentile or above for social mobility, then ranked by graduate earnings.

Average Graduate Earnings: $56,151

All 152 Schools

Rank	School	Graduate Earnings	Student Debt	Student GPS	Parent Debt	Parent GPS	Mobility
#151	Jackson State UniversityPublic	$39,060	$30,470	Good	$15,000	High	79th percentile mobility
#152	Texas Southern UniversityPublic	$38,924	$29,000	Manageable	$19,929	Challenging	88th percentile mobility

#151Jackson State University

Jackson, MS • Public

💰

$39,060Graduate Earnings

🎓79th percentile mobility

100

Cohort

$30,470

Student Debt

$15,000

Parent Debt

GPS Affordability(What's this?)

20.3% burden

31.9% burden

📚

68.4%

Pell Share

👨‍👩‍👧

32.0%

First-Gen

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#152Texas Southern University

Houston, TX • Public

💰

$38,924Graduate Earnings

🎓88th percentile mobility

141

Cohort

$29,000

Student Debt

$19,929

Parent Debt

GPS Affordability(What's this?)

18.9% burden

33.9% burden

📚

71.3%

Pell Share

👨‍👩‍👧

38.8%

First-Gen

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Showing 151–152 of 152 schools

How These Rankings Work

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.

Two-Step Methodology

Filter for Accessibility: Schools must be in the 60th percentile or above for our mobility index. This filters out schools that don't meaningfully serve low-income students.

Rank by Outcomes: Among schools passing the filter, we rank by median graduate earnings. This surfaces schools with strong outcomes, not just high accessibility.

Mobility Index Components

• Pell Grant share: % of students receiving federal Pell Grants (proxy for low-income)
• First-generation share: % of first-generation college students
• Earnings mobility: How much graduates earn relative to their starting economic position

Important Caveats

• The 60th percentile threshold is a design choice — schools at 59th percentile are excluded
• Mobility index weights may not reflect every user's priorities
• Schools serving middle-income students well may be underrepresented
• Higher earnings doesn't always mean better outcomes (teaching, social work have high value but lower salaries)

Read our full methodology →

Data based on 2024-2025 Dept of Education reporting standards. Learn about our methodology →