Rank	School	Graduate Earnings	Student Debt	Student GPS	Parent Debt	Parent GPS	Mobility
#1	University Of PortlandPrivate	$82,804	$21,370	Excellent	$57,555	High	78th percentile mobility
#2	Linfield UniversityPrivate	$78,638	$25,000	Good	$36,067	High	75th percentile mobility
#3	Oregon State UniversityPublic	$64,010	$21,221	Good	$28,923	Challenging	98th percentile mobility
#4	University Of OregonPublic	$61,324	$20,139	Excellent	$44,405	Challenging	94th percentile mobility
#5	Portland State UniversityPublic	$57,906	$20,500	Excellent	$18,859	Manageable	96th percentile mobility
#6	Western Oregon UniversityPublic	$51,815	$20,609	Good	$23,014	Challenging	79th percentile mobility

#1University Of Portland

Portland, OR • Private nonprofit

💰

$82,804Graduate Earnings

🎓78th percentile mobility

Cohort

$21,370

Student Debt

$57,555

Parent Debt

GPS Affordability(What's this?)

24.4% burden

99.7% burden

📚

22.1%

Pell Share

👨‍👩‍👧

17.9%

First-Gen

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#2Linfield University

Mcminnville, OR • Private nonprofit

💰

$78,638Graduate Earnings

🎓75th percentile mobility

Cohort

$25,000

Student Debt

$36,067

Parent Debt

GPS Affordability(What's this?)

10.9% burden

28.9% burden

📚

30.3%

Pell Share

👨‍👩‍👧

30.3%

First-Gen

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#3Oregon State University

Corvallis, OR • Public

💰

$64,010Graduate Earnings

🎓98th percentile mobility

211

Cohort

$21,221

Student Debt

$28,923

Parent Debt

GPS Affordability(What's this?)

8.6% burden

22.0% burden

📚

22.8%

Pell Share

👨‍👩‍👧

31.4%

First-Gen

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#4University Of Oregon

Eugene, OR • Public

💰

$61,324Graduate Earnings

🎓94th percentile mobility

632

Cohort

$20,139

Student Debt

$44,405

Parent Debt

GPS Affordability(What's this?)

6.5% burden

23.1% burden

📚

21.3%

Pell Share

👨‍👩‍👧

28.4%

First-Gen

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#5Portland State University

Portland, OR • Public

💰

$57,906Graduate Earnings

🎓96th percentile mobility

166

Cohort

$20,500

Student Debt

$18,859

Parent Debt

GPS Affordability(What's this?)

7.7% burden

15.8% burden

📚

41.6%

Pell Share

👨‍👩‍👧

39.1%

First-Gen

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#6Western Oregon University

Monmouth, OR • Public

💰

$51,815Graduate Earnings

🎓79th percentile mobility

Cohort

$20,609

Student Debt

$23,014

Parent Debt

GPS Affordability(What's this?)

10.4% burden

23.9% burden

📚

41.1%

Pell Share

👨‍👩‍👧

41.9%

First-Gen

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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)

Our Methodology →About Azimuth →

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