9 Criminal Justice colleges in North Carolina with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $47,781.
Most rankings ignore accessibility. We flipped the model: first, filter for schools that actually enroll and graduate low-income students (60th percentile+ mobility). Then rank by earnings. These 9 Criminal Justice programs made the cut.
University Of North Carolina At Charlotte leads the rankings, producing Criminal Justice graduates earning $57,289 while maintaining a 96th percentile mobility score. East Carolina University follows at $55,146 with 93rd percentile mobility. These outcomes prove schools serving low-income students can compete at the highest levels.
Winston-Salem State University serves 62% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $45,344. Meanwhile, Appalachian State University delivers strong mobility (93rd percentile) with just a 13% payment burden, landing in the 'Manageable' affordability category. Access AND manageable debt.
Earnings: $57,289 | Mobility: 96th percentile
62% Pell students with $45,344 earnings
13% payment burden | Manageable
19% family burden | High burden
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | $57,289 | $21,500 | Manageable | $19,809 | High | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #2 | East Carolina UniversityPublic | $55,146 | $22,750 | Manageable | $19,710 | High | 93th percentile mobility |
| #3 | $51,836 | $20,231 | Manageable | $21,919 | High | 93th percentile mobility | |
| #4 | $49,458 | $21,868 | Manageable | $18,241 | Challenging | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #5 | $45,344 | $25,000 | Challenging | $12,030 | High | 85th percentile mobility | |
| #6 | $44,440 | $27,000 | Challenging | $20,004 | High | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | $43,407 | $25,000 | Challenging | $10,984 | High | 77th percentile mobility | |
| #8 | $42,968 | $28,250 | Challenging | $19,245 | High | 85th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | $40,144 | $22,987 | Challenging | $8,791 | High | 80th 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 →
