23 Education colleges in New York with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $63,131.
We started with Education programs scoring 60th percentile or above for mobility—schools that actually serve low-income students. Then we ranked by earnings. The result: 22 programs that prove accessibility and strong outcomes aren't mutually exclusive, with graduates earning up to $82,509.
New York University leads the rankings, producing Education graduates earning $82,509 while maintaining a 94th percentile mobility score. At $62,570 average earnings across this list, these schools demonstrate that serving low-income students—38% receive Pell Grants on average—doesn't require compromising on graduate outcomes.
CUNY City College serves 60% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $66,039. The best schools deliver a double win: CUNY Hunter College combines 97th percentile mobility with just 4% payment burden, meaning graduates keep nearly all their earnings for living expenses.
Earnings: $82,509 | Mobility: 94th percentile
60% Pell students with $66,039 earnings
4% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
12% family burden | Good - payment 8-12% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York UniversityPrivate | $82,509 | $20,500 | Excellent | $64,795 | High | 93th percentile mobility |
| #2 | Syracuse UniversityPrivate | $79,164 | $26,000 | Good | $39,841 | Challenging | 82th percentile mobility |
| #3 | University Of RochesterPrivate | $79,042 | — | — | — | — | 81th percentile mobility |
| #4 | Adelphi UniversityPrivate | $75,482 | $25,000 | Excellent | $48,005 | Challenging | 61th percentile mobility |
| #5 | Pace UniversityPrivate | $70,378 | — | — | — | — | 61th percentile mobility |
| #6 | $69,571 | $25,000 | Excellent | $54,289 | High | 70th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | Suny College At GeneseoPublic | $67,316 | $19,500 | Good | $22,092 | Challenging | 79th percentile mobility |
| #8 | Cuny City CollegePublic | $66,039 | $11,990 | Excellent | $17,460 | Good | 96th percentile mobility |
| #9 | Cuny Hunter CollegePublic | $63,163 | $11,000 | Excellent | $20,252 | Good | 97th percentile mobility |
| #10 | Cuny Queens CollegePublic | $62,763 | $10,298 | Excellent | $17,680 | Excellent | 93th percentile mobility |
| #11 | Cuny Brooklyn CollegePublic | $60,752 | $11,000 | Excellent | $17,273 | Excellent | 95th percentile mobility |
| #12 | Suny OneontaPublic | $60,386 | $19,812 | Excellent | $24,845 | Manageable | 83th percentile mobility |
| #13 | $60,236 | $21,500 | Excellent | $24,455 | Manageable | 84th percentile mobility | |
| #14 | Suny Old WestburyPublic | $58,526 | $14,997 | Excellent | $16,500 | Good | 82th percentile mobility |
| #15 | $58,073 | $18,750 | Excellent | $23,871 | Manageable | 85th percentile mobility | |
| #16 | Cuny Lehman CollegePublic | $58,013 | — | — | — | — | 96th percentile mobility |
| #17 | $57,566 | $20,880 | Good | $19,416 | Manageable | 87th percentile mobility | |
| #18 | Cuny York CollegePublic | $56,945 | $11,000 | Excellent | $11,018 | Excellent | 75th percentile mobility |
| #19 | $56,403 | $21,196 | Good | $19,010 | Manageable | 82th percentile mobility | |
| #20 | Suny BrockportPublic | $54,496 | $20,000 | Good | $16,353 | Manageable | 87th percentile mobility |
| #21 | $53,501 | $14,350 | Excellent | $15,568 | Good | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #22 | $52,334 | $21,028 | Good | $12,951 | Manageable | 85th percentile mobility | |
| #23 | $49,365 | — | — | — | — | 94th 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 May 2026 refresh for 2026 rankings, based on Department of Education reporting standards. Learn about our methodology →
