10 Engineering colleges in Michigan with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $62,114.
These 10 Engineering programs aren't just accessible—they deliver results. Each school ranks in the 60th percentile or above for social mobility, meaning they actually enroll and graduate low-income students. Then we ranked them by graduate earnings, finding schools that are both accessible AND high-performing.
University Of Michigan-Ann Arbor leads the rankings, producing Engineering graduates earning $83,648 while maintaining a 97th percentile mobility score. At the other end, graduates still earn $53,493—demonstrating that Michigan schools serving low-income students deliver strong outcomes across the board.
University Of Michigan-Dearborn serves 44% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $59,649. The debt story is equally compelling: top schools like Michigan Tech maintain just a 6.3% payment burden, landing in the 'Excellent' category for affordability.
Earnings: $83,648 | Mobility: 97th percentile
43.9% Pell students with $59,649 earnings
4.0% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
8.7% family burden | Good - payment 8-12% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | $83,648 | $19,500 | Excellent | $30,250 | Good | 97th percentile mobility | |
| #2 | $78,198 | $24,990 | Excellent | $29,300 | Manageable | 82th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | $67,253 | $23,250 | Excellent | $37,401 | Manageable | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #4 | $59,649 | $22,500 | Excellent | $16,132 | Good | 90th percentile mobility | |
| #5 | Oakland UniversityPublic | $58,612 | $22,750 | Excellent | $17,858 | Good | 88th percentile mobility |
| #6 | $56,118 | $24,500 | Excellent | $26,392 | Manageable | 92th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | $55,874 | $27,000 | Excellent | $23,103 | Good | 88th percentile mobility | |
| #8 | Ferris State UniversityPublic | $54,735 | $21,000 | Excellent | $14,849 | Good | 85th percentile mobility |
| #9 | $53,562 | $26,188 | Excellent | $22,488 | Manageable | 82th percentile mobility | |
| #10 | Wayne State UniversityPublic | $53,493 | $21,250 | Excellent | $16,378 | Good | 95th 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 →
