13 Engineering colleges in Pennsylvania with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $82,343.
We started with Engineering programs scoring 60th percentile or above for mobility—schools that actually serve low-income students. Then we ranked by earnings. The result: 12 programs that prove accessibility and strong outcomes aren't mutually exclusive in Pennsylvania's competitive engineering landscape.
Carnegie Mellon University leads the rankings, producing Engineering graduates earning $114,862 while maintaining an 84th percentile mobility score. At the other end, graduates still earn $52,416—demonstrating that schools serving low-income students can compete on outcomes across Pennsylvania's engineering programs.
Temple University serves 30% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $63,727. The best mobility schools deliver a double win: University of Pennsylvania graduates face just a 2.9% payment burden with excellent affordability, keeping more of their $111,371 earnings.
Earnings: $114,862 | Mobility: 84th percentile
30% Pell students with $63,727 earnings
2.9% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
9.9% family burden | Good - payment 8-12% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Carnegie Mellon UniversityPrivate | $114,862 | $21,750 | Excellent | $37,130 | Good | 83th percentile mobility |
| #2 | University Of PennsylvaniaPrivate | $111,371 | $15,715 | Excellent | $33,124 | Good | 88th percentile mobility |
| #3 | Lehigh UniversityPrivate | $105,584 | $21,960 | Excellent | $42,245 | Manageable | 79th percentile mobility |
| #4 | Villanova UniversityPrivate | $100,423 | $25,874 | Excellent | $40,000 | Manageable | 72th percentile mobility |
| #5 | Bucknell UniversityPrivate | $93,807 | $27,000 | Excellent | $62,750 | Manageable | 72th percentile mobility |
| #6 | Drexel UniversityPrivate | $84,648 | $25,325 | Excellent | $40,932 | Manageable | 89th percentile mobility |
| #7 | Swarthmore CollegePrivate | $80,257 | $17,500 | Excellent | $65,862 | Challenging | 62th percentile mobility |
| #8 | Thomas Jefferson UniversityPrivate | $77,449 | — | — | — | — | 60th percentile mobility |
| #9 | $66,125 | $24,250 | Excellent | $35,031 | Good | 85th percentile mobility | |
| #10 | Temple UniversityPublic | $63,727 | $24,395 | Excellent | $36,495 | Manageable | 97th percentile mobility |
| #11 | $63,435 | $25,000 | Excellent | $38,368 | Manageable | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #12 | $56,351 | $25,000 | Excellent | $28,373 | Good | 73th percentile mobility | |
| #13 | $52,416 | — | — | — | — | 89th 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 →
