31 English colleges in New York with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $68,180.
We started with English programs scoring 60th percentile or above for mobility—schools that actually serve low-income students. Then we ranked by earnings. The result: 30 programs that prove accessibility and strong outcomes aren't mutually exclusive.
Cornell University leads the rankings, producing English graduates earning $104,043 while maintaining a 94th percentile mobility score. Columbia University follows at $102,491 with 91st percentile mobility. Across this list, average graduate earnings reach $67,936—demonstrating that schools serving low-income students compete on outcomes, not just access.
Cuny Bernard M Baruch College serves 55% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $75,971. The best mobility schools deliver a double win: Cuny Queens College achieves 94th percentile mobility with just a 6% payment burden, meaning graduates keep more of their earnings.
Earnings: $104,043 | Mobility: 94th percentile
55% Pell students with $75,971 earnings
6% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
17% family burden | Manageable - payment 12-18% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Cornell UniversityPrivate | $104,043 | $14,000 | Excellent | $38,000 | Challenging | 93th percentile mobility |
| #2 | $102,491 | $21,500 | Good | $35,000 | High | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | Fordham UniversityPrivate | $85,569 | $24,300 | Good | $37,095 | Challenging | 74th percentile mobility |
| #4 | New York UniversityPrivate | $82,509 | $20,500 | Excellent | $64,795 | High | 93th percentile mobility |
| #5 | Binghamton UniversityPublic | $80,596 | $18,500 | Excellent | $27,270 | Manageable | 93th percentile mobility |
| #6 | Syracuse UniversityPrivate | $79,164 | $26,000 | Good | $39,841 | High | 82th percentile mobility |
| #7 | University Of RochesterPrivate | $79,042 | $21,000 | Good | $30,000 | Challenging | 81th percentile mobility |
| #8 | $75,971 | $11,512 | Excellent | $20,000 | Manageable | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | Adelphi UniversityPrivate | $75,482 | — | — | — | — | 61th percentile mobility |
| #10 | Stony Brook UniversityPublic | $74,502 | $18,228 | Excellent | $21,400 | Manageable | 97th percentile mobility |
| #11 | University At BuffaloPublic | $70,814 | $19,000 | Good | $20,734 | Challenging | 96th percentile mobility |
| #12 | Pace UniversityPrivate | $70,378 | $23,250 | Good | $46,275 | High | 61th percentile mobility |
| #13 | $69,571 | $25,000 | Good | $54,289 | High | 70th percentile mobility | |
| #14 | University At AlbanyPublic | $67,979 | $19,500 | Good | $22,398 | Challenging | 94th percentile mobility |
| #15 | Suny College At GeneseoPublic | $67,316 | $19,500 | Good | $22,092 | Challenging | 79th percentile mobility |
| #16 | Cuny City CollegePublic | $66,039 | $11,990 | Excellent | $17,460 | Manageable | 96th percentile mobility |
| #17 | Cuny Hunter CollegePublic | $63,163 | $11,000 | Excellent | $20,252 | Manageable | 97th percentile mobility |
| #18 | Cuny Queens CollegePublic | $62,763 | $10,298 | Excellent | $17,680 | Manageable | 93th percentile mobility |
| #19 | Cuny Brooklyn CollegePublic | $60,752 | $11,000 | Excellent | $17,273 | Manageable | 95th percentile mobility |
| #20 | Suny OneontaPublic | $60,386 | $19,812 | Good | $24,845 | High | 83th percentile mobility |
| #21 | $60,236 | — | — | — | — | 84th percentile mobility | |
| #22 | Suny Old WestburyPublic | $58,526 | $14,997 | Excellent | $16,500 | Manageable | 82th percentile mobility |
| #23 | $58,073 | $18,750 | Good | $23,871 | High | 85th percentile mobility | |
| #24 | Cuny Lehman CollegePublic | $58,013 | $10,950 | Excellent | $11,955 | Good | 96th percentile mobility |
| #25 | $57,566 | $20,880 | Manageable | $19,416 | High | 87th 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 →
