90 English colleges in the Midwest with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $60,297.
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 79 English programs made the cut.
University Of Notre Dame leads the rankings, producing English graduates earning $99,980 while maintaining an 88th percentile mobility score. At the top end, graduates earn nearly $100,000—demonstrating that schools serving low-income students can compete on outcomes, not just access.
University Of Illinois Urbana-Champaign serves 24% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $81,054. The best mobility schools deliver a double win: Northwestern University ranks 90th percentile for mobility with just a 7% payment burden, meaning graduates keep most of their earnings.
Earnings: $99,980 | Mobility: 88th percentile
24% Pell students with $81,054 earnings
7% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
22% family burden | Challenging - payment 18-25% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | University Of Notre DamePrivate | $99,980 | $19,000 | Excellent | $40,731 | Challenging | 87th percentile mobility |
| #2 | University Of ChicagoPrivate | $91,885 | $15,000 | Excellent | $33,297 | Manageable | 86th percentile mobility |
| #3 | Northwestern UniversityPrivate | $89,363 | $15,000 | Excellent | $26,966 | Manageable | 89th percentile mobility |
| #4 | $87,989 | — | — | — | — | 80th percentile mobility | |
| #5 | $83,648 | $19,500 | Manageable | $30,250 | High | 97th percentile mobility | |
| #6 | $81,054 | $19,500 | Good | $34,511 | High | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | Marquette UniversityPrivate | $78,257 | $23,940 | Good | $45,500 | High | 79th percentile mobility |
| #8 | Carleton CollegePrivate | $75,525 | — | — | — | — | 62th percentile mobility |
| #9 | $73,792 | $20,484 | Good | $28,364 | Challenging | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #10 | $72,424 | $19,500 | Good | $29,448 | Challenging | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #11 | Kenyon CollegePrivate | $71,830 | $18,527 | Good | $56,500 | High | 62th percentile mobility |
| #12 | Loyola University ChicagoPrivate | $71,530 | $24,157 | Good | $54,045 | High | 76th percentile mobility |
| #13 | Illinois Wesleyan UniversityPrivate | $70,871 | $27,000 | Manageable | $47,679 | High | 81th percentile mobility |
| #14 | Depauw UniversityPrivate | $70,527 | $27,000 | Manageable | $35,134 | High | 61th percentile mobility |
| #15 | Wabash CollegePrivate | $69,952 | $27,000 | Good | $28,000 | Challenging | 78th percentile mobility |
| #16 | $69,020 | $19,500 | Excellent | $25,729 | Manageable | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #17 | Depaul UniversityPrivate | $68,751 | $23,168 | Good | $41,563 | High | 85th percentile mobility |
| #18 | $68,740 | $16,704 | Good | $24,323 | Challenging | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #19 | $67,253 | $23,250 | Good | $37,401 | High | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #20 | Kalamazoo CollegePrivate | $65,590 | $26,077 | Manageable | $49,500 | High | 82th percentile mobility |
| #21 | St Olaf CollegePrivate | $65,543 | $26,000 | Manageable | $40,568 | High | 61th percentile mobility |
| #22 | University Of IowaPublic | $64,762 | $22,500 | Good | $27,975 | High | 91th percentile mobility |
| #23 | Macalester CollegePrivate | $63,878 | — | — | — | — | 62th percentile mobility |
| #24 | $63,742 | $19,509 | Excellent | $32,850 | Challenging | 94th percentile mobility | |
| #25 | $63,552 | $22,057 | Manageable | $14,269 | Challenging | 77th 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 →
