92 English colleges in the Northeast with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $69,850.
These 92 English 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.
Carnegie Mellon University leads the rankings, producing English graduates earning $114,862 while maintaining an 84th percentile mobility score. University of Pennsylvania follows at $111,371 with an impressive 88th percentile mobility rating. These outcomes prove schools serving low-income students can compete at the highest levels.
Columbia University serves 23% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $102,491. The best mobility schools deliver a double win: Princeton University exemplifies this with 77th percentile mobility and just a 6% payment burden, landing in the 'Excellent' affordability category.
Earnings: $114,862 | Mobility: 84th percentile
23% Pell students with $102,491 earnings
4.3% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
16.4% family burden | Manageable - payment 12-18% 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 | Manageable | 84th percentile mobility |
| #2 | University Of PennsylvaniaPrivate | $111,371 | $15,715 | Good | $33,124 | High | 88th percentile mobility |
| #3 | Princeton UniversityPrivate | $110,066 | $10,320 | Excellent | $41,000 | High | 77th percentile mobility |
| #4 | Lehigh UniversityPrivate | $105,584 | $21,960 | Good | $42,245 | High | 81th percentile mobility |
| #5 | Cornell UniversityPrivate | $104,043 | $14,000 | Excellent | $38,000 | High | 94th percentile mobility |
| #6 | Boston CollegePrivate | $103,937 | $19,000 | Excellent | $45,000 | High | 86th percentile mobility |
| #7 | $102,491 | $21,500 | Good | $35,000 | Challenging | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #8 | Harvard UniversityPrivate | $101,817 | $14,000 | Excellent | $28,000 | Challenging | 90th percentile mobility |
| #9 | Yale UniversityPrivate | $100,533 | $12,975 | Excellent | $29,769 | Manageable | 81th percentile mobility |
| #10 | Villanova UniversityPrivate | $100,423 | $25,874 | Good | $40,000 | Challenging | 74th percentile mobility |
| #11 | Dartmouth CollegePrivate | $97,434 | $17,500 | Excellent | $44,481 | High | 79th percentile mobility |
| #12 | Bucknell UniversityPrivate | $93,807 | $27,000 | Challenging | $62,750 | High | 74th percentile mobility |
| #13 | Brown UniversityPrivate | $93,487 | $11,428 | Excellent | $48,245 | High | 84th percentile mobility |
| #14 | College Of The Holy CrossPrivate | $90,543 | $27,000 | Excellent | $39,032 | Challenging | 83th percentile mobility |
| #15 | Fordham UniversityPrivate | $85,569 | $24,300 | Good | $37,095 | High | 76th percentile mobility |
| #16 | Wellesley CollegePrivate | $84,803 | $10,000 | Excellent | $38,825 | Challenging | 74th percentile mobility |
| #17 | Drexel UniversityPrivate | $84,648 | $25,325 | Good | $40,932 | High | 89th percentile mobility |
| #18 | Boston UniversityPrivate | $83,238 | $23,250 | Manageable | $39,000 | High | 91th percentile mobility |
| #19 | Tufts UniversityPrivate | $83,214 | $16,250 | Manageable | $38,325 | High | 83th percentile mobility |
| #20 | New York UniversityPrivate | $82,509 | $20,500 | Good | $64,795 | High | 94th percentile mobility |
| #21 | Binghamton UniversityPublic | $80,596 | $18,500 | Good | $27,270 | Challenging | 94th percentile mobility |
| #22 | Syracuse UniversityPrivate | $79,164 | $26,000 | Good | $39,841 | High | 82th percentile mobility |
| #23 | University Of RochesterPrivate | $79,042 | $21,000 | Good | $30,000 | High | 82th percentile mobility |
| #24 | $76,124 | $19,000 | High | $51,114 | High | 85th percentile mobility | |
| #25 | $75,971 | $11,512 | Excellent | $20,000 | Challenging | 98th 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 →
