32 Family & Consumer Sciences colleges in the Midwest with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $58,454.
These 32 Family & Consumer Sciences programs in the Midwest 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 Illinois Urbana-Champaign leads the rankings, producing Family & Consumer Sciences graduates earning $81,054 while maintaining a 98th percentile mobility score. The top three schools all exceed $72,000 in median earnings—demonstrating that schools serving low-income students can compete on outcomes, not just access.
University of Illinois Chicago serves 50% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $68,740. The best mobility schools deliver a double win: Indiana University-Bloomington achieves 95th percentile mobility with just a 7% payment burden, landing in the 'Excellent' category for affordability.
Earnings: $81,054 | Mobility: 98th percentile
50% Pell students with $68,740 earnings
7.1% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
21.0% family burden | Challenging - payment 18-25% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | $81,054 | $19,500 | Good | $34,511 | High | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #2 | $73,792 | $20,484 | Good | $28,364 | High | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | $72,424 | $19,500 | Good | $29,448 | Challenging | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #4 | $69,020 | $19,500 | Manageable | $25,729 | High | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #5 | $68,740 | $16,704 | Manageable | $24,323 | High | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #6 | $67,253 | $23,250 | Manageable | $37,401 | High | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | $63,742 | $19,509 | Excellent | $32,850 | Challenging | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #8 | $63,403 | $20,500 | Good | $32,529 | High | 93th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | Iowa State UniversityPublic | $63,386 | $22,869 | Manageable | $25,950 | High | 92th percentile mobility |
| #10 | $62,203 | $23,199 | Challenging | $14,621 | High | 82th percentile mobility | |
| #11 | $62,117 | $20,482 | Manageable | $28,767 | High | 94th percentile mobility | |
| #12 | $60,409 | $19,976 | Good | $25,868 | Challenging | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #13 | $58,084 | $23,000 | Challenging | $11,000 | High | 74th percentile mobility | |
| #14 | $57,808 | $22,162 | Good | $19,508 | Challenging | 92th percentile mobility | |
| #15 | Kansas State UniversityPublic | $57,262 | $21,250 | Manageable | $27,283 | High | 81th percentile mobility |
| #16 | $56,922 | $21,106 | Manageable | $13,695 | Challenging | 74th percentile mobility | |
| #17 | $56,887 | $21,000 | Manageable | $25,798 | High | 89th percentile mobility | |
| #18 | $55,874 | $27,000 | Challenging | $23,103 | High | 88th percentile mobility | |
| #19 | $55,177 | $19,691 | Manageable | $17,670 | High | 84th percentile mobility | |
| #20 | Ferris State UniversityPublic | $54,735 | $21,000 | High | $14,849 | High | 85th percentile mobility |
| #21 | $53,562 | $26,188 | Challenging | $22,488 | High | 82th percentile mobility | |
| #22 | Wayne State UniversityPublic | $53,493 | $21,250 | Manageable | $16,378 | High | 95th percentile mobility |
| #23 | $53,390 | $21,543 | High | $19,500 | High | 88th percentile mobility | |
| #24 | $52,581 | $21,056 | Manageable | $23,508 | High | 75th percentile mobility | |
| #25 | $51,989 | $21,500 | Manageable | $17,781 | High | 74th 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 →
