Discover 276 Foreign Languages colleges that excel at moving low-income students to success. Schools must be in the 60th percentile+ for mobility, ranked by graduate earnings. Average earnings: $63,561.
These 276 Foreign Languages 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.
Cornell University leads the rankings, producing Foreign Languages graduates earning $104,043 while maintaining a 94th percentile mobility score. The top performers demonstrate that schools serving low-income students can compete on outcomes—with the highest earners on this list reaching over $104,000.
Columbia University serves 23% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $102,491. The mobility-focused schools on this list deliver a double win: Duke University exemplifies this with an 84th percentile mobility score and just a 4% payment burden, landing in the 'Excellent' affordability category.
Earnings: $104,043 | Mobility: 94th percentile
22.5% Pell students with $102,491 earnings
4.0% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
14.1% family burden | Good - payment 8-12% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Cornell UniversityPrivate | $104,043 | $14,000 | Good | $38,000 | High | 94th percentile mobility |
| #2 | Boston CollegePrivate | $103,937 | $19,000 | Excellent | $45,000 | Challenging | 86th percentile mobility |
| #3 | Georgetown UniversityPrivate | $103,494 | $15,500 | Excellent | $33,944 | Manageable | 84th percentile mobility |
| #4 | $102,772 | $21,672 | Good | $32,216 | High | 92th percentile mobility | |
| #5 | $102,491 | $21,500 | Good | $35,000 | High | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #6 | Villanova UniversityPrivate | $100,423 | $25,874 | Excellent | $40,000 | Challenging | 74th percentile mobility |
| #7 | University Of Notre DamePrivate | $99,980 | $19,000 | Excellent | $40,731 | High | 88th percentile mobility |
| #8 | Duke UniversityPrivate | $97,800 | $13,000 | Excellent | $27,998 | Good | 84th percentile mobility |
| #9 | Bucknell UniversityPrivate | $93,807 | $27,000 | Excellent | $62,750 | High | 74th percentile mobility |
| #10 | Brown UniversityPrivate | $93,487 | $11,428 | Excellent | $48,245 | High | 84th percentile mobility |
| #11 | $92,498 | $18,000 | Excellent | $31,803 | Challenging | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #12 | $92,446 | $13,000 | Excellent | $28,508 | Challenging | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #13 | University Of ChicagoPrivate | $91,885 | $15,000 | Excellent | $33,297 | Challenging | 87th percentile mobility |
| #14 | Vanderbilt UniversityPrivate | $91,565 | $14,000 | Excellent | $30,844 | Challenging | 86th percentile mobility |
| #15 | College Of The Holy CrossPrivate | $90,543 | $27,000 | Good | $39,032 | Challenging | 83th percentile mobility |
| #16 | Rice UniversityPrivate | $89,718 | $11,000 | Excellent | $35,338 | High | 78th percentile mobility |
| #17 | $86,863 | $17,500 | Excellent | $28,903 | Challenging | 93th percentile mobility | |
| #18 | University Of San DiegoPrivate | $86,522 | $22,940 | Good | $56,559 | High | 76th percentile mobility |
| #19 | Fordham UniversityPrivate | $85,569 | $24,300 | Good | $37,095 | High | 76th percentile mobility |
| #20 | $84,943 | $15,500 | Good | $24,257 | High | 100th percentile mobility | |
| #21 | Wellesley CollegePrivate | $84,803 | $10,000 | Excellent | $38,825 | High | 74th percentile mobility |
| #22 | $83,648 | $19,500 | Good | $30,250 | High | 97th percentile mobility | |
| #23 | Boston UniversityPrivate | $83,238 | $23,250 | Good | $39,000 | High | 91th percentile mobility |
| #24 | Tufts UniversityPrivate | $83,214 | $16,250 | Good | $38,325 | High | 83th percentile mobility |
| #25 | $82,860 | $19,000 | Excellent | $35,200 | Challenging | 96th 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 →
