23 Foreign Languages colleges in New York with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $70,384.
These 23 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. Columbia University follows closely at $102,491 with 91st percentile mobility. Across this list, average graduate earnings reach $70,384—demonstrating that schools serving low-income students can compete on outcomes.
Beyond strong earnings, these schools deliver manageable debt burdens. CUNY City College exemplifies the double win—96th percentile mobility with just a 6.3% payment burden, earning 'Excellent' affordability status. Even top earners maintain reasonable debt loads: Cornell graduates face just 7.2% payment burden despite $104,043 earnings, proving accessibility and affordability can coexist.
Earnings: $104,043 | Mobility: 94th percentile
38.4% Pell students with $74,502 earnings
6.3% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
16.9% 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 | Manageable | 94th percentile mobility |
| #2 | $102,491 | $21,500 | Good | $35,000 | High | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | Fordham UniversityPrivate | $85,569 | $24,300 | Good | $37,095 | High | 76th percentile mobility |
| #4 | New York UniversityPrivate | $82,509 | $20,500 | Manageable | $64,795 | High | 94th percentile mobility |
| #5 | Binghamton UniversityPublic | $80,596 | $18,500 | Good | $27,270 | Challenging | 94th percentile mobility |
| #6 | Syracuse UniversityPrivate | $79,164 | $26,000 | High | $39,841 | High | 82th percentile mobility |
| #7 | University Of RochesterPrivate | $79,042 | $21,000 | Challenging | $30,000 | High | 82th percentile mobility |
| #8 | $76,571 | $26,778 | Challenging | $35,625 | High | 81th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | Stony Brook UniversityPublic | $74,502 | $18,228 | Excellent | $21,400 | Manageable | 97th percentile mobility |
| #10 | University At BuffaloPublic | $70,814 | $19,000 | Manageable | $20,734 | High | 97th percentile mobility |
| #11 | University At AlbanyPublic | $67,979 | $19,500 | High | $22,398 | High | 94th percentile mobility |
| #12 | Suny College At GeneseoPublic | $67,316 | $19,500 | Excellent | $22,092 | Manageable | 80th percentile mobility |
| #13 | Cuny City CollegePublic | $66,039 | $11,990 | Excellent | $17,460 | Manageable | 96th percentile mobility |
| #14 | Cuny Hunter CollegePublic | $63,163 | $11,000 | Excellent | $20,252 | Good | 97th percentile mobility |
| #15 | Cuny Queens CollegePublic | $62,763 | $10,298 | Excellent | $17,680 | High | 94th percentile mobility |
| #16 | Cuny Brooklyn CollegePublic | $60,752 | $11,000 | High | $17,273 | High | 96th percentile mobility |
| #17 | $58,073 | $18,750 | Excellent | $23,871 | Challenging | 86th percentile mobility | |
| #18 | Cuny Lehman CollegePublic | $58,013 | $10,950 | Manageable | $11,955 | High | 96th percentile mobility |
| #19 | $57,566 | $20,880 | Manageable | $19,416 | High | 88th percentile mobility | |
| #20 | Cuny York CollegePublic | $56,945 | $11,000 | Manageable | $11,018 | High | 81th percentile mobility |
| #21 | $56,403 | $21,196 | High | $19,010 | High | 83th percentile mobility | |
| #22 | $56,195 | $11,000 | Good | $16,130 | High | 97th percentile mobility | |
| #23 | $52,334 | $21,028 | High | $12,951 | High | 86th 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 →
