20 Foreign Languages colleges in New York with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $72,139.
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 | Good | 93th percentile mobility |
| #2 | $102,491 | — | — | — | — | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | Fordham UniversityPrivate | $85,569 | $24,300 | Excellent | $37,095 | Manageable | 74th percentile mobility |
| #4 | New York UniversityPrivate | $82,509 | — | — | — | — | 93th percentile mobility |
| #5 | Binghamton UniversityPublic | $80,596 | $18,500 | Excellent | $27,270 | Manageable | 93th percentile mobility |
| #6 | Syracuse UniversityPrivate | $79,164 | $26,000 | Excellent | $39,841 | Manageable | 82th percentile mobility |
| #7 | University Of RochesterPrivate | $79,042 | — | — | — | — | 81th percentile mobility |
| #8 | $76,571 | $26,778 | Manageable | $35,625 | High | 80th 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 | Excellent | $20,734 | Manageable | 96th percentile mobility |
| #11 | University At AlbanyPublic | $67,979 | $19,500 | Excellent | $22,398 | Manageable | 94th percentile mobility |
| #12 | Cuny City CollegePublic | $66,039 | $11,990 | Manageable | $17,460 | High | 96th percentile mobility |
| #13 | Cuny Hunter CollegePublic | $63,163 | $11,000 | Excellent | $20,252 | Manageable | 97th percentile mobility |
| #14 | Cuny Queens CollegePublic | $62,763 | $10,298 | Excellent | $17,680 | Good | 93th percentile mobility |
| #15 | Cuny Brooklyn CollegePublic | $60,752 | — | — | — | — | 95th percentile mobility |
| #16 | $58,073 | — | — | — | — | 85th percentile mobility | |
| #17 | Cuny Lehman CollegePublic | $58,013 | $10,950 | Excellent | $11,955 | Good | 96th percentile mobility |
| #18 | $57,566 | — | — | — | — | 87th percentile mobility | |
| #19 | Cuny York CollegePublic | $56,945 | — | — | — | — | 75th percentile mobility |
| #20 | $56,195 | — | — | — | — | 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 May 2026 refresh for 2026 rankings, based on Department of Education reporting standards. Learn about our methodology →
