26 Liberal Arts colleges in California with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $65,760.
Top Liberal Arts graduates on this list earn over $90,768—and these schools actually serve the students who need them most. With mobility scores at the 60th percentile or above, these 26 programs deliver both access and results.
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo leads the rankings, producing Liberal Arts graduates earning $90,768 while maintaining a 95th percentile mobility score. San Jose State University follows closely at $78,988 earnings with an exceptional 98th percentile mobility rating—proving that schools serving diverse student bodies can compete on outcomes.
San Jose State University exemplifies the double win: serving 35% Pell Grant recipients and 49% first-generation students while graduates face just a 9% payment burden in the 'Good' affordability tier. University Of California-Riverside pushes accessibility further at 47% Pell students, with graduates earning $67,699 and maintaining excellent affordability at under 8% payment burden.
Earnings: $90,768 | Mobility: 95th percentile
47% Pell students with $67,699 earnings
7% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
14% family burden | Manageable - payment 12-18% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | $90,768 | $18,500 | Excellent | $35,000 | Challenging | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #2 | Pepperdine UniversityPrivate | $82,939 | $23,510 | Manageable | $41,309 | High | 75th percentile mobility |
| #3 | $78,988 | $15,000 | Good | $20,820 | Challenging | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #4 | Loyola Marymount UniversityPrivate | $78,349 | $19,500 | Good | $58,361 | High | 71th percentile mobility |
| #5 | $71,902 | $16,000 | Good | $15,000 | Challenging | 100th percentile mobility | |
| #6 | $71,401 | $16,544 | Good | $15,738 | Manageable | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | $68,077 | $15,371 | Excellent | $19,732 | Challenging | 97th percentile mobility | |
| #8 | $67,699 | $17,500 | Excellent | $18,275 | Manageable | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | Sonoma State UniversityPublic | $65,986 | $16,705 | Excellent | $27,986 | Challenging | 88th percentile mobility |
| #10 | $64,909 | $15,000 | Excellent | $25,565 | Challenging | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #11 | $64,876 | $15,000 | Good | $16,507 | Challenging | 100th percentile mobility | |
| #12 | $64,403 | $14,289 | Good | $15,177 | Manageable | 100th percentile mobility | |
| #13 | $64,172 | $16,552 | Good | $17,585 | Challenging | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #14 | $63,188 | $13,540 | Excellent | $12,700 | Manageable | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #15 | $62,951 | $13,750 | Excellent | $16,538 | Manageable | 100th percentile mobility | |
| #16 | $62,908 | $17,350 | Good | $18,031 | Challenging | 97th percentile mobility | |
| #17 | $62,152 | $15,000 | Good | $22,033 | Challenging | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #18 | $61,504 | $26,063 | Manageable | $31,387 | High | 75th percentile mobility | |
| #19 | $61,244 | $14,505 | Good | $12,050 | Manageable | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #20 | $59,977 | $14,715 | Excellent | $12,000 | Manageable | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #21 | $59,247 | $12,750 | Excellent | $16,836 | Challenging | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #22 | $59,211 | $13,000 | Good | $12,526 | Challenging | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #23 | $59,115 | $13,872 | Excellent | $13,522 | Manageable | 100th percentile mobility | |
| #24 | $59,009 | $16,600 | Excellent | $9,000 | Manageable | 94th percentile mobility | |
| #25 | $57,162 | $13,807 | Manageable | $11,061 | High | 97th 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 →
