10 Liberal Arts colleges in North Carolina with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $51,303.
Most rankings ignore accessibility. We flipped the model: first, filter for schools that actually enroll and graduate low-income students (60th percentile+ mobility). Then rank by earnings. These 10 Liberal Arts programs made the cut.
At $72,200 in median earnings, University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill tops this list of mobility-focused programs while maintaining 95th percentile mobility. The earnings range spans from $40,144 to $72,200, proving schools serving low-income students can compete on outcomes.
Winston-Salem State University serves 62% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while producing graduates earning $45,344. Meanwhile, North Carolina State University At Raleigh delivers the best debt outcome with just 8% payment burden, landing in the 'Good affordability' category.
Earnings: $72,200 | Mobility: 95th percentile
62% Pell students with $45,344 earnings
8% payment burden | Good - payment 8-12% of discretionary
19% family burden | Challenging - payment 18-25% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | $72,200 | $14,000 | Manageable | $25,072 | High | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #2 | $68,758 | $20,121 | Good | $23,000 | Challenging | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | East Carolina UniversityPublic | $55,146 | $22,750 | Manageable | $19,710 | High | 93th percentile mobility |
| #4 | $51,836 | $20,231 | High | $21,919 | High | 93th percentile mobility | |
| #5 | $48,160 | $22,858 | Challenging | $14,638 | High | 93th percentile mobility | |
| #6 | $45,344 | $25,000 | High | $12,030 | High | 85th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | $44,440 | $27,000 | Challenging | $20,004 | High | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #8 | $44,030 | $20,500 | High | $20,305 | High | 74th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | $42,968 | $28,250 | High | $19,245 | High | 85th percentile mobility | |
| #10 | $40,144 | $22,987 | Challenging | $8,791 | High | 80th 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 →
