10 Liberal Arts colleges in Pennsylvania with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $70,521.
We started with Liberal Arts programs scoring 60th percentile or above for mobility—schools that actually serve low-income students. Then we ranked by earnings. The result: 9 programs that prove accessibility and strong outcomes aren't mutually exclusive.
Carnegie Mellon University leads the rankings, producing Liberal Arts graduates earning $114,862 while maintaining an 84th percentile mobility score. At the other end, graduates still earn $47,295—demonstrating that Pennsylvania schools serving low-income students deliver solid outcomes across the board.
Drexel University exemplifies the mobility model—serving 25% Pell Grant recipients and 29% first-generation students while ranking 89th percentile for mobility. Graduates face just a 7.6% payment burden, landing in the 'Excellent' category. True accessibility means both enrollment AND manageable debt.
Earnings: $114,862 | Mobility: 84th percentile
37% Pell students with $47,295 earnings
7.1% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
21.0% family burden | Challenging - payment 18-25% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Carnegie Mellon UniversityPrivate | $114,862 | $21,750 | Excellent | $37,130 | Challenging | 83th percentile mobility |
| #2 | Villanova UniversityPrivate | $100,423 | $25,874 | Good | $40,000 | High | 72th percentile mobility |
| #3 | Drexel UniversityPrivate | $84,648 | $25,325 | Excellent | $40,932 | Manageable | 89th percentile mobility |
| #4 | $66,125 | — | — | — | — | 85th percentile mobility | |
| #5 | Temple UniversityPublic | $63,727 | $24,395 | Good | $36,495 | High | 97th percentile mobility |
| #6 | $63,435 | $25,000 | Good | $38,368 | High | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | $61,258 | — | — | — | — | 83th percentile mobility | |
| #8 | $52,416 | $26,000 | Manageable | $26,233 | High | 89th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | $51,019 | $26,798 | Good | $26,073 | Challenging | 81th percentile mobility | |
| #10 | $47,295 | $23,725 | Manageable | $17,794 | High | 81th 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 →
