49 Natural Resources colleges in the Midwest with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $59,639.
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 49 Natural Resources programs made the cut.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor leads the rankings, producing Natural Resources graduates earning $83,648 while maintaining a 97th percentile mobility score. At $78,198, Michigan Technological University rounds out the top three, proving schools serving low-income students can compete on outcomes.
DePaul University serves 31% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $68,751. The best mobility schools deliver a double win: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor ranks 97th percentile for mobility with just a 9% payment burden, meaning graduates keep most of their earnings.
Earnings: $83,648 | Mobility: 97th percentile
30.7% Pell students with $68,751 earnings
9.0% payment burden | Good - payment 8-12% of discretionary
21.3% family burden | Challenging - payment 18-25% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | $83,648 | $19,500 | Good | $30,250 | Challenging | 97th percentile mobility | |
| #2 | $81,054 | $19,500 | Good | $34,511 | High | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | $78,198 | $24,990 | Good | $29,300 | High | 82th percentile mobility | |
| #4 | $73,792 | $20,484 | Good | $28,364 | High | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #5 | $72,424 | $19,500 | Manageable | $29,448 | High | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #6 | Loyola University ChicagoPrivate | $71,530 | $24,157 | Manageable | $54,045 | High | 78th percentile mobility |
| #7 | Illinois Wesleyan UniversityPrivate | $70,871 | $27,000 | Challenging | $47,679 | High | 82th percentile mobility |
| #8 | $69,020 | $19,500 | Good | $25,729 | High | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | Depaul UniversityPrivate | $68,751 | $23,168 | Manageable | $41,563 | High | 86th percentile mobility |
| #10 | $67,253 | $23,250 | Manageable | $37,401 | High | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #11 | University Of IowaPublic | $64,762 | $22,500 | Good | $27,975 | High | 92th percentile mobility |
| #12 | $63,742 | $19,509 | Manageable | $32,850 | High | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #13 | $63,403 | $20,500 | Manageable | $32,529 | High | 93th percentile mobility | |
| #14 | Iowa State UniversityPublic | $63,386 | $22,869 | Good | $25,950 | Challenging | 92th percentile mobility |
| #15 | $62,616 | $22,024 | Good | $22,127 | Challenging | 81th percentile mobility | |
| #16 | $62,203 | $23,199 | Manageable | $14,621 | Challenging | 82th percentile mobility | |
| #17 | University Of KansasPublic | $61,945 | $21,000 | High | $32,347 | High | 90th percentile mobility |
| #18 | Lake Forest CollegePrivate | $61,825 | $26,158 | High | $35,000 | High | 75th percentile mobility |
| #19 | $60,409 | $19,976 | Good | $25,868 | High | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #20 | $59,649 | $22,500 | Challenging | $16,132 | High | 90th percentile mobility | |
| #21 | $59,637 | $18,750 | Good | $18,462 | Challenging | 77th percentile mobility | |
| #22 | Oakland UniversityPublic | $58,612 | $22,750 | Manageable | $17,858 | Challenging | 88th percentile mobility |
| #23 | $58,084 | $23,000 | High | $11,000 | High | 74th percentile mobility | |
| #24 | $57,808 | $22,162 | Manageable | $19,508 | High | 92th percentile mobility | |
| #25 | Kansas State UniversityPublic | $57,262 | $21,250 | Manageable | $27,283 | 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 2024-2025 Dept of Education reporting standards. Learn about our methodology →
