50 Natural Resources colleges in the West with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $67,838.
We started with Natural Resources programs scoring 60th percentile or above for mobility—schools that actually serve low-income students. Then we ranked by earnings. The result: 51 programs that prove accessibility and strong outcomes aren't mutually exclusive.
Santa Clara University tops this list of mobility-focused programs, with Natural Resources graduates earning $109,183 while maintaining a 75th percentile mobility score. The University of Southern California follows at $92,498 with an exceptional 96th percentile mobility ranking—demonstrating these schools compete on both access and outcomes.
University of California-Irvine serves 37% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $80,735. The affordability story is equally compelling: UC Berkeley graduates face just a 3.6% payment burden, landing in the 'Excellent' category. True mobility means both access AND manageable debt.
Earnings: $109,183 | Mobility: 75th percentile
37% Pell students with $80,735 earnings
3.6% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
10.1% family burden | Good - payment 8-12% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Santa Clara UniversityPrivate | $109,183 | $19,162 | Excellent | $56,271 | Challenging | 74th percentile mobility |
| #2 | $92,498 | $18,000 | Excellent | $31,803 | Manageable | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | $92,446 | $13,000 | Excellent | $28,508 | Good | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #4 | $90,768 | $18,500 | Excellent | $35,000 | Manageable | 94th percentile mobility | |
| #5 | University Of San FranciscoPrivate | $89,812 | $23,000 | Good | $44,413 | High | 73th percentile mobility |
| #6 | University Of San DiegoPrivate | $86,522 | $22,940 | Good | $56,559 | High | 76th percentile mobility |
| #7 | $84,943 | $15,500 | Excellent | $24,257 | Manageable | 100th percentile mobility | |
| #8 | $82,511 | $14,000 | Excellent | $26,176 | Good | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | $80,838 | $13,000 | Excellent | $25,733 | Manageable | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #10 | $80,735 | $15,000 | Excellent | $22,665 | Manageable | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #11 | $78,988 | — | — | — | — | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #12 | $78,466 | $14,615 | Excellent | $24,883 | Manageable | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #13 | Occidental CollegePrivate | $75,951 | $23,000 | Good | $51,450 | High | 72th percentile mobility |
| #14 | $74,915 | $13,993 | Excellent | $26,465 | Manageable | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #15 | $71,401 | $16,544 | Excellent | $15,738 | Manageable | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #16 | $69,738 | $19,500 | Excellent | $46,340 | Challenging | 93th percentile mobility | |
| #17 | Pitzer CollegePrivate | $69,512 | — | — | — | — | 62th percentile mobility |
| #18 | $68,905 | — | — | — | — | 92th percentile mobility | |
| #19 | $68,396 | $16,666 | Excellent | $28,682 | Challenging | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #20 | $68,077 | $15,371 | Excellent | $19,732 | Manageable | 97th percentile mobility | |
| #21 | $67,699 | $17,500 | Excellent | $18,275 | Manageable | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #22 | University Of UtahPublic | $67,170 | — | — | — | — | 94th percentile mobility |
| #23 | Sonoma State UniversityPublic | $65,986 | $16,705 | Excellent | $27,986 | Manageable | 86th percentile mobility |
| #24 | $64,909 | $15,000 | Excellent | $25,565 | Manageable | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #25 | $64,876 | $15,000 | Excellent | $16,507 | Good | 100th 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 →
