13 Nursing colleges in North Carolina with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $54,089.
We started with Nursing programs scoring 60th percentile or above for mobility—schools that actually serve low-income students. Then we ranked by earnings. The result: 13 programs that prove accessibility and strong outcomes aren't mutually exclusive.
Duke University leads the rankings, producing Nursing graduates earning $97,800 while maintaining 84th percentile mobility. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill follows at $72,200 with exceptional 95th percentile mobility. Top outcomes reach nearly $98,000—demonstrating that accessible programs can deliver elite-level results.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte serves 34% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while graduates earn $57,289. The best mobility schools deliver a double win: UNC Chapel Hill ranks 95th percentile for mobility with just 6% payment burden, meaning graduates keep more of their earnings.
Earnings: $97,800 | Mobility: 84th percentile
62% Pell students with $45,344 earnings
5.7% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
11.2% family burden | Good - payment 8-12% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Duke UniversityPrivate | $97,800 | $13,000 | Manageable | $27,998 | High | 84th percentile mobility |
| #2 | $72,200 | $14,000 | Excellent | $25,072 | Manageable | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | $57,289 | $21,500 | Excellent | $19,809 | Manageable | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #4 | East Carolina UniversityPublic | $55,146 | $22,750 | Good | $19,710 | High | 93th percentile mobility |
| #5 | $54,967 | $19,500 | Manageable | $22,737 | High | 86th percentile mobility | |
| #6 | $51,836 | $20,231 | Good | $21,919 | High | 93th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | $49,458 | $21,868 | Manageable | $18,241 | High | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #8 | $48,160 | $22,858 | Excellent | $14,638 | Good | 93th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | $45,344 | $25,000 | Excellent | $12,030 | High | 85th percentile mobility | |
| #10 | $44,440 | $27,000 | Good | $20,004 | Challenging | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #11 | $43,407 | $25,000 | Excellent | $10,984 | Good | 77th percentile mobility | |
| #12 | $42,968 | $28,250 | Excellent | $19,245 | Manageable | 85th percentile mobility | |
| #13 | $40,144 | $22,987 | Excellent | $8,791 | Good | 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 →
