Discover 309 Nursing colleges that excel at moving low-income students to success. Schools must be in the 60th percentile+ for mobility, ranked by graduate earnings. Average earnings: $60,671.
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 284 Nursing programs made the cut.
Mcphs University leads the rankings, producing Nursing graduates earning $125,557 while maintaining a 75th percentile mobility score. The top programs deliver earnings up to $125,557—proving that schools serving low-income students can compete on outcomes, not just access.
Mcphs University serves 28% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $125,557. Even better: graduates face just a 10% payment burden, landing in the 'Excellent' category. These schools deliver both access AND affordability.
Earnings: $125,557 | Mobility: 75th percentile
28% Pell students with $125,557 earnings
2% payment burden | Excellent
7% family burden | Excellent
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Mcphs UniversityPrivate | $125,557 | $25,000 | Excellent | $46,544 | Manageable | 73th percentile mobility |
| #2 | $120,163 | $25,000 | Excellent | $27,248 | Good | 62th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | University Of PennsylvaniaPrivate | $111,371 | $15,715 | Excellent | $33,124 | Good | 88th percentile mobility |
| #4 | Boston CollegePrivate | $103,937 | $19,000 | Excellent | $45,000 | Manageable | 82th percentile mobility |
| #5 | Georgetown UniversityPrivate | $103,494 | $15,500 | Excellent | $33,944 | Excellent | 83th percentile mobility |
| #6 | Villanova UniversityPrivate | $100,423 | $25,874 | Excellent | $40,000 | Manageable | 72th percentile mobility |
| #7 | Duke UniversityPrivate | $97,800 | $13,000 | Excellent | $27,998 | Excellent | 84th percentile mobility |
| #8 | $92,961 | $13,396 | Excellent | $19,051 | Good | 74th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | Northeastern UniversityPrivate | $92,538 | $24,250 | Excellent | $34,984 | Manageable | 60th percentile mobility |
| #10 | $92,348 | $12,268 | Excellent | $17,355 | Excellent | 71th percentile mobility | |
| #11 | George Washington UniversityPrivate | $90,873 | $20,449 | Excellent | $30,881 | Good | 80th percentile mobility |
| #12 | University Of San FranciscoPrivate | $89,812 | $23,000 | Excellent | $44,413 | Good | 73th percentile mobility |
| #13 | $88,757 | $13,063 | Excellent | $19,446 | Excellent | 80th percentile mobility | |
| #14 | $87,989 | $24,000 | Excellent | $31,458 | Manageable | 80th percentile mobility | |
| #15 | $87,130 | $24,961 | Excellent | $27,310 | Good | 62th percentile mobility | |
| #16 | $86,863 | $17,500 | Excellent | $28,903 | Good | 93th percentile mobility | |
| #17 | $86,331 | $18,750 | Excellent | $14,000 | Good | 62th percentile mobility | |
| #18 | Drexel UniversityPrivate | $84,648 | $25,325 | Excellent | $40,932 | Manageable | 89th percentile mobility |
| #19 | Lakeview College Of NursingPrivate | $84,522 | $15,000 | Excellent | $11,500 | Excellent | 62th percentile mobility |
| #20 | $84,393 | $16,750 | Excellent | $25,554 | Good | 72th percentile mobility | |
| #21 | $83,648 | $19,500 | Excellent | $30,250 | Manageable | 97th percentile mobility | |
| #22 | $82,511 | $14,000 | Excellent | $26,176 | Excellent | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #23 | New York UniversityPrivate | $82,509 | $20,500 | Excellent | $64,795 | Manageable | 93th percentile mobility |
| #24 | $82,206 | $15,000 | Excellent | $16,624 | Good | 79th percentile mobility | |
| #25 | $80,735 | $15,000 | Excellent | $22,665 | Manageable | 99th 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 →
