26 Parks & Recreation colleges in Texas with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $56,481.
Top Parks & Recreation graduates on this list earn over $89,718—and these schools actually serve the students who need them most. With mobility scores at the 60th percentile or above, these 26 programs deliver both access and results.
Rice University leads the rankings, producing Parks & Recreation graduates earning $89,718 while maintaining a 78th percentile mobility score. The University of Texas at Austin follows at $75,121 with perfect 100th percentile mobility, proving schools serving low-income students can compete on outcomes.
University of Houston-Clear Lake serves 44% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $59,004. The best mobility schools deliver a double win: Rice University achieves 78th percentile mobility with just a 4% payment burden, meaning graduates keep more of their earnings.
Earnings: $89,718 | Mobility: 78th percentile
44% Pell students with $59,004 earnings
4% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
16% family burden | Manageable - payment 12-18% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Rice UniversityPrivate | $89,718 | $11,000 | Excellent | $35,338 | Manageable | 78th percentile mobility |
| #2 | $75,121 | $20,500 | Good | $26,632 | Challenging | 100th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | $72,097 | $17,804 | Excellent | $32,258 | Challenging | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #4 | $63,199 | $17,527 | Good | $12,313 | Manageable | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #5 | Texas Tech UniversityPublic | $62,454 | $21,500 | Good | $23,443 | High | 97th percentile mobility |
| #6 | University Of HoustonPublic | $62,377 | $18,194 | Good | $18,072 | Challenging | 99th percentile mobility |
| #7 | $59,004 | $17,831 | Good | $14,731 | Challenging | 92th percentile mobility | |
| #8 | $57,131 | $20,500 | Good | $13,859 | Challenging | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | $57,053 | $17,137 | Good | $15,463 | Challenging | 86th percentile mobility | |
| #10 | $57,010 | $19,250 | Good | $23,211 | Challenging | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #11 | Texas State UniversityPublic | $56,906 | $21,000 | Good | $22,500 | Challenging | 99th percentile mobility |
| #12 | Texas Woman's UniversityPublic | $56,544 | $19,218 | Good | $13,471 | Manageable | 92th percentile mobility |
| #13 | $55,747 | $21,030 | Manageable | $19,367 | High | 77th percentile mobility | |
| #14 | $54,211 | $21,983 | Manageable | $19,433 | High | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #15 | $53,040 | $19,606 | Good | $17,125 | Challenging | 89th percentile mobility | |
| #16 | $51,865 | $23,000 | Manageable | $25,348 | High | 84th percentile mobility | |
| #17 | $51,450 | $22,934 | Manageable | $14,224 | Challenging | 79th percentile mobility | |
| #18 | $50,923 | $18,000 | Good | $11,916 | Challenging | 97th percentile mobility | |
| #19 | $50,741 | $19,500 | Good | $12,719 | Manageable | 80th percentile mobility | |
| #20 | $50,296 | $20,500 | Manageable | $15,265 | Challenging | 89th percentile mobility | |
| #21 | Lamar UniversityPublic | $49,652 | $21,250 | Manageable | $11,359 | Challenging | 79th percentile mobility |
| #22 | $49,634 | $23,409 | Manageable | $18,080 | High | 90th percentile mobility | |
| #23 | $49,620 | $12,950 | Excellent | $8,107 | Manageable | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #24 | $48,386 | $15,000 | Manageable | $8,721 | High | 93th percentile mobility | |
| #25 | $45,411 | $27,000 | Challenging | $16,012 | High | 92th 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 →
