52 Parks & Recreation colleges in the Midwest with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $58,586.
Top Parks & Recreation graduates on this list earn over $83,648—and these schools actually serve the students who need them most. With mobility scores at the 60th percentile or above, these 52 programs deliver both access and results.
University Of Michigan-Ann Arbor leads the rankings, producing Parks & Recreation graduates earning $83,648 while maintaining a 97th percentile mobility score. University Of Illinois Urbana-Champaign follows at $81,054 with an even stronger 98th percentile mobility rating—proving schools serving low-income students can compete on outcomes.
University Of Illinois Chicago serves 50% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $68,740. The best mobility schools deliver a double win: University Of Michigan-Ann Arbor achieves 97th percentile mobility with just a 6% payment burden, meaning graduates keep more of their earnings.
Earnings: $83,648 | Mobility: 97th percentile
49.6% Pell students with $68,740 earnings
5.8% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
16.1% family burden | Manageable - payment 12-18% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | $83,648 | $19,500 | Excellent | $30,250 | Manageable | 97th percentile mobility | |
| #2 | $81,054 | $19,500 | Excellent | $34,511 | Challenging | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | $78,198 | $24,990 | Good | $29,300 | High | 82th percentile mobility | |
| #4 | $73,792 | $20,484 | Excellent | $28,364 | Challenging | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #5 | $72,424 | $19,500 | Good | $29,448 | Challenging | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #6 | $69,020 | $19,500 | Manageable | $25,729 | High | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | $68,740 | $16,704 | Excellent | $24,323 | Challenging | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #8 | $67,253 | $23,250 | Good | $37,401 | High | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | University Of IowaPublic | $64,762 | $22,500 | Good | $27,975 | High | 92th percentile mobility |
| #10 | $63,742 | $19,509 | Good | $32,850 | High | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #11 | $63,552 | $22,057 | Manageable | $14,269 | Challenging | 77th percentile mobility | |
| #12 | $63,403 | $20,500 | Good | $32,529 | High | 93th percentile mobility | |
| #13 | Iowa State UniversityPublic | $63,386 | $22,869 | Good | $25,950 | Challenging | 92th percentile mobility |
| #14 | $62,616 | $22,024 | Good | $22,127 | Challenging | 81th percentile mobility | |
| #15 | $62,203 | $23,199 | Manageable | $14,621 | Challenging | 82th percentile mobility | |
| #16 | $62,117 | $20,482 | Excellent | $28,767 | Challenging | 94th percentile mobility | |
| #17 | University Of KansasPublic | $61,945 | $21,000 | Good | $32,347 | Challenging | 90th percentile mobility |
| #18 | $61,760 | $21,977 | Manageable | $15,000 | Challenging | 77th percentile mobility | |
| #19 | $60,409 | $19,976 | Good | $25,868 | High | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #20 | $60,378 | $22,500 | Manageable | $16,958 | High | 85th percentile mobility | |
| #21 | $58,561 | $20,909 | Manageable | $12,452 | Challenging | 83th percentile mobility | |
| #22 | Winona State UniversityPublic | $58,532 | $21,500 | Good | $19,316 | Challenging | 76th percentile mobility |
| #23 | $57,808 | $22,162 | Manageable | $19,508 | High | 92th percentile mobility | |
| #24 | Kansas State UniversityPublic | $57,262 | $21,250 | Challenging | $27,283 | High | 81th percentile mobility |
| #25 | $56,922 | $21,106 | Good | $13,695 | Challenging | 74th 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 →
