Data based on 2024-2025 Dept of Education reporting standards.Our methodology

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Best Parks & Recreation Colleges for Social Mobility in the Midwest (2025)

52 Parks & Recreation colleges in the Midwest with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $58,586.

📊 Schools must be in the 60th percentile or above for social mobility, then ranked by graduate earnings.

Average Graduate Earnings: $58,586

All 52 Schools

Rank	School	Graduate Earnings	Student Debt	Student GPS	Parent Debt	Parent GPS	Mobility
#51	Northern Michigan UniversityPublic	$47,107	$21,474	High	$17,287	High	73th percentile mobility
#52	Kent State University At KentPublic	$45,388	$24,500	Challenging	$21,394	High	87th percentile mobility

#51Northern Michigan University

Marquette, MI • Public

💰

$47,107Graduate Earnings

🎓73th percentile mobility

Cohort

$21,474

Student Debt

$17,287

Parent Debt

GPS Affordability(What's this?)

70.8% burden

136.3% burden

📚

27.4%

Pell Share

👨‍👩‍👧

28.5%

First-Gen

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#52Kent State University At Kent

Kent, OH • Public

💰

$45,388Graduate Earnings

🎓87th percentile mobility

156

Cohort

$24,500

Student Debt

$21,394

Parent Debt

GPS Affordability(What's this?)

16.4% burden

32.8% burden

📚

27.4%

Pell Share

👨‍👩‍👧

35.9%

First-Gen

📊30% pursue grad school

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Showing 51–52 of 52 schools

How These Rankings Work

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.

Two-Step Methodology

Filter for Accessibility: Schools must be in the 60th percentile or above for our mobility index. This filters out schools that don't meaningfully serve low-income students.

Rank by Outcomes: Among schools passing the filter, we rank by median graduate earnings. This surfaces schools with strong outcomes, not just high accessibility.

Mobility Index Components

• Pell Grant share: % of students receiving federal Pell Grants (proxy for low-income)
• First-generation share: % of first-generation college students
• Earnings mobility: How much graduates earn relative to their starting economic position

Important Caveats

• The 60th percentile threshold is a design choice — schools at 59th percentile are excluded
• Mobility index weights may not reflect every user's priorities
• Schools serving middle-income students well may be underrepresented
• Higher earnings doesn't always mean better outcomes (teaching, social work have high value but lower salaries)

Read our full methodology →

Data based on 2024-2025 Dept of Education reporting standards. Learn about our methodology →