Discover 138 Philosophy 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: $67,568.
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 138 Philosophy programs made the cut.
Carnegie Mellon University leads the rankings, producing Philosophy graduates earning $114,862 while maintaining an 84th percentile mobility score. At the top end, graduates earn over $114,000—demonstrating that schools serving low-income students can compete on outcomes, not just access.
University Of California-Berkeley serves 27% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $92,446. The best mobility schools deliver a double win: University Of Pennsylvania graduates face just a 3.2% payment burden, landing in the 'Excellent' category for affordability.
Earnings: $114,862 | Mobility: 84th percentile
27.3% Pell students with $92,446 earnings
3.2% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
10.3% family burden | Good - payment 8-12% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Carnegie Mellon UniversityPrivate | $114,862 | $21,750 | Good | $37,130 | High | 84th percentile mobility |
| #2 | University Of PennsylvaniaPrivate | $111,371 | $15,715 | Excellent | $33,124 | Good | 88th percentile mobility |
| #3 | Cornell UniversityPrivate | $104,043 | $14,000 | Manageable | $38,000 | High | 94th percentile mobility |
| #4 | Boston CollegePrivate | $103,937 | $19,000 | Good | $45,000 | High | 86th percentile mobility |
| #5 | Georgetown UniversityPrivate | $103,494 | $15,500 | Manageable | $33,944 | High | 84th percentile mobility |
| #6 | $102,491 | $21,500 | High | $35,000 | High | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | University Of Notre DamePrivate | $99,980 | $19,000 | Excellent | $40,731 | Challenging | 87th percentile mobility |
| #8 | $92,498 | $18,000 | Excellent | $31,803 | Good | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | $92,446 | $13,000 | Excellent | $28,508 | Challenging | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #10 | University Of ChicagoPrivate | $91,885 | $15,000 | Excellent | $33,297 | Challenging | 87th percentile mobility |
| #11 | Vanderbilt UniversityPrivate | $91,565 | $14,000 | Excellent | $30,844 | Good | 86th percentile mobility |
| #12 | College Of The Holy CrossPrivate | $90,543 | $27,000 | Challenging | $39,032 | High | 83th percentile mobility |
| #13 | University Of San FranciscoPrivate | $89,812 | $23,000 | Manageable | $44,413 | High | 76th percentile mobility |
| #14 | Northwestern UniversityPrivate | $89,363 | $15,000 | Challenging | $26,966 | High | 90th percentile mobility |
| #15 | $86,863 | $17,500 | Excellent | $28,903 | Manageable | 93th percentile mobility | |
| #16 | Fordham UniversityPrivate | $85,569 | $24,300 | Excellent | $37,095 | Manageable | 76th percentile mobility |
| #17 | $84,943 | $15,500 | High | $24,257 | High | 100th percentile mobility | |
| #18 | $83,648 | $19,500 | Excellent | $30,250 | Challenging | 97th percentile mobility | |
| #19 | Boston UniversityPrivate | $83,238 | $23,250 | Manageable | $39,000 | High | 91th percentile mobility |
| #20 | Tufts UniversityPrivate | $83,214 | $16,250 | High | $38,325 | High | 83th percentile mobility |
| #21 | $82,860 | $19,000 | Excellent | $35,200 | Challenging | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #22 | $82,511 | $14,000 | Good | $26,176 | High | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #23 | New York UniversityPrivate | $82,509 | $20,500 | High | $64,795 | High | 94th percentile mobility |
| #24 | $81,698 | $21,500 | Good | $35,325 | High | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #25 | $81,054 | $19,500 | Manageable | $34,511 | High | 98th 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 →
