18 Philosophy colleges in New York with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $64,232.
These 15 Philosophy programs aren't just accessible—they deliver results. Each school ranks in the 60th percentile or above for social mobility, meaning they actually enroll and graduate low-income students. Then we ranked them by graduate earnings, finding schools that are both accessible AND high-performing.
Cornell University leads the rankings, producing Philosophy graduates earning $104,043 while maintaining a 94th percentile mobility score. Columbia University follows at $102,491 with 91st percentile mobility. Average graduate earnings reach $73,045—demonstrating that schools serving low-income students can compete on outcomes, not just access.
CUNY John Jay College exemplifies the double win: 97th percentile for mobility with just a 5% payment burden, landing in the 'Excellent' category. Meanwhile, Fordham University serves 21% Pell Grant recipients while maintaining strong outcomes and a 7% payment burden. These schools deliver both access AND affordability.
Earnings: $104,043 | Mobility: 94th percentile
60% Pell students with $66,039 earnings
5.2% payment burden | Excellent
13.9% family burden | Manageable
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Cornell UniversityPrivate | $104,043 | — | — | — | — | 93th percentile mobility |
| #2 | $102,491 | $21,500 | Good | $35,000 | Challenging | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | Fordham UniversityPrivate | $85,569 | $24,300 | Excellent | $37,095 | Manageable | 74th percentile mobility |
| #4 | New York UniversityPrivate | $82,509 | $20,500 | Good | $64,795 | High | 93th percentile mobility |
| #5 | Binghamton UniversityPublic | $80,596 | — | — | — | — | 93th percentile mobility |
| #6 | Syracuse UniversityPrivate | $79,164 | — | — | — | — | 82th percentile mobility |
| #7 | Stony Brook UniversityPublic | $74,502 | — | — | — | — | 97th percentile mobility |
| #8 | $69,571 | $25,000 | Good | $54,289 | High | 70th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | University At AlbanyPublic | $67,979 | — | — | — | — | 94th percentile mobility |
| #10 | Cuny City CollegePublic | $66,039 | — | — | — | — | 96th percentile mobility |
| #11 | Cuny Hunter CollegePublic | $63,163 | $11,000 | Excellent | $20,252 | Manageable | 97th percentile mobility |
| #12 | Cuny Brooklyn CollegePublic | $60,752 | $11,000 | Excellent | $17,273 | Good | 95th percentile mobility |
| #13 | Cuny Lehman CollegePublic | $58,013 | $10,950 | Excellent | $11,955 | Manageable | 96th percentile mobility |
| #14 | $56,195 | $11,000 | Excellent | $16,130 | Excellent | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #15 | Suny At Purchase CollegePublic | $45,092 | — | — | — | — | 79th percentile mobility |
| #16 | Talmudical Seminary Of BobovPrivate | $22,432 | — | — | — | — | 62th percentile mobility |
| #17 | $20,707 | — | — | — | — | 62th percentile mobility | |
| #18 | $17,360 | — | — | — | — | 62th 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 →
