22 Physical Sciences colleges in New York with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $71,303.
We started with Physical Sciences programs scoring 60th percentile or above for mobility—schools that actually serve low-income students. Then we ranked by earnings. The result: 19 programs that prove accessibility and strong outcomes aren't mutually exclusive.
Cornell University leads the rankings, producing Physical Sciences graduates earning $104,043 while maintaining a 94th percentile mobility score. Columbia University follows close behind at $102,491 with 91st percentile mobility. These schools demonstrate that serving diverse student bodies doesn't compromise career outcomes.
University At Albany serves 42% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $68,000. The best mobility schools deliver a double win: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute combines 79th percentile mobility with just a 5% payment burden, landing in the 'Excellent' affordability category.
Earnings: $104,043 | Mobility: 94th percentile
42% Pell students with $67,979 earnings
5.0% payment burden | Excellent
13.6% family burden | Manageable
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Cornell UniversityPrivate | $104,043 | $14,000 | Excellent | $38,000 | Manageable | 93th percentile mobility |
| #2 | $102,491 | — | — | — | — | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | $102,051 | $23,750 | Excellent | $52,241 | Challenging | 77th percentile mobility | |
| #4 | New York UniversityPrivate | $82,509 | $20,500 | Excellent | $64,795 | Challenging | 93th percentile mobility |
| #5 | Binghamton UniversityPublic | $80,596 | $18,500 | Excellent | $27,270 | Challenging | 93th percentile mobility |
| #6 | Syracuse UniversityPrivate | $79,164 | $26,000 | Excellent | $39,841 | Challenging | 82th percentile mobility |
| #7 | $76,571 | $26,778 | Excellent | $35,625 | Manageable | 80th percentile mobility | |
| #8 | Stony Brook UniversityPublic | $74,502 | $18,228 | Excellent | $21,400 | Good | 97th percentile mobility |
| #9 | University At BuffaloPublic | $70,814 | $19,000 | Excellent | $20,734 | Manageable | 96th percentile mobility |
| #10 | $69,571 | $25,000 | Good | $54,289 | High | 70th percentile mobility | |
| #11 | University At AlbanyPublic | $67,979 | $19,500 | Excellent | $22,398 | Manageable | 94th percentile mobility |
| #12 | Suny College At GeneseoPublic | $67,316 | $19,500 | Excellent | $22,092 | Good | 79th percentile mobility |
| #13 | Cuny City CollegePublic | $66,039 | — | — | — | — | 96th percentile mobility |
| #14 | Cuny Hunter CollegePublic | $63,163 | $11,000 | Excellent | $20,252 | Manageable | 97th percentile mobility |
| #15 | Cuny Brooklyn CollegePublic | $60,752 | — | — | — | — | 95th percentile mobility |
| #16 | Suny OneontaPublic | $60,386 | $19,812 | Excellent | $24,845 | Manageable | 83th percentile mobility |
| #17 | $60,236 | $21,500 | Excellent | $24,455 | Challenging | 84th percentile mobility | |
| #18 | $58,073 | — | — | — | — | 85th percentile mobility | |
| #19 | Cuny Lehman CollegePublic | $58,013 | $10,950 | Excellent | $11,955 | Good | 96th percentile mobility |
| #20 | $57,566 | $20,880 | Excellent | $19,416 | Manageable | 87th percentile mobility | |
| #21 | Suny BrockportPublic | $54,496 | — | — | — | — | 87th percentile mobility |
| #22 | $52,334 | $21,028 | Excellent | $12,951 | Manageable | 85th 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 →
