36 Psychology colleges in New York with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $68,588.
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 36 Psychology programs made the cut.
Cornell University leads the rankings, producing Psychology graduates earning $104,043 while maintaining a 94th percentile mobility score. Columbia University follows at $102,491 with 91st percentile mobility. These outcomes prove that schools serving low-income students can compete at the highest levels.
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College serves 55% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $75,971. Even better: graduates face just a 7% payment burden, landing in the 'Excellent' category. Access AND affordability delivered.
Earnings: $104,043 | Mobility: 94th percentile
55% Pell students with $75,971 earnings
5% payment burden | Excellent
17% 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 | Challenging | 94th percentile mobility |
| #2 | $102,491 | $21,500 | Good | $35,000 | Challenging | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | $102,051 | $23,750 | High | $52,241 | High | 79th percentile mobility | |
| #4 | Fordham UniversityPrivate | $85,569 | $24,300 | Good | $37,095 | High | 76th percentile mobility |
| #5 | New York UniversityPrivate | $82,509 | $20,500 | Challenging | $64,795 | High | 94th percentile mobility |
| #6 | Binghamton UniversityPublic | $80,596 | $18,500 | Excellent | $27,270 | Challenging | 94th percentile mobility |
| #7 | Syracuse UniversityPrivate | $79,164 | $26,000 | Good | $39,841 | High | 82th percentile mobility |
| #8 | University Of RochesterPrivate | $79,042 | $21,000 | Excellent | $30,000 | Manageable | 82th percentile mobility |
| #9 | $76,571 | $26,778 | Manageable | $35,625 | High | 81th percentile mobility | |
| #10 | $75,971 | $11,512 | Excellent | $20,000 | Manageable | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #11 | Stony Brook UniversityPublic | $74,502 | $18,228 | Good | $21,400 | Challenging | 97th percentile mobility |
| #12 | University At BuffaloPublic | $70,814 | $19,000 | Good | $20,734 | High | 97th percentile mobility |
| #13 | Pace UniversityPrivate | $70,378 | $23,250 | Good | $46,275 | High | 73th percentile mobility |
| #14 | $69,781 | $14,718 | Excellent | $18,349 | Challenging | 94th percentile mobility | |
| #15 | $69,571 | $25,000 | Manageable | $54,289 | High | 73th percentile mobility | |
| #16 | University At AlbanyPublic | $67,979 | $19,500 | Good | $22,398 | Challenging | 94th percentile mobility |
| #17 | Suny College At GeneseoPublic | $67,316 | $19,500 | Good | $22,092 | Challenging | 80th percentile mobility |
| #18 | Cuny City CollegePublic | $66,039 | $11,990 | Excellent | $17,460 | Manageable | 96th percentile mobility |
| #19 | $65,991 | $12,584 | Good | $16,107 | Challenging | 76th percentile mobility | |
| #20 | $64,355 | $17,250 | Manageable | $18,928 | High | 76th percentile mobility | |
| #21 | Cuny Hunter CollegePublic | $63,163 | $11,000 | Excellent | $20,252 | Manageable | 97th percentile mobility |
| #22 | Cuny Queens CollegePublic | $62,763 | $10,298 | Excellent | $17,680 | Manageable | 94th percentile mobility |
| #23 | Cuny Brooklyn CollegePublic | $60,752 | $11,000 | Excellent | $17,273 | Challenging | 96th percentile mobility |
| #24 | Suny OneontaPublic | $60,386 | $19,812 | Good | $24,845 | High | 84th percentile mobility |
| #25 | $60,236 | $21,500 | Good | $24,455 | High | 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 2024-2025 Dept of Education reporting standards. Learn about our methodology →
