15 Public Administration colleges in New York with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $65,639.
These 15 Public Administration 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 Public Administration graduates earning $104,043 while maintaining a 94th percentile mobility score. At the other end, graduates still earn $49,365—demonstrating that schools serving low-income students can compete on outcomes across the entire spectrum.
The best mobility schools deliver a double win: they serve low-income students AND leave them with manageable debt. Cornell University exemplifies this—94th percentile for mobility with just a 2.9% payment burden, meaning graduates keep nearly all of their substantial earnings to build wealth.
Earnings: $104,043 | Mobility: 94th percentile
60.5% Pell students with $58,013 earnings
2.9% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
9.0% family burden | Good - payment 8-12% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Cornell UniversityPrivate | $104,043 | $14,000 | Excellent | $38,000 | Good | 94th percentile mobility |
| #2 | New York UniversityPrivate | $82,509 | $20,500 | Excellent | $64,795 | High | 94th percentile mobility |
| #3 | Syracuse UniversityPrivate | $79,164 | $26,000 | Good | $39,841 | High | 82th percentile mobility |
| #4 | $75,971 | $11,512 | Excellent | $20,000 | Manageable | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #5 | Stony Brook UniversityPublic | $74,502 | $18,228 | Excellent | $21,400 | Manageable | 97th percentile mobility |
| #6 | University At AlbanyPublic | $67,979 | $19,500 | Good | $22,398 | Challenging | 94th percentile mobility |
| #7 | Cuny Hunter CollegePublic | $63,163 | $11,000 | Excellent | $20,252 | Challenging | 97th percentile mobility |
| #8 | Cuny Lehman CollegePublic | $58,013 | $10,950 | Excellent | $11,955 | Good | 96th percentile mobility |
| #9 | Cuny York CollegePublic | $56,945 | $11,000 | Excellent | $11,018 | Good | 81th percentile mobility |
| #10 | $56,403 | $21,196 | Manageable | $19,010 | Challenging | 83th percentile mobility | |
| #11 | $56,195 | $11,000 | Excellent | $16,130 | Good | 97th percentile mobility | |
| #12 | Suny BrockportPublic | $54,496 | $20,000 | Manageable | $16,353 | High | 87th percentile mobility |
| #13 | $53,501 | $14,350 | Excellent | $15,568 | Manageable | 92th percentile mobility | |
| #14 | $52,334 | $21,028 | Manageable | $12,951 | Challenging | 86th percentile mobility | |
| #15 | $49,365 | $10,533 | Excellent | $9,563 | Good | 95th 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 →
