112 Public Administration colleges in the South with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $55,866.
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 112 Public Administration programs made the cut.
Georgia Institute Of Technology-Main Campus tops this list of mobility-focused programs, with Public Administration graduates earning $103,000 while maintaining a 92nd percentile mobility score. The earnings spread from $64,000 to $103,000 demonstrates that schools serving low-income students can compete on outcomes.
George Mason University serves 30% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $76,000. The best mobility schools deliver a double win: Duke University ranks 84th percentile for mobility with just a 2.4% payment burden, meaning graduates keep most of their earnings.
Earnings: $102,772 | Mobility: 92nd percentile
29.5% Pell students with $76,343 earnings
2.4% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
8.3% family burden | Good - payment 8-12% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | $102,772 | $21,672 | Good | $32,216 | High | 92th percentile mobility | |
| #2 | Duke UniversityPrivate | $97,800 | $13,000 | Excellent | $27,998 | Good | 84th percentile mobility |
| #3 | Vanderbilt UniversityPrivate | $91,565 | $14,000 | Excellent | $30,844 | Challenging | 86th percentile mobility |
| #4 | George Washington UniversityPrivate | $90,873 | $20,449 | Excellent | $30,881 | Manageable | 79th percentile mobility |
| #5 | Rice UniversityPrivate | $89,718 | $11,000 | Excellent | $35,338 | Challenging | 78th percentile mobility |
| #6 | $82,860 | $19,000 | Good | $35,200 | High | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | $81,698 | $21,500 | Good | $35,325 | High | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #8 | George Mason UniversityPublic | $76,343 | $19,500 | Good | $25,142 | Challenging | 98th percentile mobility |
| #9 | $75,121 | $20,500 | Good | $26,632 | High | 100th percentile mobility | |
| #10 | William & MaryPublic | $73,490 | $18,500 | Good | $30,326 | Challenging | 85th percentile mobility |
| #11 | University Of DelawarePublic | $72,950 | $24,572 | Good | $43,000 | High | 90th percentile mobility |
| #12 | $72,200 | $14,000 | Excellent | $25,072 | Manageable | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #13 | $69,960 | $19,500 | Good | $26,987 | Challenging | 90th percentile mobility | |
| #14 | James Madison UniversityPublic | $69,954 | $20,093 | Good | $37,285 | High | 93th percentile mobility |
| #15 | $68,758 | $20,121 | Manageable | $23,000 | High | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #16 | University Of GeorgiaPublic | $68,726 | $18,500 | Manageable | $20,855 | High | 95th percentile mobility |
| #17 | Texas Christian UniversityPrivate | $68,424 | $21,500 | Good | $54,925 | High | 78th percentile mobility |
| #18 | $68,227 | $18,000 | Good | $21,495 | Challenging | 97th percentile mobility | |
| #19 | Auburn UniversityPublic | $65,337 | $21,000 | Good | $43,605 | High | 89th percentile mobility |
| #20 | Towson UniversityPublic | $64,390 | $18,718 | Good | $28,489 | High | 95th percentile mobility |
| #21 | $63,199 | $17,527 | Good | $12,313 | Challenging | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #22 | $63,126 | $20,654 | Manageable | $31,890 | High | 93th percentile mobility | |
| #23 | Texas Tech UniversityPublic | $62,454 | $21,500 | Manageable | $23,443 | High | 97th percentile mobility |
| #24 | $62,177 | $21,500 | Manageable | $31,393 | High | 94th percentile mobility | |
| #25 | Florida State UniversityPublic | $61,675 | $18,000 | Good | $17,000 | Challenging | 97th 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 →
