14 Social Sciences colleges in Georgia with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $57,136.
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 14 Social Sciences programs made the cut.
Georgia Institute Of Technology-Main Campus leads the rankings, producing Social Sciences graduates earning $102,772 while maintaining a 92nd percentile mobility score. The earnings range spans from $40,674 to $102,772, proving that schools serving low-income students can deliver elite-level outcomes.
Clayton State University serves 52% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $49,179. Meanwhile, Emory University demonstrates the double win: 88th percentile mobility with just a 6.7% payment burden, landing in the 'Excellent' affordability category.
Earnings: $102,772 | Mobility: 92nd percentile
51.9% Pell students with $49,179 earnings
6.7% payment burden | Excellent
17.1% family burden | Manageable
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | $102,772 | $21,672 | Excellent | $32,216 | Manageable | 92th percentile mobility | |
| #2 | Emory UniversityPrivate | $80,137 | $18,250 | Excellent | $30,480 | Good | 87th percentile mobility |
| #3 | University Of GeorgiaPublic | $68,726 | $18,500 | Excellent | $20,855 | Manageable | 94th percentile mobility |
| #4 | $58,140 | $22,250 | Excellent | $15,753 | Manageable | 71th percentile mobility | |
| #5 | $57,552 | $23,833 | Good | $19,000 | Manageable | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #6 | $53,236 | $23,250 | Good | $16,000 | Manageable | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | $50,135 | $17,750 | Excellent | $12,100 | Good | 85th percentile mobility | |
| #8 | $49,587 | $23,970 | Good | $15,047 | Challenging | 86th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | $49,361 | $24,779 | Manageable | $19,136 | High | 81th percentile mobility | |
| #10 | Clayton State UniversityPublic | $49,179 | $25,706 | Good | $12,973 | Manageable | 77th percentile mobility |
| #11 | Augusta UniversityPublic | $48,472 | $20,500 | Excellent | $15,568 | Manageable | 85th percentile mobility |
| #12 | Georgia State UniversityPublic | $47,384 | $20,903 | Good | $14,837 | Manageable | 98th percentile mobility |
| #13 | $44,544 | $26,000 | Good | $13,815 | Manageable | 60th percentile mobility | |
| #14 | Albany State UniversityPublic | $40,674 | — | — | — | — | 77th 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 →
