27 Social Sciences colleges in Texas with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $57,590.
These 27 Social Sciences 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.
Rice University leads the rankings, producing Social Sciences graduates earning $89,718 while maintaining a 78th percentile mobility score. At $75,121 in median earnings, The University Of Texas At Austin follows with a perfect 100th percentile mobility rating, serving 25% Pell students with exceptional outcomes.
University Of Houston-Clear Lake serves 44% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $59,004. Even better: graduates face just a 4.7% payment burden, landing in the 'Excellent' category. These schools deliver both access AND affordability.
Earnings: $89,718 | Mobility: 78th percentile
44% Pell students with $59,004 earnings
4.9% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
15.1% family burden | Manageable - payment 12-18% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Rice UniversityPrivate | $89,718 | $11,000 | Excellent | $35,338 | Manageable | 78th percentile mobility |
| #2 | $75,121 | $20,500 | Excellent | $26,632 | Challenging | 100th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | $72,097 | $17,804 | Excellent | $32,258 | Challenging | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #4 | Texas Christian UniversityPrivate | $68,424 | $21,500 | Excellent | $54,925 | High | 73th percentile mobility |
| #5 | $68,227 | $18,000 | Excellent | $21,495 | Manageable | 97th percentile mobility | |
| #6 | $63,199 | $17,527 | Good | $12,313 | Manageable | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | Texas Tech UniversityPublic | $62,454 | $21,500 | Good | $23,443 | Challenging | 97th percentile mobility |
| #8 | University Of HoustonPublic | $62,377 | $18,194 | Good | $18,072 | Manageable | 99th percentile mobility |
| #9 | $59,004 | $17,831 | Excellent | $14,731 | Manageable | 92th percentile mobility | |
| #10 | $57,131 | $20,500 | Good | $13,859 | Challenging | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #11 | $57,053 | $17,137 | Manageable | $15,463 | High | 86th percentile mobility | |
| #12 | $57,010 | $19,250 | Good | $23,211 | Challenging | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #13 | Texas State UniversityPublic | $56,906 | $21,000 | Challenging | $22,500 | High | 99th percentile mobility |
| #14 | Texas Woman's UniversityPublic | $56,544 | $19,218 | Manageable | $13,471 | High | 92th percentile mobility |
| #15 | $55,747 | $21,030 | Manageable | $19,367 | High | 77th percentile mobility | |
| #16 | $54,211 | $21,983 | Manageable | $19,433 | High | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #17 | $53,551 | $18,750 | Manageable | $10,000 | Challenging | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #18 | $51,865 | $23,000 | High | $25,348 | High | 84th percentile mobility | |
| #19 | $51,450 | $22,934 | Manageable | $14,224 | High | 79th percentile mobility | |
| #20 | $50,923 | $18,000 | Manageable | $11,916 | High | 97th percentile mobility | |
| #21 | $50,296 | $20,500 | Challenging | $15,265 | High | 89th percentile mobility | |
| #22 | Lamar UniversityPublic | $49,652 | $21,250 | Challenging | $11,359 | High | 79th percentile mobility |
| #23 | $49,634 | $23,409 | Challenging | $18,080 | High | 90th percentile mobility | |
| #24 | $49,620 | $12,950 | Good | $8,107 | Challenging | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #25 | $48,386 | $15,000 | Manageable | $8,721 | Challenging | 93th 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 →
