28 Social Sciences colleges in Texas with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $57,474.
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 | Excellent | 86th percentile mobility |
| #2 | $78,354 | $19,500 | Excellent | $40,025 | High | 77th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | $75,121 | $20,500 | Excellent | $26,632 | Manageable | 100th percentile mobility | |
| #4 | $72,097 | $17,804 | Excellent | $32,258 | Manageable | 100th percentile mobility | |
| #5 | Texas Christian UniversityPrivate | $68,424 | $21,500 | Excellent | $54,925 | Manageable | 82th percentile mobility |
| #6 | $68,227 | $18,000 | Good | $21,495 | Challenging | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | Baylor UniversityPrivate | $65,793 | $23,000 | Good | $50,786 | High | 78th percentile mobility |
| #8 | $63,199 | $17,527 | Excellent | $12,313 | Manageable | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | Texas Tech UniversityPublic | $62,454 | $21,500 | Excellent | $23,443 | Challenging | 98th percentile mobility |
| #10 | University Of HoustonPublic | $62,377 | $18,194 | Excellent | $18,072 | Good | 100th percentile mobility |
| #11 | $59,004 | $17,831 | Good | $14,731 | Manageable | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #12 | $57,131 | $20,500 | Manageable | $13,859 | Challenging | 100th percentile mobility | |
| #13 | $57,053 | $17,137 | Challenging | $15,463 | High | 93th percentile mobility | |
| #14 | $57,010 | $19,250 | Excellent | $23,211 | Challenging | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #15 | Texas State UniversityPublic | $56,906 | $21,000 | Good | $22,500 | Challenging | 100th percentile mobility |
| #16 | Texas Woman's UniversityPublic | $56,544 | $19,218 | Good | $13,471 | Manageable | 96th percentile mobility |
| #17 | $56,073 | $17,750 | Manageable | $13,000 | Challenging | 75th percentile mobility | |
| #18 | $55,747 | $21,030 | Manageable | $19,367 | High | 85th percentile mobility | |
| #19 | $54,211 | $21,983 | Good | $19,433 | Challenging | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #20 | $53,551 | $18,750 | Excellent | $10,000 | Good | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #21 | $51,865 | $23,000 | High | $25,348 | High | 92th percentile mobility | |
| #22 | $51,450 | $22,934 | High | $14,224 | High | 87th percentile mobility | |
| #23 | $50,923 | $18,000 | Challenging | $11,916 | High | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #24 | $50,296 | $20,500 | Manageable | $15,265 | Challenging | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #25 | Angelo State UniversityPublic | $50,116 | $20,000 | Excellent | $15,000 | Excellent | 75th 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 →
