Discover 425 Social Sciences colleges that excel at moving low-income students to success. Schools must be in the 60th percentile+ for mobility, ranked by graduate earnings. Average earnings: $63,915.
These 403 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.
Massachusetts Institute Of Technology leads the rankings, producing Social Sciences graduates earning $143,372 while maintaining a 73rd percentile mobility score. With a 19% Pell share and 26% first-generation students, MIT proves that serving low-income students and delivering exceptional outcomes aren't mutually exclusive.
Stanford University serves 19% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while still producing graduates earning $124,080. Even better: graduates face just a 2.3% payment burden, landing in the 'Excellent' category. These schools deliver both access AND affordability.
Earnings: $143,372 | Mobility: 73rd percentile
19.2% Pell students with $124,080 earnings
2.3% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
9.9% family burden | Good - payment 8-12% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | $143,372 | — | — | — | — | 71th percentile mobility | |
| #2 | Stanford UniversityPrivate | $124,080 | $12,000 | Excellent | $38,333 | Good | 90th percentile mobility |
| #3 | Carnegie Mellon UniversityPrivate | $114,862 | $21,750 | Excellent | $37,130 | Excellent | 83th percentile mobility |
| #4 | University Of PennsylvaniaPrivate | $111,371 | $15,715 | Excellent | $33,124 | Manageable | 88th percentile mobility |
| #5 | Princeton UniversityPrivate | $110,066 | $10,320 | Excellent | $41,000 | Good | 75th percentile mobility |
| #6 | Santa Clara UniversityPrivate | $109,183 | $19,162 | Excellent | $56,271 | Good | 74th percentile mobility |
| #7 | Lehigh UniversityPrivate | $105,584 | $21,960 | Excellent | $42,245 | Manageable | 79th percentile mobility |
| #8 | Claremont Mckenna CollegePrivate | $104,736 | $13,500 | Excellent | $52,129 | Manageable | 62th percentile mobility |
| #9 | Cornell UniversityPrivate | $104,043 | $14,000 | Excellent | $38,000 | Good | 93th percentile mobility |
| #10 | Boston CollegePrivate | $103,937 | $19,000 | Excellent | $45,000 | Good | 82th percentile mobility |
| #11 | Georgetown UniversityPrivate | $103,494 | $15,500 | Excellent | $33,944 | Manageable | 83th percentile mobility |
| #12 | $102,772 | $21,672 | Excellent | $32,216 | Manageable | 92th percentile mobility | |
| #13 | $102,491 | $21,500 | Excellent | $35,000 | Good | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #14 | $102,051 | — | — | — | — | 77th percentile mobility | |
| #15 | Harvard UniversityPrivate | $101,817 | $14,000 | Excellent | $28,000 | Good | 90th percentile mobility |
| #16 | Yale UniversityPrivate | $100,533 | $12,975 | Excellent | $29,769 | Good | 81th percentile mobility |
| #17 | Villanova UniversityPrivate | $100,423 | $25,874 | Excellent | $40,000 | Manageable | 72th percentile mobility |
| #18 | University Of Notre DamePrivate | $99,980 | $19,000 | Excellent | $40,731 | Good | 87th percentile mobility |
| #19 | Duke UniversityPrivate | $97,800 | $13,000 | Excellent | $27,998 | Good | 84th percentile mobility |
| #20 | Dartmouth CollegePrivate | $97,434 | $17,500 | Excellent | $44,481 | Challenging | 77th percentile mobility |
| #21 | $94,810 | $19,500 | Excellent | $38,000 | Good | 62th percentile mobility | |
| #22 | Bucknell UniversityPrivate | $93,807 | $27,000 | Excellent | $62,750 | Challenging | 72th percentile mobility |
| #23 | Brown UniversityPrivate | $93,487 | $11,428 | Excellent | $48,245 | Manageable | 83th percentile mobility |
| #24 | Northeastern UniversityPrivate | $92,538 | $24,250 | Excellent | $34,984 | Manageable | 60th percentile mobility |
| #25 | $92,498 | $18,000 | Excellent | $31,803 | Manageable | 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 May 2026 refresh for 2026 rankings, based on Department of Education reporting standards. Learn about our methodology →
