Discover 220 Social Work 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: $56,349.
We started with Social Work programs scoring 60th percentile or above for mobility—schools that actually serve low-income students. Then we ranked by earnings. The result: 217 programs that prove accessibility and strong outcomes aren't mutually exclusive.
At $92,446 in median earnings, University Of California-Berkeley tops this list of mobility-focused programs while maintaining a 99th percentile mobility score. New York University follows at $82,509, with University Of Illinois Urbana-Champaign at $81,054—all proving schools serving low-income students can compete on outcomes.
Stony Brook University serves 38% Pell Grant recipients—students from families earning under $60,000—while producing graduates earning $74,502. The best mobility schools deliver a double win: University Of California-Berkeley achieves 99th percentile mobility with just a 5% payment burden, landing in the 'Excellent' affordability category.
Earnings: $92,446 | Mobility: 99th percentile
38% Pell students with $74,502 earnings
5% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
15% family burden | Manageable - payment 12-18% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | $92,446 | $13,000 | Excellent | $28,508 | Manageable | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #2 | Providence CollegePrivate | $87,054 | $27,000 | Excellent | $46,300 | Challenging | 61th percentile mobility |
| #3 | Fordham UniversityPrivate | $85,569 | $24,300 | Excellent | $37,095 | Challenging | 74th percentile mobility |
| #4 | New York UniversityPrivate | $82,509 | $20,500 | Excellent | $64,795 | High | 93th percentile mobility |
| #5 | $81,054 | $19,500 | Excellent | $34,511 | Challenging | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #6 | Syracuse UniversityPrivate | $79,164 | $26,000 | Excellent | $39,841 | Manageable | 82th percentile mobility |
| #7 | $78,988 | — | — | — | — | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #8 | $78,466 | $14,615 | Excellent | $24,883 | Manageable | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | Marquette UniversityPrivate | $78,257 | — | — | — | — | 79th percentile mobility |
| #10 | George Mason UniversityPublic | $76,343 | $19,500 | Excellent | $25,142 | Manageable | 98th percentile mobility |
| #11 | Adelphi UniversityPrivate | $75,482 | $25,000 | Excellent | $48,005 | High | 61th percentile mobility |
| #12 | $75,121 | $20,500 | Excellent | $26,632 | Challenging | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #13 | Stony Brook UniversityPublic | $74,502 | $18,228 | Excellent | $21,400 | Manageable | 97th percentile mobility |
| #14 | $74,479 | $21,500 | Excellent | $25,294 | Manageable | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #15 | $73,792 | $20,484 | Good | $28,364 | Challenging | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #16 | Loyola University ChicagoPrivate | $71,530 | $24,157 | Good | $54,045 | High | 76th percentile mobility |
| #17 | Seton Hall UniversityPrivate | $70,196 | $22,750 | Excellent | $40,003 | Challenging | 74th percentile mobility |
| #18 | $69,960 | $19,500 | Excellent | $26,987 | Challenging | 89th percentile mobility | |
| #19 | James Madison UniversityPublic | $69,954 | $20,093 | Excellent | $37,285 | Manageable | 93th percentile mobility |
| #20 | $68,758 | $20,121 | Good | $23,000 | Challenging | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #21 | University Of GeorgiaPublic | $68,726 | $18,500 | Good | $20,855 | Challenging | 94th percentile mobility |
| #22 | Texas Christian UniversityPrivate | $68,424 | $21,500 | Excellent | $54,925 | High | 76th percentile mobility |
| #23 | $68,077 | $15,371 | Excellent | $19,732 | Good | 97th percentile mobility | |
| #24 | University At AlbanyPublic | $67,979 | $19,500 | Excellent | $22,398 | Manageable | 94th percentile mobility |
| #25 | $67,541 | $21,000 | Good | $27,655 | Challenging | 82th 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 →
