36 Teacher Education colleges in the West with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $60,306.
We started with Teacher Education programs scoring 60th percentile or above for mobility—schools that actually serve low-income students. Then we ranked by earnings. The result: 39 programs that prove accessibility and strong outcomes aren't mutually exclusive.
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo leads the rankings, producing Teacher Education graduates earning $90,768 while maintaining a 95th percentile mobility score. At the top of this list, earnings reach nearly $91,000—demonstrating that schools serving low-income students can compete on outcomes, not just access.
The best mobility schools deliver a double win: they serve low-income students AND leave them with manageable debt. Western Washington University exemplifies this—86th percentile for mobility with just a 7% payment burden, meaning graduates keep more of their earnings in the 'Excellent' affordability category.
Earnings: $90,768 | Mobility: 95th percentile
55% Pell students with $63,188 earnings
7% payment burden | Excellent
17% family burden | Manageable
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | $90,768 | $18,500 | Excellent | $35,000 | Challenging | 94th percentile mobility | |
| #2 | $78,466 | $14,615 | Excellent | $24,883 | Manageable | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | University Of The PacificPrivate | $78,445 | $19,500 | Excellent | $50,438 | Challenging | 70th percentile mobility |
| #4 | Brigham Young UniversityPrivate | $75,790 | $11,069 | Excellent | $9,699 | Good | 98th percentile mobility |
| #5 | $68,905 | $19,500 | Excellent | $29,968 | Challenging | 92th percentile mobility | |
| #6 | $68,077 | $15,371 | Excellent | $19,732 | Manageable | 97th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | University Of UtahPublic | $67,170 | $19,000 | Excellent | $18,886 | Manageable | 94th percentile mobility |
| #8 | $64,909 | $15,000 | Excellent | $25,565 | Challenging | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | $63,188 | $13,540 | Good | $12,700 | Manageable | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #10 | $62,951 | — | — | — | — | 100th percentile mobility | |
| #11 | $62,908 | $17,350 | Good | $18,031 | Challenging | 97th percentile mobility | |
| #12 | $62,668 | $19,500 | Good | $23,519 | Challenging | 100th percentile mobility | |
| #13 | $62,569 | $18,500 | Excellent | $23,123 | Manageable | 84th percentile mobility | |
| #14 | $61,580 | $19,500 | Excellent | $22,000 | Manageable | 87th percentile mobility | |
| #15 | $61,504 | $26,063 | Challenging | $31,387 | High | 73th percentile mobility | |
| #16 | $61,244 | $14,505 | Good | $12,050 | Manageable | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #17 | $60,614 | $18,922 | Excellent | $26,150 | Challenging | 88th percentile mobility | |
| #18 | $60,543 | — | — | — | — | 93th percentile mobility | |
| #19 | University Of ArizonaPublic | $59,979 | $19,620 | Good | $30,126 | High | 97th percentile mobility |
| #20 | $59,211 | $13,000 | Excellent | $12,526 | Manageable | 100th percentile mobility | |
| #21 | $57,897 | $19,500 | Good | $17,148 | Manageable | 86th percentile mobility | |
| #22 | $57,624 | $18,500 | Excellent | $30,988 | Challenging | 91th percentile mobility | |
| #23 | $57,162 | $13,807 | Good | $11,061 | Manageable | 97th percentile mobility | |
| #24 | University Of WyomingPublic | $56,880 | $18,000 | Good | $16,000 | Manageable | 80th percentile mobility |
| #25 | $55,037 | $19,450 | Excellent | $20,906 | Manageable | 96th 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 →
