Discover 35 Transportation 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: $58,620.
These 35 Transportation 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.
Suny Maritime College leads the rankings, producing Transportation graduates earning $95,951 while maintaining a 76th percentile mobility score. At the other end, graduates still earn $55,486—demonstrating that schools serving low-income students can compete on outcomes across the entire earnings spectrum.
San Jose State University exemplifies this double win: serving 35% Pell Grant recipients and 49% first-generation students while graduates earn $78,988. Even better, graduates face just a 4.1% payment burden, landing in the 'Excellent' affordability category. These schools deliver both access AND manageable debt.
Earnings: $95,951 | Mobility: 76th percentile
35.8% Pell students with $69,781 earnings
3.1% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
6.0% family burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Suny Maritime CollegePublic | $95,951 | $23,250 | Excellent | $38,700 | Manageable | 76th percentile mobility |
| #2 | $82,392 | $25,000 | Excellent | $38,678 | Good | 87th percentile mobility | |
| #3 | $78,988 | $15,000 | Excellent | $20,820 | Good | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #4 | $72,424 | $19,500 | Excellent | $29,448 | Manageable | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #5 | $72,097 | $17,804 | Excellent | $32,258 | Good | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #6 | $69,781 | $14,718 | Excellent | $18,349 | Manageable | 94th percentile mobility | |
| #7 | Auburn UniversityPublic | $65,337 | $21,000 | Challenging | $43,605 | High | 89th percentile mobility |
| #8 | $63,552 | $22,057 | Excellent | $14,269 | Good | 77th percentile mobility | |
| #9 | $63,126 | $20,654 | Manageable | $31,890 | High | 93th percentile mobility | |
| #10 | $62,668 | $19,500 | Excellent | $23,519 | Manageable | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #11 | $61,580 | $19,500 | Excellent | $22,000 | Manageable | 89th percentile mobility | |
| #12 | $61,504 | $26,063 | Manageable | $31,387 | High | 75th percentile mobility | |
| #13 | $60,409 | $19,976 | Excellent | $25,868 | Manageable | 96th percentile mobility | |
| #14 | $57,466 | $24,286 | Good | $18,070 | Manageable | 89th percentile mobility | |
| #15 | $57,413 | $20,500 | Challenging | $38,513 | High | 93th percentile mobility | |
| #16 | Kansas State UniversityPublic | $57,262 | $21,250 | Excellent | $27,283 | Challenging | 81th percentile mobility |
| #17 | $57,010 | $19,250 | Excellent | $23,211 | Manageable | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #18 | Cuny York CollegePublic | $56,945 | $11,000 | Manageable | $11,018 | High | 81th percentile mobility |
| #19 | $56,922 | $21,106 | Excellent | $13,695 | Good | 74th percentile mobility | |
| #20 | Utah Valley UniversityPublic | $55,486 | $14,750 | Excellent | $9,582 | Excellent | 94th percentile mobility |
| #21 | Utah State UniversityPublic | $54,022 | $14,340 | Manageable | $13,923 | High | 93th percentile mobility |
| #22 | $53,909 | $19,000 | Excellent | $15,945 | Good | 86th percentile mobility | |
| #23 | $53,562 | $26,188 | Good | $22,488 | Manageable | 82th percentile mobility | |
| #24 | $53,390 | $21,543 | Excellent | $19,500 | Manageable | 88th percentile mobility | |
| #25 | $52,581 | $21,056 | Excellent | $23,508 | Manageable | 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 →
