Of the 270 institutions that made Third Way's "Tier 1" list, making them the most powerful drivers for upward mobility:

69% are public
62% are MSI-designated. Ninety-six are Hispanic-serving institutions, 63 are Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions and eight are HBCUs.
Of the top 10, 100% are public and HSIs, and 50% are AANAPISIs.

The top 10 schools ranked by Third Way's Economic Mobility Index:

Institution Name	Median Earnings 10 Years After Enrollment	Median State Salaries of a High School Graduate	PEP for low-income students	Percent Pell Grant Recipients
California State University-Los Angeles	$58,186	$38,446	0.75	66%
California State University-Dominguez Hills	$55,181	$38,446	0.72	62%
CUNY City College	$64,344	$38,037	0.30	58%
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice	$54,619	$38,037	0.51	58%
CUNY Lehman College	$55,655	$38,037	0.61	58%
California State University-Stanislaus	$62,146	$38,446	0.59	57%
California State University-Fresno	$58,874	$38,446	0.91	58%
Texas A&M International University	$45,780	$35,753	1.66	63%
California State University-Bakersfield	$54,452	$38,446	1.23	59%
California State University-San Bernardino	$58,362	$38,446	1.19	59%

How CUNY, Cal State and Texas help create economic mobility engines

Of the top 25 schools in the Economic Mobility Index, 76% call California, New York and Texas home. Institutions involved in the California State System and City University of New York dominate the list. Aside from intentional policy frameworks, Robinson has found recurring themes among some of the strongest economic drivers in the country:

Student and family buy-in on the opportunities available to them at each college.
Sense of community: Strong alumni base working to create a "communal feel" on campus. A school's strong networking opportunities also help students land jobs right after graduating.
Conscientious financial models: Schools boast data-driven financial models trained to keep costs low for students.

Instant Insights /

These public colleges and MSIs are powerful economic engines

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