Baruch College Ranks #1 on CollegeNET’s Social Mobility Index for Fifth Consecutive Year

November 22, 2019

Baruch College, part of The City University of New York (CUNY), has been ranked #1 on CollegeNET’s 2019 Social Mobility Index for the fifth straight year.

This ranking, released on Nov. 21, places Baruch College ahead of 1,458 four-year colleges and universities analyzed in its nationwide survey for successfully enrolling low-income students and graduating them into well-paying jobs.

“Baruch’s mission has always been to serve as a gateway to economic opportunity for our students, many of whom come from challenging economic backgrounds,” said Baruch College President Mitchel B. Wallerstein, PhD. “We are honored to have earned the top spot on CollegeNET’s social mobility index for five consecutive years. This distinction is a testament to our incredible, hard-working students, strong faculty and curriculum, comprehensive student support services, and the partnerships we have developed with employers and mentors.”

Overall, six colleges from CUNY placed in the top 30 nationally in CollegeNET’s Index. In addition to Baruch College’s #1 placement: Queens College garnered the #4 spot, Brooklyn College #9, Lehman #14, Hunter #16, and City College #23.

A Commitment to Social Mobility

During President Wallerstein’s decade-long tenure at Baruch, the College significantly expanded a “start-to-finish” program designed to make college accessible and to support low-income students every step of the way—from matriculation to graduation and job placement.

“We serve a student population that is like no other in the United States,” President Wallerstein said. “During my 10 years at Baruch, we have worked to develop, strengthen, and broaden resources that enable our students to succeed in college and later, as professionals. This includes soft-skills training, career advising and resume writing, business etiquette and networking opportunities, and communication coaching for those for whom English is a second language.”

Since President Wallerstein took office in 2010, Baruch’s undergraduate enrollment has grown 14.5 percent, to more than 15,000 students. During this time, the College’s six-year graduation rate has climbed to nearly 70 percent, well above the national rate of 60 percent for private and public colleges combined.

Baruch students and their families represent more than 160 countries and speak over 110 different languages in their homes. Among the 72 percent of the undergraduate student body who filed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in 2017-2018, 65 percent came from households with an annual income of less than $40,000. The average salary for graduating Baruch students in 2017-2018 was $51,000.

Baruch College Earns Top Rankings

CollegeNET’s ranking adds to Baruch’s growing roster of recognition for advancing social mobility among its students under President Wallerstein’s leadership.

• In 2018, Baruch College ranked #1 for social mobility among four-year public institutions, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. The Chronicle’s list was drawn from a groundbreaking study of colleges’ impact on social mobility by a team led by Harvard economics professor Raj Chetty (formerly of Stanford University). The team’s 2017 study, “Mobility Report Cards: The Role of Colleges in Intergenerational Mobility,” tracked students from nearly every U.S. college, measured their subsequent earnings against millions of anonymous tax filings and financial aid records.
• In 2019:
  • #1: Forbes’ “America’s Best Value Colleges 2019,” among public institutions in the Northeast
  • #2: U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Regional Universities-North”
  • #2: Money’s “Best Colleges in America”

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