College Track: 2020 Social Mobility Report 2020 Social Mobility Report | Page 11

Our college graduates achieve high levels of social mobility 4
Similar to graduates from all socioeconomic backgrounds, it can take a few
years post-graduation for our students to start earning more money than
their parents, but the trend is undeniable: College Track graduates are
socially mobile. Our research shows that in their first job post-gradation,
53% of our alumni make more money than at least one of their parents.
For our graduates who are 25-29 years old, this number jumps to 80%,
and by the time they are 30 years-old it reaches 92%. This is our highest
percentage to date on this outcome and continues to exceed the national
average for all students.
Our older graduates are increasingly socially mobile
Recent Grads
N*=43
<25 yrs old
N=14
25-29 yrs old
N=71
I earn more than my parents do now
The impact of a
college degree
increases over time:
92% of our oldest
graduates earn more
than their parents,
exceeding the
national
benchmark.**
30+ yrs old
N=38
*Number of survey respondents who were employed full-time, excluding the individuals who said they “did not understand the question.”
Nationally, 50-80% of children earn more than their parents from the lowers parental income ranges.
**The Fading of the American Dream, Raj Chetty et. al, National Bureau of Economic Research, 2016.
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