Interdisciplinary studies ยท bachelor's degree
Cognitive Science major: colleges and pay
60 colleges in our data award bachelor's degrees in cognitive science, 2,957 of them in 2023-24. Graduates of the typical program earned $55,812 a year after graduating and $78,899 four years after.
Colleges offering it60
Graduates in 2023-242,957
Typical median debt$15,000
Typical earnings 1 yr after$55,812
Typical earnings 4 yrs after$78,899
Earnings to debt3.7x
Colleges where cognitive science graduates earn the most
Programs with at least 10 graduates in 2023-24, ranked by median earnings four years after graduation.
| College | Graduates (2023-24) | Earnings 1 yr after | Earnings 4 yrs after | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburgh, PA | 15 | n/a | $162,106 | n/a |
| Stanford UniversityStanford, CA | 102 | $105,925 | $131,650 | $8,420 |
| Tufts UniversityMedford, MA | 43 | $92,588 | $130,801 | $18,250 |
| University of California-BerkeleyBerkeley, CA | 245 | $62,757 | $120,193 | $13,000 |
| University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA | 48 | $100,507 | $109,784 | $15,480 |
| University of California-Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA | 283 | $54,235 | $102,066 | $12,896 |
| University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, CA | 70 | $67,607 | $93,440 | $13,000 |
| University of California-San DiegoLa Jolla, CA | 743 | $46,650 | $81,160 | $13,799 |
| University of Michigan-Ann ArborAnn Arbor, MI | 155 | $57,761 | $79,016 | $19,500 |
| Occidental CollegeLos Angeles, CA | 16 | n/a | $78,782 | n/a |
| University of California-Santa CruzSanta Cruz, CA | 143 | $40,140 | $72,125 | $12,000 |
| University of GeorgiaAthens, GA | 41 | n/a | $69,169 | $13,375 |
| University of California-DavisDavis, CA | 188 | $43,678 | $68,463 | $15,000 |
| Washington University in St LouisSt. Louis, MO | 63 | $39,205 | $67,212 | $17,750 |
| Rice UniversityHouston, TX | 36 | n/a | $66,913 | n/a |
| University of DelawareNewark, DE | 60 | $37,167 | $66,716 | $24,195 |
| University of California-MercedMerced, CA | 43 | $41,042 | $51,147 | $13,500 |
Largest cognitive science programs
| College | Graduates (2023-24) | Earnings 1 yr after | Earnings 4 yrs after | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of California-San DiegoLa Jolla, CA | 743 | $46,650 | $81,160 | $13,799 |
| University of California-Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA | 283 | $54,235 | $102,066 | $12,896 |
| University of California-BerkeleyBerkeley, CA | 245 | $62,757 | $120,193 | $13,000 |
| University of California-DavisDavis, CA | 188 | $43,678 | $68,463 | $15,000 |
| University of Michigan-Ann ArborAnn Arbor, MI | 155 | $57,761 | $79,016 | $19,500 |
| University of California-Santa CruzSanta Cruz, CA | 143 | $40,140 | $72,125 | $12,000 |
| Stanford UniversityStanford, CA | 102 | $105,925 | $131,650 | $8,420 |
| Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, TN | 71 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, CA | 70 | $67,607 | $93,440 | $13,000 |
| Washington University in St LouisSt. Louis, MO | 63 | $39,205 | $67,212 | $17,750 |
| University of DelawareNewark, DE | 60 | $37,167 | $66,716 | $24,195 |
| Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD | 53 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA | 49 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA | 48 | $100,507 | $109,784 | $15,480 |
| Tufts UniversityMedford, MA | 43 | $92,588 | $130,801 | $18,250 |
Graduate degrees in cognitive science
Master's: 15 programs; Doctoral: 16 programs. Compare graduate programs.
Every college with a cognitive science major
| College | Graduates (2023-24) | Earnings 1 yr after | Earnings 4 yrs after | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburgh, PA | 15 | n/a | $162,106 | n/a |
| Stanford UniversityStanford, CA | 102 | $105,925 | $131,650 | $8,420 |
| Tufts UniversityMedford, MA | 43 | $92,588 | $130,801 | $18,250 |
| University of California-BerkeleyBerkeley, CA | 245 | $62,757 | $120,193 | $13,000 |
| University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA | 48 | $100,507 | $109,784 | $15,480 |
| University of California-Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA | 283 | $54,235 | $102,066 | $12,896 |
| University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, CA | 70 | $67,607 | $93,440 | $13,000 |
| University of California-San DiegoLa Jolla, CA | 743 | $46,650 | $81,160 | $13,799 |
| University of Michigan-Ann ArborAnn Arbor, MI | 155 | $57,761 | $79,016 | $19,500 |
| Occidental CollegeLos Angeles, CA | 16 | n/a | $78,782 | n/a |
| State University of New York at OswegoOswego, NY | 1 | n/a | $76,118 | n/a |
| University of California-Santa CruzSanta Cruz, CA | 143 | $40,140 | $72,125 | $12,000 |
| University of GeorgiaAthens, GA | 41 | n/a | $69,169 | $13,375 |
| University of California-DavisDavis, CA | 188 | $43,678 | $68,463 | $15,000 |
| Washington University in St LouisSt. Louis, MO | 63 | $39,205 | $67,212 | $17,750 |
| Rice UniversityHouston, TX | 36 | n/a | $66,913 | n/a |
| University of DelawareNewark, DE | 60 | $37,167 | $66,716 | $24,195 |
| University of California-MercedMerced, CA | 43 | $41,042 | $51,147 | $13,500 |
| The University of Texas at DallasRichardson, TX | 35 | $61,541 | n/a | n/a |
| Vassar CollegePoughkeepsie, NY | 18 | $60,408 | n/a | n/a |
| Yale UniversityNew Haven, CT | 40 | $57,389 | n/a | n/a |
| Marquette UniversityMilwaukee, WI | 17 | $45,190 | n/a | n/a |
| Rutgers University-New BrunswickNew Brunswick, NJ | 40 | $44,592 | n/a | $20,500 |
| Barnard CollegeNew York, NY | 17 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Beloit CollegeBeloit, WI | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Brown UniversityProvidence, RI | 18 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| California State University-FresnoFresno, CA | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| California State University-StanislausTurlock, CA | 4 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Carleton CollegeNorthfield, MN | 5 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Case Western Reserve UniversityCleveland, OH | 38 | n/a | n/a | $23,105 |
| Chapman UniversityOrange, CA | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Claremont McKenna CollegeClaremont, CA | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York, NY | 12 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Cornell UniversityIthaca, NY | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Dartmouth CollegeHanover, NH | 16 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Duke UniversityDurham, NC | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Franklin and Marshall CollegeLancaster, PA | 4 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| George Fox UniversityNewberg, OR | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Hampshire CollegeAmherst, MA | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Haverford CollegeHaverford, PA | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Indiana University-BloomingtonBloomington, IN | 5 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD | 53 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Lehigh UniversityBethlehem, PA | 21 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA | 49 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Minnesota State University-MankatoMankato, MN | 5 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| New York UniversityNew York, NY | 19 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Pitzer CollegeClaremont, CA | 6 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Pomona CollegeClaremont, CA | 16 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteTroy, NY | 10 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Scripps CollegeClaremont, CA | 5 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Swarthmore CollegeSwarthmore, PA | 5 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| United States Military AcademyWest Point, NY | 17 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| University at BuffaloBuffalo, NY | 10 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| University of California-IrvineIrvine, CA | 31 | n/a | n/a | $15,357 |
| University of ChicagoChicago, IL | 13 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| University of EvansvilleEvansville, IN | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignChampaign, IL | 17 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| University of Minnesota-DuluthDuluth, MN | 16 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| University of RichmondUniversity of Richmond, VA | 11 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, TN | 71 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Frequently asked questions
How much do cognitive science majors make?
Graduates of the typical cognitive science program earned a median of $55,812 one year after graduation and $78,899 four years after, in 2024 dollars.
Which college has the highest-paid cognitive science graduates?
Carnegie Mellon University, where graduates earned a median of $162,106 four years after graduation (programs with at least 10 graduates).
How many colleges offer a cognitive science major?
60 colleges on the College Scorecard awarded bachelor's degrees in cognitive science in 2022-23 or 2023-24.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field of study file, data release of October 15, 2026. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid and were working, not enrolled. One-year figures: graduates of 2020-21 and 2021-22, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars. Four-year figures: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars. More on the data.