Best Cognitive Science Programs in the United States (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Interdisciplinary Studies Colleges in the United States
This page ranks the 19 Cognitive Science programs in the United States by median earnings of Cognitive Science graduates four years after completing, highest first. Carnegie Mellon University leads the list at $162,106, followed by Stanford University at $131,650 and Tufts University at $130,801.
Across the listed programs, the median is $78,782 and the spread from the top to the bottom figure reaches $136,912. For 2 of the 19 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.
The list splits almost evenly between public and private institutions, with 10 public and 9 private nonprofit schools. University of California-San Diego ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, the strongest institutional showing on the page.
University of California-Merced posts the lowest average net price at $11,983, while University of California-Merced is the most accessible by admission rate, admitting 91% of applicants.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carnegie Mellon University · Pittsburgh, PA | $162,106 | $31,944 | $9,097 | 11.7% |
| Carnegie Mellon University ranks 1st on this list, reporting $162,106 in median earnings for its Cognitive Science graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 2 | Stanford University · Stanford, CA | $131,650 | $13,807 | -$2,536* | 3.6% |
| With an admission rate of 4%, Stanford University posts $131,650 in median earnings for its Cognitive Science graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | Tufts University · Medford, MA | $130,801 | $39,998 | $11,284 | 11.5% |
| Tufts University shows an average net price of $39,998 and median earnings of $130,801 for its Cognitive Science graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 4 | University of California-Berkeley · Berkeley, CA | $120,193 | $13,481 | $5,311 | 11.0% |
| A public university in Berkeley, University of California-Berkeley reports $120,193 in median earnings for its Cognitive Science graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $13,481. | |||||
| 5 | University of Pennsylvania · Philadelphia, PA | $109,784 | $28,699 | -$3,012* | 5.4% |
| University of Pennsylvania ranks 52nd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $109,784 for its Cognitive Science graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 6 | University of California-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA | $102,066 | $12,548 | $5,579 | 9.0% |
| Median earnings of $102,066 for its Cognitive Science graduates four years after completing are reported by University of California-Los Angeles, which also shows an average net price of $5,579 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 7 | University of Southern California · Los Angeles, CA | $93,440 | $32,740 | $13,516 | 9.8% |
| At University of Southern California, median federal debt of $18,250 among Cognitive Science completers who borrowed coincides with median earnings of $93,440 four years after completing. | |||||
| 8 | University of California-San Diego · La Jolla, CA | $81,160 | $12,470 | $7,525 | 26.7% |
| University of California-San Diego ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $81,160 for its Cognitive Science graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 9 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor · Ann Arbor, MI | $79,016 | $13,138 | $1,043 | 15.6% |
| An average net price of $1,043 for families earning under $30,000 coincides with median earnings of $79,016 for Cognitive Science graduates of University of Michigan-Ann Arbor four years after completing. | |||||
| 10 | Occidental College · Los Angeles, CA | $78,782 | $38,263 | $20,705 | 44.2% |
| Occidental College reports median earnings of $78,782 for its Cognitive Science graduates four years after completing, and a school-wide median federal debt of $23,000 across all of its borrowers who completed. | |||||
| 11 | University of California-Santa Cruz · Santa Cruz, CA | $72,125 | $17,890 | $8,717 | 65.8% |
| Admitting 66% of applicants, University of California-Santa Cruz reports median earnings of $72,125 for its Cognitive Science graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 12 | University of Georgia · Athens, GA | $69,169 | $13,936 | $8,085 | 37.7% |
| An average net price of $13,936 and median earnings of $69,169 for its Cognitive Science graduates four years after completing are reported by University of Georgia. | |||||
| 13 | University of California-Davis · Davis, CA | $68,463 | $14,741 | $9,211 | 41.8% |
| A public university, University of California-Davis reports median earnings of $68,463 for its Cognitive Science graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $14,741. | |||||
| 14 | Washington University in St Louis · St. Louis, MO | $67,212 | $21,786 | $1,716 | 12.1% |
| Median federal debt of $17,500 among Cognitive Science completers who borrowed at Washington University in St Louis coincides with median earnings of $67,212 four years after completing. | |||||
| 15 | Rice University · Houston, TX | $66,913 | $13,370 | $5,827 | 8.0% |
| Rice University ranks 15th on this list and sits 64th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 16 | University of Delaware · Newark, DE | $66,716 | $17,799 | $10,901 | 70.6% |
| With an admission rate of 71%, University of Delaware reports median earnings of $66,716 for its Cognitive Science graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 17 | University of California-Merced · Merced, CA | $51,147 | $11,983 | $7,945 | 90.5% |
| University of California-Merced carries an average net price of $7,945 for families earning under $30,000 and reports a cohort of 72 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 18 | Indiana University-Bloomington · Bloomington, IN | $33,993 | $16,264 | $6,324 | 78.2% |
| Indiana University-Bloomington posts median earnings of $33,993 for its Cognitive Science graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $16,264. | |||||
| 19 | Johns Hopkins University · Baltimore, MD | $25,194 | $18,809 | $428 | 6.4% |
| Johns Hopkins University admits 6% of applicants and carries an average net price of $428 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
* Net price can be negative: when grants and scholarships exceed the listed cost of attendance, students can receive the difference as a refund for other expenses.
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Cognitive Science graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the United States appear. The figures are medians for federally aided completers of the program who were working and not enrolled. For 2 of the 19 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The spread from Carnegie Mellon University to the lowest-ranked program is $136,912, and the gap between Carnegie Mellon University and Stanford University is $30,456.
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