Best Colleges for Cognitive Science

Cognitive Science combines psychology, neuroscience, computer science, and philosophy to understand how the mind works. With only 14 schools offering this interdisciplinary major, graduates enter a specialized field earning an average of $39,314 annually. When evaluating programs, students should prioritize institutions with strong research opportunities across multiple departments, access to advanced laboratory facilities, and faculty expertise in areas like artificial intelligence, language processing, or neural modeling. Look for programs that offer hands-on experience through internships at tech companies, research labs, or healthcare institutions. The best programs provide flexibility to tailor coursework toward specific interests, whether in computational modeling, experimental psychology, or applied cognitive research for industry applications.

Schools Ranked

$39,315

Avg. Program Earnings

86.3%

Avg. Graduation Rate

Top 14 Schools

College rankings
#	School	Median Earnings	Graduation Rate	School Type
1	Stanford University Stanford, California	$92,632	92.8%	private-nonprofit
2	University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	$52,107	96.8%	private-nonprofit
3	University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, California	$48,667	92.9%	public
4	University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, California	$42,682	92.7%	public
5	University of California-San Diego La Jolla, California	$41,870	87.6%	public
6	Tufts University Medford, Massachusetts	$39,369	93.3%	private-nonprofit
7	Simmons University Boston, Massachusetts	$37,208	71.2%	private-nonprofit
8	Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, Indiana	$33,993	81.2%	public
9	University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, Virginia	$33,993	95.3%	public
10	University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, California	$30,228	74.5%	public
11	University of California-Merced Merced, California	$28,960	69.1%	public
12	Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, Maryland	$25,194	94.6%	private-nonprofit
13	University of Georgia Athens, Georgia	$23,693	87.2%	public
14	University of Delaware Newark, Delaware	$19,812	78.8%	public