### SUMMARY

 Going to school for Cognitive Science is a valuable choice and usually a required first step for undergrads trying to enter a career as a learning science researcher, an user interaction designer, or a cognitive speech pathologist. In fact, nationally, cognitive science is an uncommon major ranking as the 147th most popular area of study. Last academic year, there were 2,120 cognitive science graduates. In-state tuition for cognitive science at private colleges is, on average, 4 times more spendy than their public peers.

 With only 54 institutions offering cognitive science you may have a smaller selection of institutions you can choose from. If you're hoping to immerse yourself with other cognitive science undergrads, look at universities in California which have more undergrads admitted to cognitive science than any other state. Zooming out, the top region to pursue cognitive science is in the Far West region with [University of California-Berkeley](/colleges/university-of-california-berkeley), [University of California-San Diego](/colleges/university-of-california-san-diego), and [University of California-Santa Cruz](/colleges/university-of-california-santa-cruz) best representing the region. Interestingly, our pick of the best conference to major in cognitive science is the Pacific-12 Conference with [University of California-Berkeley](/colleges/university-of-california-berkeley), [University of California-Los Angeles](/colleges/university-of-california-los-angeles), and [Stanford University](/colleges/stanford-university) representing the conference. That said, our choice for the best university for cognitive science is [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/colleges/massachusetts-institute-of-technology). You may also want to check out our list of [best colleges](/rankings/best-colleges).

 The best school might not actually be the 'best' school for every student. There are many more factors to consider when selecting institution. Things such as campus amenities, transportation services, and food would definitely modify one's inclinations on which college to attend. Here at authority.org, we've weighed the pros and cons for you. If, for example, you want to know which cognitive science university boasts the top campus, the winner is [Stanford University](/colleges/stanford-university). If, for example, you are very interested in which school is home to the best campus, we have a whole page [dedicated to that](/rankings/best-college-campuses). We have carefully pored through government databases, student reviews, professor reviews, and more to compare each major in an unbiased and informative way. You can explore our well researched list for the colleges with the [best student life](/rankings/best-student-life)&nbsphere and our selection for the college with the best student life for cognitive science is [University of Michigan-Ann Arbor](/colleges/university-of-michigan-ann-arbor). Curious why? Keep reading to learn more about Authority's top choices. Some of our conclusions will probably surprise you.

 If cost is a primary deciding factor in your decisions, you might be cautious about [Vassar College](/colleges/vassar-college). [Vassar College](/colleges/vassar-college)&nbspappears to be the most expensive school for cognitive science, at least for out of state attendance. We have a page for the [most expensive](/rankings/most-expensive-colleges)&nbspuniversities that could put the expense of [Vassar College](/colleges/vassar-college)&nbspinto perspective. For more context, you may be interested to know that cognitive science is the 40th most expensive degree in the United States, with an average expense of $50,800. To zoom out a little, the most expensive state for cognitive science in the nation is Rhode Island demonstrated by a cost of $57,112 at the main school in the state Brown University. To zoom out even further, the most costly region for cognitive science is unfortunately unavailable due to missing data.

 Our cheapest region for cognitive science is the Southeast region which is represented by [University of Georgia](/colleges/university-of-georgia) with a cost of $28,830 and [Vanderbilt University](/colleges/vanderbilt-university) with a cost of $50,800. In better news, the most affordable university for cognitive science is [The University of Texas at Dallas](/colleges/the-university-of-texas-at-dallas). Our full list of the most affordable schools can be explored [here](/rankings/most-affordable-colleges).

 In-state students can expect to pay around $13,400 for a degree in cognitive science. That cost balloons by a lot to an average of $39,200 for the out-of-state public-school student. As such, you might be interested in our selection for the college constituting the best value for cognitive science: [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/colleges/massachusetts-institute-of-technology). On this page you will find our comprehensive list about the colleges we see as being the [best value](/rankings/best-value-colleges)&nbspoverall. That being said, this discussion is based on the assumption that you are an out-of-state student. The value proposition changes when it comes to in-state tuition, but as we do not know what state(s) you might qualify for in-state tuition, we are approaching this discussion through out-of-state tuition costs.

 Earnings for cognitive science majors range widely, but within two-years of completing the major graduates will regularly make around $68,700. While there is much variation in pay; top earners can make up to $117,300. Straight out of university, the minimum earning jobs within the cognitive science field earn $40,900, which could be worse. The top earning graduates from cognitive science studied at [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/colleges/massachusetts-institute-of-technology)&nbspand if you are looking for schools with all of the [highest earning graduates](/rankings/highest-earning-graduates), we have that too.

 The all-around diversity of cognitive science sits very highly, falling in the 99th percentile of majors nationally. The school with the most composite diversity for cognitive science is [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/colleges/massachusetts-institute-of-technology)&nbspand here you can find our general list for the universities with the [most diversity](/rankings/most-diverse-colleges). The overall financial diversity of Cognitive Science only sits in the 71st percentile of all majors. Racial diversity is actually above financial diversity, ranking in the 99th percentile. Asian students compose 33% of those studying cognitive science. Additionally, 60% of undergraduates pursuing a cognitive science major are women.

 The median score for cognitive science professors is 4.1 stars, a rating that is 2% greater than the median score for every major; this is a good score. If you are curious about the most popular cognitive science professor nationally, look no further than Mary Boyle at [University of California-San Diego](/colleges/university-of-california-san-diego). It may come as a shock, but the best rated instructors of cognitive science according to students are at [University of California-San Diego](/colleges/university-of-california-san-diego). As we including data other than basic rankings it becomes clear that the school possessing the overall best professors for cognitive science is [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/colleges/massachusetts-institute-of-technology). One will find an explanation of our evolving ranking methodology for the [best overall professors here](/rankings/best-professors), as well as many of the best examples of instructors in the U.S.

 Finally, the most difficult college to get into for cognitive science is [Stanford University](/colleges/stanford-university). While we are unsure why you would be interested, we have a general list for the [hardest colleges to get into](/rankings/hardest-colleges-to-get-into). That being said, we do hope you understand that considering the education process through a lens only derived from superlatives could be said to be the root of many of higher education's fundamental problems. We at Authority hope you read our more focused pages on different topics and peruse a couple of our helpful background pages on beneficial details to think about as you progress with your school search.



 ### POPULARITY

 Cognitive science is the 147th most popular degree in America, with 2,120 students receiving their bachelors degree last year. It just beat out #148 [Women's Studies](/rankings/best-colleges-for-women-s-studies), and narrowly lost to #146 [Organizational Behavior Studies](/rankings/best-colleges-for-organizational-behavior-studies).

 The degree is offered at a total of 54 colleges across the nation, and is the 263rd most widely offered degree. Given that cognitive science is offered at 32% of the Top 100 [Best Colleges](/rankings/best-colleges) in America, you can be sure this is a critical degree and the skillsets acquired are likely to last for a long time.

 It is also worth noting that practically 3/7 of colleges offering cognitive science are public making it a pretty accessible field.

 The far west produces the most cognitive science graduates, largely led by [University of California-Berkeley](/colleges/university-of-california-berkeley), while it’s the Pacific-12 Conference that leads conference totals. As far as states, California ranks highest, with particular help from [University of California-Berkeley](/colleges/university-of-california-berkeley) and [University of California-San Diego](/colleges/university-of-california-san-diego).

 All that being said, no individual school produces more cognitive science graduates than [University of Colorado Boulder](/colleges/university-of-colorado-boulder), which graduated 479 students last year alone. Although size is critical, another important factor to consider is the program’s density (the percent of all students that study cognitive science). More students studied cognitive science as a percentage of total students at [University of California-San Diego](/colleges/university-of-california-san-diego) than any other college.



 ### COST

 Cognitive science is the 40th most expensive degree in America, with a median cost of $50,800 among the top 50 programs (just ahead of #41, [Creative Writing](rankings/best-colleges-for-creative-writing), with a median cost of $50,636).

 The Plains have the most expensive schools with top 50 cognitive science programs predominantly led by [Washington University in St Louis](/colleges/washington-university-in-st-louis) with an annual cost of $54,250. The most expensive state for cognitive science is Rhode Island led by [Brown University](/colleges/brown-university).

 Public schools with good programs generally charge 75.18% less than private schools for in-state students. However, when looking at out-of-state tuition, the median top 50 Public school charges 27.51% less than the median private school. So be sure to take a look at public shools in your state as soon as possible.

 The most pricey option in the top 25 is [Vassar College](/colleges/vassar-college), which is the 7th most expensive college in the nation. The most affordable option in the top 100 is [SUNY College at Oswego](/colleges/suny-college-at-oswego). It costs just $16,980 per year and is ranked 36th for its cognitive science program. If you’re looking for the least expensive option in the top 25, [The University of Texas at Dallas](/colleges/the-university-of-texas-at-dallas)  is probably right for you, ranked #24 with an in-state cost of just $13,442. Another more affordable choice would be #3, [University of California-Berkeley](/colleges/university-of-california-berkeley) in Alameda County, CA with a cost of $11,442 for in-state students and $41,196 for out-of-state students.



### SALARY

 Paying for college is a serious investment for most. It's important to have confidence you justify your spend. We intend for the following earnings and career statistics to assist you in making an intelligent decision when choosing your focus.

 The average Cognitive Science student earns a first year income of $43,059 per year (top 35%). With experience in their careers, they predominantly earn somewhere between $40,855 and $117,273, but average approximately $68,698. To put it in context, that is 78% above average.

 The most common job for a Cognitive Science graduate is Software Engineer, which often make about $65,000; next are Analyst and Software Engineering Internship, which commonly make close to $54,000 and $31,000 respectively.

 The highest earning region for Cognitive Science graduates is The Mid East. The most well paid state for Cognitive Science alumni is PA. The most well paid conference for Cognitive Science graduates is Ivy League.



### PROFESSORS

 Fast Facts for Cognitive Science: Median Professor Rating: 4.1 / 5, which is above average.

 Professors always have a humongous impact your college experience, no matter what you major in. A thought-provoking professor might help a student find their passion and even make a difficult subject seem easy. On the other hand, an ineffective professor can drive undesirable anxiety or even worse... flunk you!

 Cognitive Science professors have a median student rating of 4.1 out of 5, which puts these professors in the top 43rd percentile in the United States grounded in overall professor effectivness. For context a 4.1 rating is 2.5% over the national median professor rating for all subjects. Professors of Cognitive Science barely out-ranked those from ["Entrepreneurship"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-entrepreneurship), whereas ["Electromechanical Instrumentation and Maintenance Technologies"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-electromechanical-instrumentation-and-maintenance-technologies)&nbspprofessors ranked one slot above Cognitive Science.

 Now for some statistics about Cognitive Science professors. Colleges located in small citys tend to have the best Cognitive Science professors. The Big Ten Conference has the highest rated Cognitive Science professors. The New England region has the highest rated Cognitive Science professors. Private institutions tend to have higher rated Cognitive Science professors than public colleges. Finally, New Jersey has the highest rated Cognitive Science professors in America.

 Mary Boyle, professor at [University of California-San Diego](/colleges/university-of-california-san-diego)&nbspin La Jolla, CA is the most popular Cognitive Science professor in the US. Sabrina Burr, instructor at [Carleton College](/colleges/carleton-college)&nbspin Northfield, MN is the highest rated Cognitive Science professor in the nation, with a rating of 5 / 5.

 Learn which colleges have the [Best Professors](/rankings/best-professors)!



### STUDENTS

 College is a very momentous investment in one's life; it's a chance for personal progress and maturation. Pupils start to discover who they are as people and develop many of the rudimentary skills to become a prosperous adult. But growth is deeper than what one learns in a classroom environment - the campus dialogue, the nugget of wisdom learned from a tenured instructor, the exposure to a different attitude. As such, a diverse student population vastly enriches what you gain from your time in college.

 Cognitive Science is the 4th most diverse focus \*. It has the 6th biggest share of asian students. 33% of the nation's Cognitive Science majors are asian students, followed by white students (33%), students of other races\*\*(17%), and latino students (14%). The most ethnically diverse college\* in the top 100 is [Brown University](/colleges/brown-university) located in Providence, RI.

 Moreover, Cognitive Science significatly skews female, with 3/5 of students majoring in Cognitive Science identifying as women. The most gender balanced school in the top 100 is [George Fox University](/colleges/george-fox-university) in Newberg, OR.

 Another significant type of diversity is income diversity. Cognitive Science ranks in the top 29% of subjects for wealth diversity. 27% of its students come from homes with a sub $30,000 income, 17% are from homes bringing in between $30,000 and $48,000 a year, and 26% grew up in high income families. [The University of Texas at Dallas](/colleges/the-university-of-texas-at-dallas) has the most financially diverse student body in the top 100.

 Considering each type of diversity, overall PA is the most diverse state for Cognitive Science. The Mid East is the most diverse region, and the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is the most diverse conference.

   \* diversity calculations and comparisons are based on [Simpson's Diversity Index](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversity_index)   
  \*\* other races is used to refer to non asian, black, latino, or white

  #### Diversity Statistics

  ##### Racial Diversity

 * Asian: 33%
* Black: 3%
* Latino: 14%
* White: 33%
* Other: 17%
  ##### Gender Diversity

 * Male: 40%
* Female: 60%
  ##### Socioeconomic Diversity (By Household Income)

 * Under 30k: 27%
* 30k - 48k: 17%
* 48k - 75k: 17%
* 75k - 110k: 13%
* Over 110k: 26%
  ##### Geographic Diversity

 * In State: 62%
* Out of State: 27%
* International: 11%


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2023 Cognitive Science Salary

There are about 4,393 students enrolled in Cognitive Science in the USA.

SALARY