Best Schools for Cognitive Science in 2026
These are the top schools offering Cognitive Science, ranked by DegreeWorth Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Cognitive Science graduate earns $47,911/yr across 19 schools.
All Cognitive Science Programs Ranked
Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.
| # | Program | DW Score | Earnings | AI Risk | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Cognitive Science
University of California-Berkeley · Berkeley, CA |
74
72–75 |
$64,559/yr | Moderate | 15.9x |
| 2 |
Cognitive Science
University of California-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA |
70
69–70 |
$53,962/yr | Moderate | 13.2x |
| 3 |
Cognitive Science
University of Georgia · Athens, GA |
64
62–65 |
$41,362/yr | Moderate | 12.8x |
| 4 |
Cognitive Science
Stanford University · Stanford, CA |
65
64–65 |
$105,695/yr | Moderate | 3.2x |
| 5 |
Cognitive Science
University of California-San Diego · La Jolla, CA |
61
56–66 |
$39,839/yr | Moderate | 12.9x |
| 6 |
Cognitive Science
University of Pennsylvania · Philadelphia, PA |
64
62–64 |
$84,314/yr | Moderate | 3.1x |
| 7 |
Cognitive Science
Tufts University · Medford, MA |
61
60–60 |
$75,672/yr | Moderate | 1.8x |
| 8 |
Cognitive Science
University of California-Santa Cruz · Santa Cruz, CA |
56
52–62 |
$35,384/yr | Moderate | 12.1x |
| 9 |
Cognitive Science
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor · Ann Arbor, MI |
58
59–58 |
$44,698/yr | Moderate | 5.5x |
| 10 |
Cognitive Science
University of California-Davis · Davis, CA |
58
59–57 |
$42,342/yr | Moderate | 5.9x |
| 11 |
Cognitive Science
Rice University · Houston, TX |
53
51–54 |
$47,459/yr | Moderate | 2.1x |
| 12 |
Cognitive Science
Rutgers University-New Brunswick · New Brunswick, NJ |
53
53–53 |
$38,132/yr | Moderate | 4.5x |
| 13 |
Cognitive Science
University of California-Merced · Merced, CA |
51
49–54 |
$32,419/yr | Moderate | 9.1x |
| 14 |
Cognitive Science
Johns Hopkins University · Baltimore, MD |
48
47–49 |
$42,602/yr | Moderate | 0.7x |
| 15 |
Cognitive Science
University of Virginia-Main Campus · Charlottesville, VA |
45
41–50 |
$27,628/yr | Moderate | 7.2x |
| 16 |
Cognitive Science
Vanderbilt University · Nashville, TN |
45
44–46 |
$38,752/yr | Moderate | 0.5x |
| 17 |
Cognitive Science
University of Southern California · Los Angeles, CA |
42
40–43 |
$34,295/yr | Moderate | 0.3x |
| 18 |
Cognitive Science
Washington University in St Louis · Saint Louis, MO |
39
37–40 |
$30,996/yr | Moderate | 0.2x |
| 19 |
Cognitive Science
Case Western Reserve University · Cleveland, OH |
38
36–39 |
$30,198/yr | Moderate | 0.2x |
Methodology
Programs are ranked by DegreeWorth Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (10-year projected earnings vs. 4-year tuition).
Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.