Best colleges for Cognitive Science in California
Program-level earnings — not school prestige — rank these. Among the California programs in the federal field-of-study file, Stanford University leads: its Cognitive Science graduates earn a median $131,650 four years after finishing, against the field's $81,496 national median. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026.)
| # | College | Grad earnings, 4 yrs | Vs field median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanford University | $131,650 | +$50,154 |
| 2 | University of California-Berkeley | $120,193 | +$38,697 |
| 3 | University of California-Los Angeles | $102,066 | +$20,570 |
| 4 | University of Southern California | $93,440 | +$11,944 |
| 5 | University of California-San Diego | $81,160 | -$336 |
| 6 | Occidental College | $78,782 | -$2,714 |
| 7 | University of California-Santa Cruz | $72,125 | -$9,371 |
| 8 | University of California-Davis | $68,463 | -$13,033 |
How big is the earnings gap between California Cognitive Science programs?
$63,187 separates the top and bottom of this list — $131,650 at Stanford University against $68,463 at University of California-Davis, four years after finishing. Same field, same state, same federal measure: where you study moves pay by that much.
Do California Cognitive Science graduates earn more than the national median?
The state's strongest program pays $50,154 above the $81,496 national median for the field. Program-level medians come from federal tax records of graduates who received aid, so they track actual pay rather than advertised salaries.