Cognitive Science at University of California-San Diego

La Jolla, CA · Bachelor's Degree · about 722 graduates a year

$39,839
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$81,160
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$81,496
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#9 of 19
Rank by pay
#10 of 19
Rank, wage-adjusted
$17,427
Median federal debt

University of California-San Diego graduates in cognitive science earn 0% more than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 21% of one year’s pay at that point.

How University of California-San Diego Compares for Cognitive Science

All 19 colleges reporting cognitive science earnings at this degree level, ranked by median pay four years after graduation. “Wage-adjusted” divides pay by the square root of the state’s wage index so colleges in low-wage states aren’t penalized for local pay.

#College4 yrs afterWage-adjustedAdj. rank1 yr after
1Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA$162,106$164,863#1—
2Stanford University Stanford, CA$131,650$119,793#2$105,695
3Tufts University Medford, MA$130,801$115,184#3$75,672
4University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA$120,193$109,368#5$64,559
5University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA$109,784$111,651#4$84,314
6University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA$102,066$92,873#6$53,962
7University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA$93,440$85,024#7$34,295
8University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA$83,554$76,084#9$27,628
9University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA$81,160$73,850#10$39,839
10University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI$79,016$83,313#8$44,698
11Occidental College Los Angeles, CA$78,782$71,686#13—
12State University of New York at Oswego Oswego, NY$76,118$72,449#11—

Other Majors at University of California-San Diego by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Computer Science$159,487$112,006#25 of 349
Computer Engineering$149,139$96,256#13 of 189
Mathematics and Computer Science$137,218$89,651#3 of 5
Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology$123,320$76,592—
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$118,150$80,687#13 of 258
Biological/Biosystems Engineering$111,677$67,016#1 of 9
Mechanical Engineering$104,229$69,555#23 of 318
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering$100,173$65,401#19 of 59
Biomedical/Medical Engineering$98,687$65,045#37 of 118
Chemical Engineering$96,798$59,508#80 of 158
Statistics$96,746$36,676#18 of 50
Physics$95,018$48,951#14 of 107
Civil Engineering$91,745$65,478#42 of 233
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods$89,451$60,973#54 of 126
Engineering$88,159$56,522#15 of 19
Economics$87,307$51,192#122 of 368
Applied Mathematics$85,233$42,859#26 of 45
International/Globalization Studies$81,174$45,168#4 of 87
Mathematics$79,015$52,339#88 of 309
Chemistry$77,249$45,310#33 of 209
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology$72,491$45,066#31 of 110
Urban Studies/Affairs$71,380$37,074#8 of 30
Natural Resources Conservation and Research$69,061$37,524#22 of 265
Political Science and Government$67,713$33,345#157 of 565
Communication and Media Studies$67,302$33,046#74 of 660
Public Health$66,110$39,144#40 of 215
Visual and Performing Arts$64,822$34,401#1 of 10
Biology$64,437$34,504#207 of 841
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology$64,428$43,608#31 of 49
Research and Experimental Psychology$63,130$23,420#30 of 82

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do University of California-San Diego cognitive science graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $39,839 one year after graduating and $81,160 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does University of California-San Diego rank for cognitive science?

Among 19 colleges reporting earnings for cognitive science graduates, University of California-San Diego ranks #9 by median pay four years after graduation, and #10 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is cognitive science at University of California-San Diego worth it?

Its graduates earn 0% more than the national median for cognitive science ($81,496), and the median federal debt at graduation is $17,427.

← All data for University of California-San Diego · Methodology

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study data. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled; programs with few graduates are not reported. Wage adjustment uses Census ACS state median household income.