2025 Best Cognitive Science Schools
27
Colleges in the United States
2,852
Cognitive Science Degrees Awarded
$47,753
Avg Early-Career Salary
Cognitive Science isn't the most popular major in the world, but it's not the least popular either. To be more precise it ranks #172 in popularity out of 395 majors in the country. As such, the degree program isn't offered at every college in the United States, but there are schools that do have a program in the field that are top-notch when it comes to quality.
College Factual reviewed 27 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of cognitive science. Combined, these schools handed out 2,852 degrees in cognitive science to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Cognitive Science School
Your choice of cognitive science school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for cognitive science schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Cognitive Science Rankings by Degree Level
The cognitive science school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Cognitive Science Schools.
You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.
Best Schools for Cognitive Science in the United States
If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the cognitive science degrees they offer, see the list below.
10 Top Schools in Cognitive Science
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In MA
55
Cognitive Science Degrees Awarded
Any student pursuing a degree in cognitive science has to check out Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge, MIT is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #1 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means MIT is a great school overall.
There were about 55 cognitive science students who graduated with this degree at MIT in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in cognitive science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Every student pursuing a degree in cognitive science needs to take a look at Stanford University. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Stanford. A Best Colleges rank of #10 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.
There were roughly 72 cognitive science students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year. Those cognitive science students who get their degree from Stanford University earn $57,942 more than the average cognitive science grad.
More information about a degree in cognitive science from Stanford University
University of Pennsylvania is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in cognitive science. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.
There were roughly 75 cognitive science students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent data year. Cognitive Science degree recipients from University of Pennsylvania get an earnings boost of around $36,561 over the average earnings of cognitive science graduates.
More information about a degree in cognitive science from University of Pennsylvania
University of California - Berkeley is a good choice for students interested in a degree in cognitive science. UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.
There were roughly 230 cognitive science students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year. Those cognitive science students who get their degree from University of California - Berkeley earn $16,806 more than the average cognitive science graduate.
More information about a degree in cognitive science from University of California - Berkeley
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In PA
Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #8 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Carnegie Mellon is a great university overall.
There were roughly 17 cognitive science students who graduated with this degree at Carnegie Mellon in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in cognitive science from Carnegie Mellon University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In CT
42
Cognitive Science Degrees Awarded
Located in the medium-sized city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #20 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Yale is a great university overall.
There were roughly 42 cognitive science students who graduated with this degree at Yale in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in cognitive science from Yale University
UCSD is a very large public university located in the large city of La Jolla. This university ranks 8th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 768 cognitive science students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the cognitive science program report average early career earnings of $39,839.
More information about a degree in cognitive science from University of California - San Diego
Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Nashville. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Vanderbilt is a great university overall.
There were approximately 46 cognitive science students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, cognitive science degree recipients usually earn an average of $38,752 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in cognitive science from Vanderbilt University
Tufts is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Medford. This university ranks 7th out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.
There were roughly 40 cognitive science students who graduated with this degree at Tufts in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the cognitive science program at Tufts University get $27,919 above the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in cognitive science from Tufts University
U-M is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of #22 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.
There were approximately 120 cognitive science students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the cognitive science program make around $44,698 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in cognitive science from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
