How much debt do Stanford University cognitive science graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $8,055, which ranks the lowest of 8 cognitive science bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $85 a month over 10 years.

Is a cognitive science degree from Stanford University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 8% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 44%.

Stanford University Cognitive Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Cognitive Science
Private nonprofit university
Stanford, CA
About 83 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Stanford University cognitive science graduates earn more than graduates of most cognitive science programs nationally, $105,695 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $8,055 in federal loans, less than at 94% of cognitive science programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying cognitive science degrees in California.

First-year earnings$105,69595th percentile of 19 programs nationally

Median federal debt$8,055The lowest of 8 California programs

Debt-to-earnings8%California median 40%, national 44%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The California and national columns are the medians across all cognitive science bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Stanford University	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$105,695	$41,091	$41,362
Median federal debt at graduation	$8,055	$16,241	$17,750
Debt as share of first-year pay	8%	40%	44%
Programs compared		8	19

Debt and first-year pay at every California cognitive science program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the California medians.

Stanford UniversityOther California programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $85 a month, or 1.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the San Jose area are about 10% above the national average, so a $105,695 salary here buys what about $95,718 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to cognitive science, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Self-Enrichment Teachers

$49,570

Median pay in California. 60,260 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 50,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $36,850Top 10%: $102,720

Natural Sciences Managers

$210,230

Median pay in California. 14,950 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 9,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $130,730Top 10%: $330,050

Directors, Religious Activities and Education

$61,570

Median pay in California. 3,200 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 13,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $41,600Top 10%: $118,710

About Stanford University

Tuition and fees	$65,910 / year
Average net price after aid	$13,807 / year
Admission rate	4%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	92%
Undergraduate students	7,554

Cognitive Science ranks 2nd of 12 bachelor's programs at Stanford University by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($138,613), Cognitive Science ($105,695), and Engineering-Related Fields ($100,788).

Other cognitive science bachelor's programs near Stanford

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Stanford UniversityStanford, CA · private nonprofit		$105,695	$8,055
UC Santa CruzSanta Cruz, CA · public	31 mi	$35,384	$19,500
UC BerkeleyBerkeley, CA · public	31 mi	$64,559	$13,950

Common questions

The median graduate earns $105,695 one year after graduating. The median across cognitive science bachelor's programs in California is $41,091.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of California comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the cognitive science program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Cognitive Science bachelor's programs in California, ranked8 programs by pay and debt Cognitive Science bachelor's programs in the US, ranked19 programs by pay and debt All Stanford University programs, ranked12 programs by pay and debt