UC Davis Cognitive Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Cognitive Science
- Public university
- Davis, CA
- About 190 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
UC Davis cognitive science graduates earn about what cognitive science graduates earn nationally, $42,342 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $15,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $17,750. Several California programs report higher pay.
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.
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.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
Does family income change the outcome?
Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned slightly more in their first year than other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $16,666 against $15,000.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $159 a month, or 4.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
21 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $25,098.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
96% of graduates (81 of 84) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Sacramento area are about 7% above the national average, so a $42,342 salary here buys what about $39,694 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
$49,570Median 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.
Natural Sciences Managers
$210,230Median 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.
Directors, Religious Activities and Education
$61,570Median 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.
About UC Davis
Cognitive Science ranks 23rd of 57 bachelor's programs at UC Davis by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($96,418), Computer and Information Science ($84,343), and Engineering ($82,956).
Other cognitive science bachelor's programs near Davis
Common questions
The median graduate earns $42,342 one year after graduating. The median across cognitive science bachelor's programs in California is $41,091.
The median federal loan balance is $15,000, which ranks 4th lowest of 8 cognitive science bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $159 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 35% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 44%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several California programs report higher pay.
Most do. 96% (81 of 84) were working in California one year after graduating.
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