College ROI

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Cognitive Science.

Bachelor's Degree48 Institutions

Completers Only: Federal median earnings data strictly reflects outcomes for students who successfully graduated. Students who do not complete their degree typically earn significantly less and face higher risks of debt default.

Annual Full Cost vs. Median Earnings

Each dot represents one program at an institution. Shows the spread of annual sticker price (or net price if sticker price is unavailable) vs earnings 4 years post-grad.

Field Median ($78,782)
P25-P75 Interval ($66,913 - $102,066)
HS Baseline ($35,872)
Breakeven Line (0% ROI)
Institution
State
Earnings
Avg Net PriceMedian Debt
Lifetime Value Added
Pittsburgh
PA
$162,106
Nat: $81,496
4yr Post-Grad
$31,944
/yr
-
+$712k
Stanford
CA
$131,650
Nat: $81,496
4yr Post-Grad
$13,807
/yr
$7,500
+$548k
Berkeley
CA
$120,193
Nat: $81,496
4yr Post-Grad
$13,481
/yr
$14,589
+$463k
Medford
MA
$130,801
Nat: $81,496
4yr Post-Grad
$39,998
/yr
$18,000
+$448k
Philadelphia
PA
$109,784
Nat: $81,496
4yr Post-Grad
$28,699
/yr
$18,820
+$330k
Los Angeles
CA
$102,066
Nat: $81,496
4yr Post-Grad
$12,548
/yr
$13,000
+$329k
Los Angeles
CA
$93,440
Nat: $81,496
4yr Post-Grad
$32,740
/yr
$18,250
+$191k
La Jolla
CA
$81,160
Nat: $81,496
4yr Post-Grad
$12,470
/yr
$17,427
+$170k
Charlottesville
VA
$83,554
Nat: $81,496
4yr Post-Grad
$21,565
/yr
$15,625
+$155k
Ann Arbor
MI
$79,016
Nat: $81,496
4yr Post-Grad
$13,138
/yr
$22,000
+$151k
Oswego
NY
$76,118
Nat: $81,496
4yr Post-Grad
$16,236
/yr
-
+$118k
Santa Cruz
CA
$72,125
Nat: $81,496
4yr Post-Grad
$17,890
/yr
$18,981
+$81k
Athens
GA
$69,169
Nat: $81,496
4yr Post-Grad
$13,936
/yr
$15,000
+$73k
Davis
CA
$68,463
Nat: $81,496
4yr Post-Grad
$14,741
/yr
$15,000
+$65k
Los Angeles
CA
$78,782
Nat: $81,496
4yr Post-Grad
$38,263
/yr
-
+$59k
Houston
TX
$66,913
Nat: $81,496
4yr Post-Grad
$13,370
/yr
$13,000
+$58k
Newark
DE
$66,716
Nat: $81,496
4yr Post-Grad
$17,799
/yr
$25,334
+$40k
St. Louis
MO
$67,212
Nat: $81,496
4yr Post-Grad
$21,786
/yr
$17,500
+$30k
Turlock
CA
-
Nat: $81,496
$6,067
/yr
-
-$0
Fresno
CA
-
Nat: $81,496
$7,000
/yr
-
-$0
Irvine
CA
-
Nat: $81,496
$14,251
/yr
-
-$0
Claremont
CA
-
Nat: $81,496
$19,285
/yr
-
-$0
New Haven
CT
-
Nat: $81,496
$23,777
/yr
-
-$0
Greencastle
IN
-
Nat: $81,496
$22,264
/yr
-
-$0
Evansville
IN
-
Nat: $81,496
$18,499
/yr
-
-$0
Northfield
MN
-
Nat: $81,496
$25,407
/yr
-
-$0
Mankato
MN
-
Nat: $81,496
$19,139
/yr
-
-$0
Hanover
NH
-
Nat: $81,496
$29,519
/yr
-
-$0
New Brunswick
NJ
-
Nat: $81,496
$24,406
/yr
$24,250
-$0
New York
NY
-
Nat: $81,496
$37,050
/yr
-
-$0
Troy
NY
-
Nat: $81,496
$36,228
/yr
-
-$0
Poughkeepsie
NY
-
Nat: $81,496
$39,343
/yr
-
-$0
Cleveland
OH
-
Nat: $81,496
$41,190
/yr
$25,417
-$0
Newberg
OR
-
Nat: $81,496
$31,679
/yr
-
-$0
Lancaster
PA
-
Nat: $81,496
$36,425
/yr
-
-$0
Bethlehem
PA
-
Nat: $81,496
$36,931
/yr
-
-$0
Providence
RI
-
Nat: $81,496
$25,184
/yr
-
-$0
Nashville
TN
-
Nat: $81,496
$15,846
/yr
-
-$0
Dallas
TX
-
Nat: $81,496
$40,892
/yr
-
-$0
Richardson
TX
-
Nat: $81,496
$18,267
/yr
-
-$0
University of Richmond
VA
-
Nat: $81,496
$31,309
/yr
-
-$0
Walla Walla
WA
-
Nat: $81,496
$33,313
/yr
-
-$0
Beloit
WI
-
Nat: $81,496
$21,526
/yr
-
-$0
Milwaukee
WI
-
Nat: $81,496
$31,487
/yr
-
-$0
Merced
CA
$51,147
Nat: $81,496
4yr Post-Grad
$11,983
/yr
$20,105
-$64k
Bloomington
IN
$33,993
Nat: $81,496
2yr Post-Grad
$16,264
/yr
-
-$214k
Boston
MA
$37,208
Nat: $81,496
2yr Post-Grad
$25,265
/yr
-
-$218k
Baltimore
MD
$25,194
Nat: $81,496
2yr Post-Grad
$18,809
/yr
-
-$304k
Analysis Notes:
  • Lifetime Value Added: Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median high school graduate, accounting for this institution's average cost and taxes.
  • Avg Net Price: The average price paid by students who receive federal financial aid (grants/loans).
Important Note: Your ROI with any major will depend on the cost you pay to attend the program, and your starting salary. Both vary significantly across institutions. We encourage you to explore the ROI of a specific program variant by selecting the Program title of the credential level you are interested in. You will then have a more detailed return analysis for programs at specific institutions. We also encourage you to use the ROI calculator, or for more sophisticated analysis, the Guided ROI Interview, with your specific estimates of cost and salary.