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2022 Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s

35 Ranked Colleges
2,561 Degrees Awarded
$20,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor's

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 2,720 people earned their degree in cognitive science, making the major the 260th most popular in the United States.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,561 cognitive science graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s” ranking looked at 35 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in cognitive science. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great cognitive science programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the cognitive science program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Cognitive Science Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Cognitive Science

Out of the 35 schools in the Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Minnesota State University - Mankato landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Mankato, Minnesota, this fairly large public school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s cognitive science students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Minnesota State University - Mankato is $16,221 for Bachelor’s Degree Cognitive Science students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Minnesota State University - Mankato Cognitive Science Report

#2

Rutgers University - New Brunswick

New Brunswick, New Jersey
#20 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Rutgers University - New Brunswick. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s. Rutgers University - New Brunswick is a large public school situated in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It awarded 29 bachelors’s cognitive science degrees in 2019-2020.

Rutgers New Brunswick also made our “Best Cognitive Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #20. The yearly cost to attend Rutgers New Brunswick is $21,654 for Bachelor’s Degree Cognitive Science students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Cognitive Science at Rutgers New Brunswick

#3

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia

Out of the 35 schools in the Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Georgia landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Athens, Georgia, this large public school awarded 47 degrees to qualified bachelors’s cognitive science students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UGA is $13,649 for Bachelor’s Degree Cognitive Science students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Georgia Cognitive Science Report

#4

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University - Bloomington. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s cognitive science degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Bloomington is $13,253 for Bachelor’s Degree Cognitive Science students.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Cognitive Science at IU Bloomington

#5

George Fox University

Newberg, Oregon

Out of the 35 schools in the Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, George Fox University landed the #5 spot on the list. GFU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Newberg, Oregon. It awarded 3 bachelors’s cognitive science degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for GFU is $30,378 for Bachelor’s Degree Cognitive Science students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Cognitive Science at George Fox University

With a ranking of #6, The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Richardson, Texas, this large public school handed out 24 degrees to qualified bachelors’s cognitive science students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,232 for Bachelor’s Degree Cognitive Science students per year to attend UT Dallas.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Cognitive Science at UT Dallas

#7

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#11 in overall quality

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s cognitive science degrees to 181 students in 2019-2020.

UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Cognitive Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $14,279 for Bachelor’s Degree Cognitive Science students.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Cognitive Science at UCLA

#8

Simmons University

Boston, Massachusetts

Simmons University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Simmons is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Simmons is $30,008 for Bachelor’s Degree Cognitive Science students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Cognitive Science at Simmons

#16 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. UCSD is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 632 bachelors’s cognitive science degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Cognitive Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $14,232 for Bachelor’s Degree Cognitive Science students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Cognitive Science at UCSD

#10

Marquette University

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Marquette University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s list. This fairly large school is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s cognitive science degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $29,756 for bachelor’s degree cognitive science students per year to attend Marquette.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.

Read full report on Cognitive Science at Marquette University

#11

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
#6 in overall quality

University of California - Berkeley landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 345 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s cognitive science students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Cognitive Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $15,329 for Bachelor’s Degree Cognitive Science students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Berkeley Cognitive Science Report

#22 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s list. University of California - Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 140 bachelors’s cognitive science degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Cognitive Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Davis is $14,669 for bachelor’s degree cognitive science students.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Cognitive Science at UC Davis

University of California - Irvine ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s cognitive science degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,783 for Bachelor’s Degree Cognitive Science students per year to attend University of California - Irvine.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Cognitive Science at UC Irvine

#14

Rice University

Houston, Texas
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, Rice University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Houston, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s cognitive science degrees to 45 students in 2019-2020.

Rice also took the #8 spot in our “Best Cognitive Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $16,999 for Bachelor’s Degree Cognitive Science students per year to attend Rice University.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Cognitive Science at Rice

#15

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, Maryland
#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, Johns Hopkins University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Johns Hopkins is a large school located in Baltimore, Maryland that handed out 32 bachelors’s cognitive science degrees in 2019-2020.

Johns Hopkins also took the #14 spot in our “Best Cognitive Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Johns Hopkins is $29,342 for Bachelor’s Degree Cognitive Science students.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Cognitive Science at Johns Hopkins

#16

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s list. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 143 bachelors’s cognitive science degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UC Santa Cruz is $18,186 for bachelor’s degree cognitive science students.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Cognitive Science at UC Santa Cruz

University of California - Merced landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Merced, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s cognitive science degrees to 61 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of California - Merced is $13,896 for Bachelor’s Degree Cognitive Science students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Cognitive Science at University of California - Merced

#18

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan
#18 in overall quality

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 75 bachelors’s cognitive science degrees in 2019-2020.

U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Cognitive Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $15,336 for bachelor’s degree cognitive science students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Cognitive Science at U-M

#19

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#4 in overall quality

Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Cambridge, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s cognitive science degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at MIT, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Cognitive Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Massachusetts Institute of Technology is $16,636 for Bachelor’s Degree Cognitive Science students.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full MIT Cognitive Science Report

#25 in overall quality

Case Western Reserve University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s list. This fairly large school is located in Cleveland, Ohio, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s cognitive science degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Case Western, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Cognitive Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Case Western is $35,428 for Bachelor’s Degree Cognitive Science students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Cognitive Science at Case Western

#21

University of Richmond

University of Richmond, Virginia
#17 in overall quality

University of Richmond ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in University of Richmond, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s cognitive science students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at URichmond, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Cognitive Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Richmond is $25,838 for bachelor’s degree cognitive science students.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full URichmond Cognitive Science Report

#22

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #22, Stanford University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Stanford is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 106 bachelors’s cognitive science degrees to qualified students.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Cognitive Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $11,496 for Bachelor’s Degree Cognitive Science students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Cognitive Science at Stanford University

#23

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee
#15 in overall quality

Vanderbilt University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 47 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s cognitive science students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree cognitive science students list, Vanderbilt has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Cognitive Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt is $19,432 for Bachelor’s Degree Cognitive Science students.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Cognitive Science at Vanderbilt

#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #24, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Troy, New York, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 3 degrees to qualified bachelors’s cognitive science students in 2019-2020.

RPI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Cognitive Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is $35,464 for bachelor’s degree cognitive science students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 0.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Cognitive Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

#25

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #25, Carnegie Mellon University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Cognitive Science Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s cognitive science degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

Carnegie Mellon did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Cognitive Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Carnegie Mellon University is $34,508 for Bachelor’s Degree Cognitive Science students.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 0.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Cognitive Science at Carnegie Mellon

Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Allan Ajifo.

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