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2023 Best Value Colleges for Cognitive Science (Income $0-$30k) in California

10 Ranked Colleges
1,765 Degrees Awarded
$9,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Cognitive Science Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Cognitive Science Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Cognitive Science is the 172nd most popular major in the country with 2,776 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, cognitive science graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $39,216 and had an average of $16,566 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 1,765 cognitive science graduates with average earnings and debt of $41,333 and $15,352 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Cognitive Science Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 10 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in cognitive science. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent cognitive science programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the cognitive science program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Cognitive Science Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Cognitive Science Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Cognitive Science Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Cognitive Science (Income $0-$30k) in California

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Cognitive Science Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 77 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Cognitive Science Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $1,233 for California Cognitive Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad 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 Stanford

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Cognitive Science Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 265 ’s cognitive science degrees to qualified students.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Cognitive Science Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $8,450 for california cognitive science students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Berkeley Cognitive Science Report

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Cognitive Science Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. UCLA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 208 ’s cognitive science degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Cognitive Science Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $9,037 for california cognitive science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, 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 University of California - Los Angeles

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Cognitive Science Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - San Diego is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 708 ’s cognitive science degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Cognitive Science Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $9,823 for California Cognitive Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%.

Read more about Cognitive Science at UCSD

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Davis. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Cognitive Science Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 184 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Davis also took the #6 spot in our “Best Cognitive Science Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $10,006 for california cognitive science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad 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 93%.

Full UC Davis Cognitive Science Report

6
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #6, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Cognitive Science Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Southern California is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 60 ’s cognitive science degrees to qualified students.

USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Cognitive Science Schools in California” list. It costs about $17,287 for california cognitive science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend USC.

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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full University of Southern California Cognitive Science Report

7

University of California - Irvine landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Cognitive Science Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school awarded 23 diplomas to qualified ’s cognitive science students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california cognitive science students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Irvine has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Cognitive Science Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,540 for California Cognitive Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Irvine.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Irvine Cognitive Science Report

8

With a ranking of #8, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Cognitive Science Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Santa Cruz, California, this fairly large public school awarded 140 diplomas to qualified ’s cognitive science students in 2020-2021.

UC Santa Cruz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Cognitive Science Schools in California” list. It costs about $11,038 for california cognitive science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Santa Cruz.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad 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 University of California - Santa Cruz

9
Oxy crest
Occidental College
Los Angeles, California

Occidental College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Cognitive Science Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Oxy is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Oxy also made our “Best Cognitive Science Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend Oxy is $14,452 for California Cognitive Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Cognitive Science at Occidental College

10

University of California - Merced ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Cognitive Science Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Merced is a medium-sized public school situated in Merced, California. It awarded 67 ’s cognitive science degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california cognitive science students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Merced has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Cognitive Science Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,363 for california cognitive science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Merced.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Merced Cognitive Science Report

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