General arts and science (major chosen later): every university, ranked by pay
Cognitive Science at University of Southern California
Bachelor's degree · Los Angeles, California · 114 graduates in two years
What do USC cognitive science graduates earn?
Median yearly pay of graduates who had federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Hidden where too few graduates to publish.
What does it take to get into USC?
Admission is to the university, not the program, at most US schools.
How much does USC cost?
Sticker price for a year, and what students actually paid after grants.
The cost by family income, debt and who finishes are on USC's page.
Cognitive Science at other universities
The same program elsewhere, California first, then the best paid.
| University | Pay, five years out | Debt | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of California, BerkeleyCalifornia | $151,004 | $13,000 | 11% |
| Stanford UniversityCalifornia | $147,775 | $8,420 | 4% |
| University of California, Los AngelesCalifornia | $126,066 | $12,896 | 9% |
| University of California San DiegoCalifornia | $85,575 | $13,799 | 27% |
| University of California, DavisCalifornia | $72,383 | $15,000 | 42% |
| University of California, Santa CruzCalifornia | $61,448 | $12,000 | 66% |
| University of PennsylvaniaPennsylvania | $114,226 | $15,480 | 5% |
| University of MichiganMichigan | $75,011 | $19,500 | 16% |
| University of DelawareDelaware | $73,159 | $24,195 | 71% |
Where these numbers come from
College Scorecard release 10152026, Most Recent Cohorts files, fetched 2026-10-20. Pay is the median for graduates who received federal aid, measured one and five years after finishing; debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
How every figure in this part of the site is sourced, and the check of every link.
Careerhelp is not affiliated with University of Southern California. Figures describe past students.