Cognitive Science graduates from Occidental College earn $78,782 median salary, below the national average for this program.
Cognitive Science at Occidental College
Los Angeles, California • Bachelor's
What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Cognitive Science at Occidental College
This page combines two federal data products: IPEDS institutional characteristics for Occidental College and the College Scorecard field-of-study (FOS) file for Cognitive Science at the bachelor's credential level. The FOS file is keyed by CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs) code, which means earnings and debt figures here reflect only graduates of this specific program – not the school as a whole. IPEDS reports 23 completers in the most recent cohort for this program at Occidental College, the denominator behind the median earnings figure.
Median graduate earnings of $78,782 represent Treasury-derived wages, deferred compensation, and positive self-employment earnings four years after program completion for federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled. Compared to the national mean of $90,022 across all institutions offering Cognitive Science, graduates here earn below the national average for this program. Across all programs at Occidental College, the mean median-earnings figure is $71,957, providing internal context for whether this specific field out-earns other options at the same institution.
Debt signals complete the ROI picture. Median federal debt is not separately reported for this program at this school. Program-level debt and four-year post-completion earnings come from the Department of Education’s College Scorecard field-of-study snapshot retrieved in March 2026.
Earnings Comparison
Program Details
Debt & ROI
Cognitive Science at Other Schools
| School | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|
| Carnegie Mellon University | $162,106 | - |
| Stanford University | $131,650 | $7,500 |
| Tufts University | $130,801 | $18,000 |
| University of California-Berkeley | $120,193 | $14,589 |
| University of Pennsylvania | $109,784 | $18,820 |
| University of California-Los Angeles | $102,066 | $13,000 |
| University of Southern California | $93,440 | $18,250 |
| University of Virginia-Main Campus | $83,554 | $15,625 |
| University of California-San Diego | $81,160 | $17,427 |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | $79,016 | $22,000 |
Other Programs at Occidental College
| Program | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|
| Economics | $103,164 | $23,000 |
| Mathematics | $88,080 | - |
| Cognitive Science (current) | $78,782 | - |
| Political Science and Government | $72,441 | $25,700 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | $71,779 | - |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | $70,394 | $19,275 |
| Biology, General | $59,985 | $26,272 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | $59,542 | - |
| Sociology | $58,598 | $21,250 |
| Psychology, General | $56,800 | $19,764 |
Other Schools with Cognitive Science
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About the Data
Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard Field of Study file. Earnings are median earnings for graduates after completion, drawn from U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal financial aid applicants. Institutional characteristics come from IPEDS. Debt figures represent the median cumulative federal loan debt at graduation.
PlainCollege's Scorecard snapshots, retrieved March–July 2026, contain 6,243 postsecondary institutions and 70,827 school-and-program earnings records.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.