Bachelor's · Stanford, California

Is Cognitive Science at Stanford University worth it?

Low confidence Low confidence: fewer than 40 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back fast: graduates typically recover the cost in about 1 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $113,776; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $141,408; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $8,420; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $54k (likely $52k – $73k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $102k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in CA; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 1 years (likely 0.7–1.4); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $760k (likely $515k – $1.05M); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $1.97M (likely $1.40M – $2.63M); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 92%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26