ADBLOCK #102
College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2026 Best Cognitive Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region

3 Colleges in the United States
187 Cognitive Science Degrees Awarded
$48,200 Avg Early-Career Salary

Cognitive Science degree programs prepare students for a range of careers in the field. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.

College Factual analyzed 10 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best cognitive science schools.

What’s on this page:

ADBLOCK #159
DEBUG: Raw major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Initial offers_url = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/multi-interdisciplinary-studies/cognitive-science/offers.json", major_slug = ""
DEBUG: After cleaning major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Before URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/multi-interdisciplinary-studies/cognitive-science/offers.json"
DEBUG: After TrimSuffix = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/multi-interdisciplinary-studies/cognitive-science/offers.json"
DEBUG: After HTTPS placeholder = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/multi-interdisciplinary-studies/cognitive-science/offers.json"
DEBUG: After slash cleaning = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/multi-interdisciplinary-studies/cognitive-science/offers.json"
DEBUG: After URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/multi-interdisciplinary-studies/cognitive-science/offers.json"
DEBUG: offers_url = https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/multi-interdisciplinary-studies/cognitive-science/offers.json
DEBUG: major_slug = ""
DEBUG: offers_url is valid, proceeding to fetch data
DEBUG: offers_data.offers found, count = 11
DEBUG: Specific major detected (cip4 = 30.25), keeping min_relevance at 0.8
DEBUG: Starting relevance filtering - min_relevance = 0.8, max_relevance = 1
DEBUG: Checking offer "Science & Engineering Bachelors Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Science & Engineering Bachelors Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Science & Engineering Diploma Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Science & Engineering Diploma Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: Checking offer "General Psychology (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "General Psychology (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: Checking offer "General Psychology (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "General Psychology (I Have a Bachelors)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: Checking offer "General Psychology (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "General Psychology (I Have a Masters)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Psychology Bachelors Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Psychology Bachelors Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Psychology EdS Programs (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Psychology EdS Programs (I Have a Masters)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Psychology Graduate Certificate Programs (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Psychology Graduate Certificate Programs (I Have a Bachelors)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Psychology PhD Programs (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Psychology PhD Programs (I Have a Masters)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Psychology PsyD Programs (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Psychology PsyD Programs (I Have a Masters)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Science & Engineering Masters Programs (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Science & Engineering Masters Programs (I Have a Bachelors)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: relevant_offers count = 0
DEBUG: No relevant offers, showing generic ESYOH widget

Best Schools for Cognitive Science in the Great Lakes Region

If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the cognitive science degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top Schools in Cognitive Science

1

University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign tops our 2026 ranking of the best cognitive science schools. University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is a very large public school located in the city of Champaign. The six-year graduation rate is 85%. About 16 cognitive science degrees were awarded at University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, cognitive science degree recipients from University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign generally make around $57,461. Typical student debt for the program is $20,778. Read more about the cognitive science program at University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign

2

Students looking for a strong cognitive science program will find one at University Of Michigan Ann Arbor, which ranked #2. University Of Michigan Ann Arbor is a very large public school located in the city of Ann Arbor. The six-year graduation rate is 93%. There were roughly 130 cognitive science students who graduated with this degree at University Of Michigan Ann Arbor in the most recent data year. Cognitive Science graduates of University Of Michigan Ann Arbor earn a median of $44,698 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $22,500 to complete this degree. See the full cognitive science program report for University Of Michigan Ann Arbor

3
Marquette University crest
Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI

Marquette University came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best cognitive science schools. This large private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Milwaukee. Marquette University graduates 83% of students within six years. About 12 cognitive science degrees were awarded at Marquette University in the most recent year. Graduates of the cognitive science program make about $60,443 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $24,122. More information about a degree in cognitive science from Marquette University

4

Case Western Reserve University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in cognitive science, landing the #4 spot this year. Located in the city of Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University is a large private not-for-profit university. The six-year graduation rate is 87%. Case Western Reserve University awarded about 29 cognitive science degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their cognitive science degree from Case Western Reserve University earn around $30,198 in the first couple years of their career. Case Western Reserve University graduates carry a median of $25,417 in student loans. Get the full cognitive science details for Case Western Reserve University

Narrow Cognitive Science Schools by State

ADBLOCK #173
View All Cognitive Science Rankings >

ADBLOCK #115

Notes and References

This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 10 schools evaluated.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

ADBLOCK #116

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs
ADBLOCK #613

Compare Your School Options