Cognitive Science at University of California-Santa Cruz

UC Santa Cruz's Cognitive Science program starts slow but transforms into something more promising. That $35,384 first-year salary sits below both the national and California medians, landing this program in the 40th percentile statewide—notably behind peers like UC Davis and UCSD. Yet the 67% earnings jump to $59,051 by year four tells a different story about long-term trajectory.

The $19,500 debt load offers some reassurance here. With a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.55, graduates aren't drowning in payments during those lean first years. This is slightly above California's median debt for the program but remains manageable, especially as salaries climb. The real question is whether that initial earnings gap ever closes—at $59,051 four years out, graduates are finally approaching what some programs deliver immediately after graduation.

For families comfortable with a longer runway to financial stability, this works. Your graduate will likely need financial support or careful budgeting in those early years, but the strong earnings growth suggests the degree does lead somewhere. Just understand you're betting on delayed returns rather than immediate payoff, and that UCSC lags behind several other UC campuses in this field.