Cooper Union
The Cooper Union's Foundation Building at Cooper Square and Astor Place in 2019 | |
| Type | Private college |
|---|---|
| Established | 1859 |
| Accreditation | MSCHE |
| Endowment | $920 million (2021) |
| President | Malcolm King (interim) |
Academic staff | 57 (full time) (2017/2018) |
| Students | 800–900 |
| Location | Manhattan, New York City , New York , United States |
| Campus | Urban |
| Colors | Maroon and Gold |
| Website | cooper |
The Cooper Union | |
| Location | Cooper Square Manhattan, New York City |
| Built | 1858–59 |
| Architect | F.A. Peterson |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000540 |
| NYSRHP No. | 06101.000441 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | July 4, 1961 |
| Designated NYSRHP | June 23, 1980 |
| Designated NYCL | March 15, 1966 |
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly known as Cooper Union, is a private college on Cooper Square in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-supported École Polytechnique in France. The school was built on a radical new model of American higher education based on Cooper's belief that an education "equal to the best technology schools established" should be accessible to those who qualify, independent of their race, religion, sex, wealth or social status, and should be "open and free to all".
The college is divided into three schools: the Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture, the School of Art, and the Albert Nerken School of Engineering. It offers undergraduate and master's degree programs exclusively in the fields of architecture, fine arts (undergraduate only), and engineering as well as a shared core curriculum in the humanities and social sciences.
The Cooper Union was one of very few American institutions of higher learning to offer a full-tuition scholarship to every admitted student, a practice it discontinued in 2014, instead offering a half-tuition scholarship to each admitted student. As of 2024, nearly half of its undergraduate students were attending on a tuition-free basis. In September 2024 the school announced that for the next four years, all students (including current students) would not pay tuition for their senior year.