New York, NY · Private · 842 undergraduates · urban
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
Highly selective
Cooper Union uses three highly specialized schools, each with a different admissions test of readiness rather than one shared undergraduate selection process.
Institutional profile
Top tier Exceptional in academic standing, and strong in career outcomes.Single-purpose institute in art, architecture, and engineering with a large tuition scholarship for every admitted student.
- Admission
- 19.1% admitted
- Price by income
- Varies across five income ranges
- Completion
- 85.2%
1,790 applicants in the reported year
Compare recent average annual costs by household income
$83,847 median earnings 10 years after enrollment
What sets Cooper Union apart
Academic design
Students study within separate Art, Architecture, or Engineering schools, with curricula structured around professional studio or technical training rather than broad exploratory majors.
Admission process
Art applicants complete a Hometest and portfolio; architecture uses a Studio Test; engineering requires strong academic preparation and standardized test scores.
Defining experience
The School of Art Hometest gives applicants roughly a month to answer faculty-designed visual and written prompts alongside their portfolio.
Can I get in?
19.1% admitted
Art applicants complete a Hometest and portfolio; architecture uses a Studio Test; engineering requires strong academic preparation and standardized test scores.
Recent applicant pool
1,790About 19 in every 100 applicants were admitted.
Academic range
Of admitted students, 43% submitted an SAT, and 9% submitted an ACT. The ACT range comes from a small share of admitted students and does not describe the full class.
In the season card
Where your GPA sits in the entering class
The full entering-class GPA distribution for Cooper Union, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.
See where I landIn the season card
What Cooper Union weighs when it reads a file
See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.
- Course rigor
- GPA
- Test scores
- Essay
- Recommendations
- Extracurriculars
- Demonstrated interest
What moves the application
The evidence that separates a strong file
Clear the academic baseline
Students study within separate Art, Architecture, or Engineering schools, with curricula structured around professional studio or technical training rather than broad exploratory majors.
Complete the specialized assessment
Art applicants complete a Hometest and portfolio; architecture uses a Studio Test; engineering requires strong academic preparation and standardized test scores.
Plan the process early
Follow requirements for the specific school: Art and Architecture have creative assessments, while Engineering requires testing and substantial calculus, physics, and chemistry preparation.
How to apply
Rounds, route, and required materials
Follow requirements for the specific school: Art and Architecture have creative assessments, while Engineering requires testing and substantial calculus, physics, and chemistry preparation.
Fee waiver: accepted
Can I afford it?
Compare annual cost by household income.
Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.
In the season card
Average annual cost by household income at Cooper Union
Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.
- $0–30k
- $30–48k
- $48–75k
- $75–110k
- $110k+
Is it worth it?
Completion, debt, and earnings
Read completion, borrowing, field mix, and earnings together. For specialized training, compare those signals with the professional path you intend to follow.
Degree completion across the reported entering cohort
First-year students who return for year two
And what that comes to against what they earn.
Reported 10 years after enrollment
Academic portfolio
Largest bachelor’s fields
How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.
Fine and Studio Arts
Architecture
Civil Engineering
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
What is campus life like?
Cooper Union beyond the classroom
The East Village campus centers on the historic Foundation Building and 41 Cooper Square, placing studios and laboratories directly within lower Manhattan.
The academic structure
Students study within separate Art, Architecture, or Engineering schools, with curricula structured around professional studio or technical training rather than broad exploratory majors.
The campus rhythm
The East Village campus centers on the historic Foundation Building and 41 Cooper Square, placing studios and laboratories directly within lower Manhattan.
What changes the experience
The School of Art Hometest gives applicants roughly a month to answer faculty-designed visual and written prompts alongside their portfolio.