Areas of Need

Areas of Need Image #1
Areas of Need Image #2
Areas of Need Image #3

In 2018, The Cooper Union Board of Trustees announced their endorsement of the Free Education Committee's ten-year plan returning Cooper to full-tuition scholarships for all undergraduates. Thus far we have been on track with the goals of the plan, but we need your help to maintain our momentum! Giving in the following areas will make the most impact on our progress towards reinstating Peter Cooper's vision.

Annual Fund

The Cooper Union Annual Fund is the top choice for alumni, parents and friends looking to provide remarkable students with access to an exceptional education regardless of their means. Annual Fund support is unrestricted, which makes it a flexible and instantly available source of student funding that can be used when and where it is needed the most. Put simply, if it’s critical to offering a world class art, architecture and engineering education in the heart of New York City, your Annual Fund gift provides for it.

Scholarships

The Cooper Union is committed to admitting exceptional students regardless of their financial need, and to providing all available resources necessary to help these students attend and graduate. As part of our ten-year plan to return to full-tuition scholarships for all undergraduate students, we intend to increase levels of scholarships over the coming years until all students are fully supported. We are committed to raising enough funds to make this effort financially sustainable for years to come, and we can’t do it without your help. The tuition cost of a Cooper education is currently $44,550 per year. Every student receives at least $22,275 (50%) annually in tuition scholarships from The Cooper Union. Additional financial aid is dependent on the generosity of our donors. At this time The Cooper Union covers an average of 78% of all tuition costs for undergraduates. Of our current student body, 43% still receive full-tuition scholarships as Peter Cooper intended. A gift of $22,275 can ensure one year's full-tuition scholarship to a Cooper student, and every contribution brings us closer to a tuition-free Cooper Union. Please consider joining these donors in providing this essential support to our students today.

Endowed Gifts

Gifts to augment The Cooper Union's endowment provide sustainable revenue for years to come. Peter Cooper and Andrew Carnegie, among other donors throughout our history, have invested in this long-term support that still provides critical resources today. Each endowed fund has a principal account and an operating/spending account which is formed from the conservative annual spending draw determined by the current investment spending policy. The principal remains and grows in perpetuity, while the operating account generates income for what you value most at Cooper for years to come. In recognition of your generosity, you have the opportunity to name your endowment - the name you choose may be your own, that of a family member, or of another person inspirational to your life story. To learn more about establishing an endowment, or making a gift to an already-existing endowment fund, please contact development@cooper.edu. 

 

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.