Policies, Procedures, & Contact

Half-Tuition Scholarship Details
  • Every enrolled undergraduate student receives a half-tuition scholarship valued at $22,275 per academic year and a tuition-free senior year currently at $44,550.
     
  • The length of all merit scholarships is 4 years (a total of 8 semesters) for School of Art and School of Engineering students and 5 years (a total of 10 semesters for School of Architecture students. The length of these awards for transfer students will be based on the number of semesters required for graduation at the time of their admission. Annual renewal of all merit awards is based on the student maintaining a minimum grade point average of 2.0 and enrolling in a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester.
     
  • Institutional grants are need-based awards for students who demonstrate financial need, as determined by their completed annual FAFSA application. Award amounts may be adjusted each year based on changes to their financial need. The grants are available for a maximum of four years (eight semesters) for students in the School of Art and School of Engineering programs, and up to five years (ten semesters) for School of Architecture students. To remain eligible, students must maintain satisfactory academic standing, enroll full-time (a minimum of 12 credits per semester), annually submit a completed FAFSA, and comply with all verification requests.
     
  • When a student withdraws during the semester, all the institutional scholarships, tuition assistance, and grants for the semester in which they are withdrawing will be pro-rated based on percentage of aid earned. Students are responsible for all financial obligations for the withdrawn semester after a pro-rated calculation. 
     
  • Students must be enrolled as a full-time student (registered in 12 or more undergraduate level credits or any graduate level courses that meet the degree completion requirement), maintain satisfactory academic progress eligibility, and adhere to the institutional code of conduct to receive The Cooper Union merit scholarships and institutional grants. 
     
  • Graduate courses that do not meet the Bachelor's degree requirement cannot be used as undergraduate credits to meet full-time undergraduate financial aid eligibility. 
     
  • Please note that all institutional scholarships and grants are for first bachelor's degree seeking students only. Students will automatically be considered for additional merit-based scholarship through the admissions process. In order to be considered for need-based aid, students must file the FAFSA form. For more information, review the financial aid priority deadlines for 2025-2026.
     
  • Review our eligibility and Satisfactory Academic Progress policy here.
     
  • The office of financial aid reserves the right to change or modify your financial aid package at any time without prior notification.
How to Apply for Financial Aid
  • Step 1: Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on the website and use our Federal School Code (Title IV Institutional): 002710
    NYS TAP Code: 0170
    Step 2: If you do not already have an FSA ID, apply for one.
     
  • If you have additional questions, please review our Financial Aid FAQs.
Withdrawal Policy
  • Requests to withdraw from a semester must be made in writing to the Registrar. Withdrawals have both academic and financial aid implications.
  • For academic implications, a student should consult their respective school.
  • The financial aid implications are outlined below:
     
  • Category 1 - If student withdrew before end of the third week
    1.       Student will be rebilled.
    2.       Half-merit (50%) will be adjusted based on updated tuition charges.
    3.       All other institutional aid beyond tuition will be pro-rated based on earned percentage (applies to all students).
    4.       Percentage Earned Aid = (# calendar days completed) ÷ (# calendar days in the enrollment period) x 100 – use this to determine percentage earned.
    • For Example: Spring semester start/end date 01/18/22-05/13/22 and student withdrew on 02/08/22, percentage student earned = 20.60% (22 days completed/107 days in the enrollment period)
    • Initial tuition charges  - $22,275
    • New tuition charges after tuition adjustment – $11,138
    • New half-merit 50% tuition merit $11,138 /2 = $5,569 – adjusted half-merit
    • All other institutional aid including cooper grant, financial aid grant, innovator will be based on percentage earned formula above.

                             5.       All emergency funds will remain unchanged.
 

  • Category 2- If student withdrew after the third week
    1.       Half-merit (50%) will not be adjusted.
    2.       All other institutional aid beyond tuition will be pro-rated based on earned percentage (applies to all students). 
    3.       Percentage Earned Aid = (# calendar days completed) ÷ (# calendar days in the enrollment period) x 100 – use this to determine percentage earned.
    • For Example: Spring semester start/end date 01/18/22-05/13/22 and student withdrew on 02/15/22, percentage student earned = 26.16% (28 days completed/107 days in the enrollment period)
    • Initial tuition charges - $22,275 remain unchanged. Half-merit (50%) remains unchanged.
    • All other institutional aid, including Cooper non-tuition scholarships, financial aid grant, and innovator will be based on the above percentage earned formula. 
    • All emergency funds are not included in calculation.

                           4.     All emergency funds will remain unchanged.
 

  • Students who receive federal Title IV financial aid are required to return the portion of unearned federal aid if they withdraw from school, do not register, or otherwise fail to complete the period of enrollment for which the Title IV aid was provided as in the case of Leave of Absence.
    • Title IV funds include
      • Federal Stafford
      • Pell
      • SEOG
      • PLUS Loans
  • The return of funds does not apply to any student whose date of withdrawal is beyond the 60 percent enrollment period for which the student has been charged. The date of withdrawal establishes the last date of attendance. The date of withdrawal is determined either by the date the student initiated their school’s withdrawal process, or the last date of recorded attendance. Based on last date of attendance, Title IV funds are “pro-rated." 
     
  • Financial aid is returned to the program from which it was disbursed based on the percentage of unearned aid. A rough overview of how financial aid returns are calculated is provided. We encourage students to discuss the financial aid impact of any withdrawal or leave of absence with a financial aid counselor.
     

Pro-rating financial aid: How unearned financial aid is determined

  • For students who have withdrawn prior to completion of 60 percent of the term, a calculation will determine the unearned percentage of aid:
    • Percentage Earned Aid = (# calendar days completed) ÷ (# calendar days in the enrollment period) x 100
    • 100% – (% Earned Aid) = (% Unearned Aid)
    • (%Unearned Aid) x Amount of Aid disbursed = Amount to be returned.

Tuition Refund Schedule   

CARES Act Emergency Fund Reports
COVID-19 Emergency Relief funds 
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  • 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.