Cooper Union: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Officially The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art · New York, New York · Private nonprofit · Highly selective · CDS 2024-2025
Ranked #3 (tie) in Regional Colleges North; Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs #9U.S. News & World Report, Best Colleges 2027
Admission figures come from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set published by The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.
Is Cooper Union a reach, target or safety for your student?
Enter a GPA and course load and the calculator places Cooper Union against it in about a minute. No account needed.
Cooper Union is a private nonprofit university in New York, New York that admits about 21% of applicants, making it a highly selective school. The average family pays about $13,269 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Fine and Studio Arts, Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering and Chemical Engineering, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 1.2 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Cooper Union is a private institution located in New York, New York and one of the highly selective schools in the country. For the most recent reporting cycle, Cooper Union admits between 1 in 10 and 1 in 4 applicants, with an overall admission rate of 21%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT around 1410. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $13,269 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price.
What GPA does my child need for Cooper Union?
Most admitted students at Cooper Union present unweighted GPAs in the 3.85–4.0 range with five or more AP or honors courses across high school.
Compare Cooper Union with the other schools on your list
Open Cooper Union in College Search to set it beside up to three other colleges on cost, admission odds and outcomes, and save it to a shortlist when you are ready.
Why there are no admission factors for Cooper Union
Cooper Union does not publish a Common Data Set. That is the survey most colleges use to report how they weight grades, essays and test scores, and it is where the admission detail on these pages comes from. We checked the school's own site rather than assuming, so this is a gap in what Cooper Union publishes, not a gap in what we have collected.
Schools that report no Common Data Set are usually open-admission or near-open-admission, which means grades and test scores carry far less weight than they would elsewhere. The cost and outcome figures on this page come from federal reporting and are unaffected.
SAT and ACT scores Cooper Union typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 642–753. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 28–34. A score at or above this school's 75th percentile materially improves your child's odds, particularly when paired with a rigorous course load.
| 25th percentile | n/a |
| 50th percentile | 1410 |
| 75th percentile | n/a |
| 25th percentile | 28 |
| 50th percentile | n/a |
| 75th percentile | 34 |
How much does Cooper Union actually cost?
Published tuition is $46,820 for in-state students and $46,820 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $19,090 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $13,269 per year, and that is the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 28% of students receive Pell Grants.
| Average net price (after aid) | $13,269 |
| Financial aid forms | FAFSA only (no CSS Profile)College Board 2026-27 list |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Cooper Union
Most popular majors at Cooper Union
The most popular undergraduate programs at Cooper Union, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Fine and Studio Arts, Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering and Chemical Engineering. Across all programs, Cooper Union confers roughly 174 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Fine and Studio Arts program report a median income of about $26,581 five years after entering college. What these figures mean
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Fine and Studio Arts | 62 | $26,581 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 31 | n/a |
| Chemical Engineering | 23 | n/a |
| Architecture | 20 | n/a |
| Civil Engineering | 18 | n/a |
| Mechanical Engineering | 16 | n/a |
| Engineering, General | 4 | n/a |
Is Cooper Union safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Cooper Union disclosed 1 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 1.2 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 0 violent offenses and 1 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Why per-1,000 rates, not counts
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Next steps for Cooper Union
Common questions parents ask about Cooper Union
What GPA do I need for Cooper Union?
Most admitted students at Cooper Union present unweighted GPAs in the 3.85–4.0 range with five or more AP or honors courses across high school.
What SAT or ACT score does Cooper Union typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 642–753. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 28–34.
How much does Cooper Union actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Cooper Union after grants and scholarships is $13,269 per year, against a published in-state tuition of $46,820. Budget against the net figure.
Is Cooper Union realistic for my child?
Cooper Union admits 21% of applicants, so 642–753 SAT Math is target range and below 642 is a reach. Then check the $13,269 average net price against what your family can carry.
What is the acceptance rate at Cooper Union?
Cooper Union accepts about 21% of applicants. That makes it a highly selective school.
Is Cooper Union a public or private school, and where is it located?
Cooper Union is a private nonprofit institution located in New York, New York.
What are the most popular majors at Cooper Union?
The largest undergraduate majors at Cooper Union by annual graduates are Fine and Studio Arts, Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering and Chemical Engineering. The school awards about 174 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Cooper Union safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Cooper Union reported 1 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 1.2 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
Sources: the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, the College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act disclosures. What each source covers