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Cooper Union

Transfer – Architecture

Admissions Process

You may apply for transfer to The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture if:

  • You have completed at least one year of an accredited architecture program elsewhere by June of the year for which you are applying.
  • OR by June you hold a bachelor's degree or the equivalent in a discipline other than architecture.

OR you can submit a portfolio of your creative work and you have begun studies in a discipline related to architecture.

EARLY DECISION: If The Cooper Union is your first choice, you may consider applying early decision.  If admitted via early decision you must accept our offer and withdraw your other college applications.
STEP 1 Submit the first part of your application online here by Tuesday, December 1, 2020.
STEP 2 You will receive a confirmation email.
STEP 3 You will have to prepare and submit by Tuesday, December 1, 2020.
  • Your official high school transcript or GED certificate (required for all applicants)
  • Any official college transcripts (sent directly from the college or university)
  • Recommendation letter (1 strongly encouraged)
  • Official TOEFL, IELTS, or DET scores, if applicable*

Send all materials to: admissions@cooper.edu.
STEP 4

You will receive the Studio Test via email on Tuesday, December 8, 2020. You will have approximately one month to complete the test. The Office of Admissions must receive the Studio Test and all application materials no later than Tuesday, January 5, 2021. Extensions are not permitted unless in the case of extenuating circumstances. We highly recommend adding admissions@cooper.edu to your email address book in order to prevent important emails (like your Studio Test and admission decision) from going to spam!

The Studio Test will include portfolio requirements for transfers. All portfolio work should be sent with the studio test.

Please follow all instructions carefully.
STEP 5 You will receive an admission decision by Monday, February 1, 2021.

 

REGULAR DECISION:
STEP 1 Submit the first part of your application online here by Tuesday, January 5, 2021.
STEP 2 You will receive a confirmation email.
STEP 3 You will have to prepare and submit by Tuesday, January 5, 2021.
  • Your official high school transcript or GED certificate (required for applicants)
  • Any official college transcripts (sent directly from the college or university)
  • Recommendation letter (1 strongly encouraged)
  • Official TOEFL, IELTS, or DET scores, if applicable*

Send all materials to: admissions@cooper.edu.
STEP 4

You will receive the Studio Test via email on Tuesday, January 12, 2021. You will have approximately one month to complete the test. The Office of Admissions must receive the Studio Test and all application materials no later than Tuesday, February 9, 2021. Extensions are not permitted unless in the case of extenuating circumstances. We highly recommend adding admissions@cooper.edu to your email address book in order to prevent important emails (like your Studio Test and admission decision) from going to spam!

The Studio Test will include portfolio requirements for transfers. All portfolio work should be sent with the studio test.

Please follow all instructions carefully.
STEP 5

You will receive an admission decision by Thursday, April 1, 2021.

If admitted, transfer students are offered admission into a specific year of the five-year design sequence. Placement in the design sequence is a condition of the offer of admission and not subject to further review or appeal. By accepting the offer of admission, the transfer student agrees to this placement and acknowledges his/her anticipated graduation date. **

*Undergraduate applicants whose native language is not English and who have not graduated from a secondary school in a country with English as the official medium of instruction are required to take one the below exams.

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), IELTS (International English Language Testing System), or DET (Duolingo English Testing) Scores per the below requirements. Scores must be submitted directly by the testing service to admissions@cooper.edu.

Click here for more information regarding International Applicants.

**It will be necessary for the matriculating transfer student to successfully complete the design studio to which he/she is admitted, as well as all subsequent studios, as part of his or her degree requirements. There is no opportunity for transfer students to accelerate through the required design sequence. Transfer applicants from programs other than accredited architecture programs will likely be placed in the first-year design studio (Architectonics). The official academic transcript of a transfer student will be reviewed prior to the student’s first registration. This review will determine what, if any, additional coursework may be eligible for transfer credit. (See here for more information on transfer credit evaluation by the School of Architecture.)

Deferral of an Offer of Admission: Due to the small size of the programs, the deferral of an offer of admission to the Bachelor of Architecture (undergraduate) is not permitted.

  • 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.