With the current high rate of contagiousness and infection from Omicron, we have made the decision to conduct all January classes remotely and to require, with limited exceptions, all employees without essential on-campus duties during this period to work from home through January 28th.  For more information on Covid-19 and the start of spring semester, please use this link to our Covid Response page.  

Apply to the
Cooper Union

The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture

Architecture Studio Space

Architecture Studio Space

These instructions are for first-year applicants only. There are alternate instructions for transfer students.

For fall 2022 applicants, our Early Decision deadline is Wednesday, December 1, 2021 and our Regular Decision deadline is Wednesday, January 5, 2022.

Our 2022 application is now live. Please click here to access the application.

  • Application Requirements

    • A completed Common Application with thoughtful responses to all questions in the writing section
    • A completed Studio Test (instructions will appear in your applicant portal once test is released)
    • 1 teacher recommendation
    • Your official high school transcript or GED certificate (including mid-year report)
    • Any official college transcripts (sent directly from the college or university)
    • SAT/ACT (test optional) 
    • SAT II (optional)
    • $75 Application Fee, or fee waiver (if applicable)

    Deferral of an Offer of Admission in the School of Architecture: Due to the small size of the programs, the deferral of an offer of admission to the Bachelor of Architecture (undergraduate) and/or Master of Science in Architecture (graduate) program is not permitted.

  • Dates And Deadlines

    Early Decision

    Application deadline – Wednesday, December 1, 2021

    Studio Test released – Wednesday, December 8, 2021 at 3:30pm EST

    Studio Test submission deadline – Wednesday, January 5, 2022

    Application notification – Tuesday, February 1, 2022

    Regular Decision

    Application deadline – Wednesday, January 5, 2022

    Studio Test released – Friday, January 7, 2022

    Studio Test submission deadline – Friday, February 4, 2022

    Application notification – Friday, April 1, 2022

  • English Language Proficiency Requirements For International Students

    Undergraduate applicants whose native language is not English and have not had at least 3 years of English at a school where English was the official medium of instruction are required to take one of the exams below. Please note that your English Language Proficiency test results are only valid for two years. Please ensure that the name on your passport matches the name on your application, and on your language scores. 

    Test for English Language Proficiency

    Minimum Score Requirements

    TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)

    600 (paper-based test)

    100 (internet-based test)

    MyBest™ scores are not accepted

    IELTS (International English Language Testing System)

    7.0 

    DET (Duolingo English Test)

    120 (current exam) 

    75 (testing date before July 2019)

     

  • High School Graduation Requirements

    Subject  

    Units* Required for Architecture

    English

    4

    History and Social Studies

    3

    Mathematics (including Calculus)

    3

    Science 

    3

    Other Electives

    6

    Total Units* Required                     

    19 

    *A unit represents a year's study in a subject

    Calculus is a required first-year course for all architecture students. Entering first-year students must have completed Mathematics (including Trigonometry, Algebra II, and Pre-Calculus). Any student who has not completed Pre-Calculus in high school must do so during the summer before enrollment and must submit an official transcript documenting successful completion of the course.

For help with questions regarding the undergraduate application and admissions process, visit our online FAQ. Please email additional questions to admissions@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.