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

School of Art

Life Drawing

Life Drawing

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 Common Application.

  • Application Requirements

    • A completed application – (first-year applicants use the Common App); (transfer applicants use the Cooper Application)
    • A completed Hometest and questionnaire (instructions will appear in your applicant portal once test is released)
    • A portfolio (to be submitted with Hometest) 
    • Letter of recommendation (2 for transfers)
    • Official high school transcript or GED certificate (including mid-year report)
    • If transfer, official college transcripts for ALL schools attended
    • SAT/ACT test (optional)
    • English language proficiency test (if applicable)
    • $75 application fee, or fee waiver (if applicable)

    Potential School of Art students who have received a preliminary review at National Portfolio Days, which occur after The Cooper Union’s regular admission deadline (see above), may be invited to apply after the regular admission deadline. All reasonable effort is made by the School of Art admissions committee to review these applications in a fair and timely fashion.

  • Dates And Deadlines

    Early Decision

    Application deadline – Wednesday, December 1, 2021

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

    Hometest submission deadline – Wednesday, January 5, 2022

    Application notification – Tuesday, February 1, 2022

    Regular Decision

    Application deadline – Wednesday, January 5, 2022

    Hometest released – Friday, January 7, 2022

    Hometest submission deadline – Friday, February 4, 2022

    Application notification – Thursday, 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 Art

    English

    4

    History and Social Studies

    2

    Mathematics 

    1

    Science 

    1

    Other Electives

    8

    Total Units* Required                     

    16

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

    Students who apply while attending high school will be expected to supply transcripts of subjects studied during the first three years of high school (Grades 9, 10, and 11). High school graduates must supply the full four-year record. High school transcripts should be sent during the fall and winter months, but not later than January 18th if supporting a first-year application. Each candidate should make certain that the high school subjects required for his or her major are completed prior to graduation since The Cooper Union will not be able to verify his or her senior program until final transcripts arrive in June or July. This is too late to make up a missing required subject or to make plans for admission to another college. Students who have not fulfilled their application requirements may have their offer of admission rescinded.

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.