The deadlines for submitting your application for undergraduate admission are as follows:

Early Decision
     - The Albert Nerken School of Engineering: November 1
     - The School of Art and The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture: December 1

Regular Decision
     - All schools: January 5

Early Decision is available to undergraduate Architecture, Art and Engineering applicants. Applicants whose first choice is The Cooper Union might consider applying Early Decision. Early Decision applications are reviewed earlier than Regular Decision applications. If offered Early Decision admission, you must agree to enroll at The Cooper Union and withdraw your applications to all other colleges. If you are not accepted under the Early Decision process, you may be reconsidered during the Regular Decision process. Although most applicants are "rolled-over" into the regular decision pool, re-evaluation is not guaranteed.

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 of the below exams:

TOEFL, IELTS, or DET   

We do not accept results from the following exams: IELTS Indicator, TOEFL ITP Plus for China, TOEFL Essentials, and PTE Academic Online.
You must also provide English translations of any credentials not in English. 

All international students accepted to Cooper Union will receive the same half-tuition scholarship (currently valued at approximately $22,275 per year) that US citizens and Permanent Residents receive. However, international students are ineligible to receive state or federal aid. To learn more, click here.

The Cooper Union is test optional for the Fall 2023 entering class. This approach will provide applicants with the best opportunity to determine their most appropriate option for applying to The Cooper Union over the next two admission cycles. If students choose to take the SAT or ACT and wish to submit the results as part of their application materials, we will consider them, as always in context and as part of our holistic review process. If students choose not to submit exam results, we will evaluate their candidacy without scores and in keeping with our standard approach. Students will not be implicitly advantaged or disadvantaged by the choices they make.

Should you elect to submit test scores, they need to be received by the Office of Admissions by November 17 for those applying Early Decision and by January 25 for students applying Regular Decision. 

For application steps, click on the following link to the program /school of interest: Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture, School of Art, and Albert Nerken School of Engineering

The Cooper Union will accept the GED (General Equivalency Diploma) in lieu of the high school diploma.

The School of Art Hometest allows us to observe how you think and create, follow direction and manage time, and your problem-solving abilities.

The Hometest consists of a number of visual projects to be completed in approximately 4 weeks and returned to The Cooper Union for review. The Hometest contains its own instructions to be followed explicitly, including a portfolio submission.

The Hometest will be released one week after the application deadline closes and will be viewable in your applicant portal.*

There is a different Hometest for Early Decision and Regular Decision applicants.

*Applicant portal explained in FAQ below

Visit the School of Art apply webpage for details. Notification dates will be published on that page when available. 

The School of Architecture Studio Test allows us to observe how you think and create, follow direction and manage time, and your problem-solving abilities.

The Studio Test consists of a number of visual projects to be completed in approximately 4 weeks and returned to The Cooper Union for review. The Studio Test contains its own instructions to be followed explicitly. 

The Studio Test will be released one week after the application deadline closes and will be viewable in your applicant portal.*

There is a different Studio Test for Early Decision and Regular Decision applicants.

*Applicant portal explained in FAQ below

Visit the School of Architecture apply webpage for details. Notification dates will be published on that page when available. 

The portfolio should be a cross-section of your best and most recent work, including ten to twenty pieces. School of Art applicants are encouraged to attend a National Portfolio Days that we attend.

School of Art first-year and transfer applicants are asked to submit a portfolio and sketchbook along with the Hometest.

School of Architecture transfer applicants are asked to submit a portfolio along with the Studio Test.

Yes. For application steps, click on the following links to the program /school of interest: Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture, School of Art, and Albert Nerken School of Engineering

Transfer credits are reviewed on an individual basis only upon admission to The Cooper Union. Courses taken at the college level are evaluated by the department at Cooper Union for which you seek transfer credit. For example, if you seek transfer credit for a math course, the Math Department at Cooper Union will evaluate your transcript and decide if credit will be granted. We recommend holding on to all syllabi, reading lists, and work from the courses you wish to receive transfer credit.

You can elect to apply to more than one school, though you will only be accepted to one program. You must submit an application to each program you are applying to, and indicate which is your first and which is your second choice program.  To apply to more than one program, please contact the Office of Admissions at admissions@cooper.edu.

We will contact you to determine which program is your top choice. You will initially receive a decision notification for your first choice. If it is not an admitted decision, you will receive a decision notification for both your first and second choice applications. 

Please note, you may only apply to one Engineering major within the School of Engineering.

For each additional application, you are required to submit the $75 nonrefundable application fee. If you already submitted an application fee waiver with your Common Application, you do not need to submit another fee waiver.

On the Common App, please select the fee waiver option. Common App will send your fee waiver request to your high school counselor for confirmation. The Cooper Union will not require any additional documentation after your counselor has approved your request. Should your request be denied, you will need to login to the Common App account and process the application fees. 

At the time of application all applicants are required to indicate the engineering program to which they would like to apply. If you are uncertain, you may contact admissions@cooper.edu. We will assist you in identifying the major most aligned with your interests and put you in touch with current Cooper students in that major.  

Yes. You may submit additional letters of recommendation on the Common Application. While the admissions committee finds the required number of recommendations sufficient, you may provide an additional recommendation if you feel it will address strengths or accomplishments that are not included in the application. 

Yes. You can submit your application if your recommenders have not submitted their letters of recommendation. Your recommenders will receive a notice from the Common App to submit your letters. 

For Albert Nerken School of Engineering applicants, we require two letters of recommendation from teachers, with at least one being from a STEM teacher. We also require a counselor recommendation alongside the Secondary School Report. A letter of recommendation from a teacher that knows you well and can advocate for you, allows us to make informed decisions regarding your preparation for The Cooper Union. If you do not have teachers that are able to write you a letter of recommendation, please contact admissions@cooper.edu. 

No. We will evaluate your candidacy with or without test scores in keeping with our standard, holistic approach. There is no advantage or disadvantage to submitting test scores. We are test optional for fall 2023.

Yes. You may self-report your test scores. Your scores will be verified if admitted.

It is our hope that you can thoughtfully and clearly reflect on why you wish to attend The Cooper Union, and why you are committed to your chosen field of study. We want to learn more about you, your interests, what excites and motivates you, and what you hope to do with your future. 

Yes. Any activities, including work (full-time, part-time, and volunteering) can be included in the Common App. We want to hear more about how you spend your time. If you include work experience, we want to learn more about your job responsibilities and how it has impacted you.

Please check your application portal for updates. If you have any questions, please email us at admissions@cooper.edu.

You may withdraw your application by emailing admissions@cooper.edu with the subject line Withdraw Application. In the email, you must include your full name as it appears on your application as well as the program for which you applied. The request must come directly from the applicant. The application fee is not refundable.

Go to the About page to view our Academic Calendar.

The Center for Career Development offers effective programs and resources to an array of populations associated with The Cooper Union community, including students, employers, alumni, faculty, and staff. The Center encourages creative partnerships and practical resource sharing within the institution and with complementary external organizations.

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