Applications for the STEM Saturdays' 2026-27 academic year will open on August 21, 2026.

The STEM Saturdays program provides an opportunity for students who have little to no exposure to STEM extracurricular programs, in order to support students in generating a positive STEM identity of themselves and their skillsets within various STEM strands. Within each class, students are immersed in project-based learning environments that develop their design thinking, problem-based learning, and critical thinking skills.  

Below are the STEM Saturdays courses that will be offered during the 2026-27 academic year:

Making Waves: Sound, Acoustics & Signals

FALL 2026 COURSE DATES: 7 Saturdays | 10:00 AM–3:00 PM
October 17–December 12, 2026 (student showcase on December 12)

Course Description

Stop listening to sound and start engineering it! Students explore the intersection between sound and engineering in this hands-on program. The course lays the foundation of sound as a physical phenomenon and harnesses it to engineer music, audio equipment, and room acoustics using electronics and signal processing. Students master industry technologies like MATLAB, acoustic materials, and professional equipment through custom projects in the only anechoic chamber in NYC. 

Tuition-Free Access

Students who meet The Cooper Union’s income-eligibility requirements may attend the program at no cost. Finanical aid is limited, and we award assistance to the students showing the most financial need and who do not have access to free STEM programs at their school or community in which they reside.   Families requesting Tuition-Free Access will be required to submit documentation (tax returns and all schedules) demonstrating income eligibility according to NYC Median Income Eligibility.  

$5,150 tuition for full-paying students.
$0 tuition for income-eligible students.

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT APPLICATION: Wednesday, September 30, 11:59pm (rolling decision)
Last Date you will receive the decision about your application: Tuesday, October 6, 3:30pm
Deposit of $750 (if not eligible for financial aid) required on the day you accept your offer of admission.
Deadline to pay the balance of your tuition (if you do not qualify for financial aid): Thursday, October 15, 11:59 (payment plans are available)

Midwinter Engineering Intensive @The Cooper Union 
Digital Fabrication Meets Wearable Tech & Design | Spring 2027

COURSE DATES: Tuesday, February 16–Saturday, February 20, 2027 (student showcase on February 20). This sequence is aligned with the New York City Public Schools' Mid-Winter Break
10:00 AM–3:00 PM

Course Description

 

Five Days to Imagine, Engineer, Fabricate, and Launch

Spend your Midwinter Break at The Cooper Union immersed in a five-day engineering and design experience that brings together mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, digital fabrication, and creative product design.

In this intensive, high school students will explore how engineers transform ideas into working physical objects. Using the engineering design process, students will move from concept sketches and digital models to fabricated parts, electronic systems, working prototypes, and a final presentation.

The challenge: design and build a functional wearable or portable object that serves a purpose, responds to the user, moves, lights up, or expresses a distinctive design identity.

Students may create illuminated accessories, kinetic objects, smart wearable devices, portable inventions, interactive products, or entirely new concepts of their own.

Throughout the week, students will experiment with 3D printing, laser cutting, digital modeling, mechanical systems, circuits, LEDs, switches, sensors, motors, materials, and fabrication techniques while learning that engineering is as much about testing, troubleshooting, and redesigning as it is about creating.

The week culminates on Saturday, February 20, when students refine their prototypes and participate in an Engineering Design Showcase & Demo Day, presenting their work and demonstrating how their designs function.

 

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT APPLICATION: Monday, December 14, 11:59pm (rolling decision)
Last Date you will receive the decision about your application: Friday, January 22, 3:30pm
Deposit of $750 (if not eligible for financial aid) required on the day you accept your offer of admission or due Friday, January 29, 2027, whichever comes first
Deadline to pay the balance of your tuition (if you do not qualify for financial aid): Monday, February 1, 11:59 (payment plans are available)

• Classes meet in person on Saturdays, 10:00am-4:00pm
• Classes are held at The Cooper Union's School of Engineering, 41 Cooper Square, New York, NY 10003. 

Eligible students who can apply to our STEM Saturdays program are those who: 

• Live in New York City, within the 5 boroughs
• Are currently in 9th, 10th, or 11th grade
• Are low or moderate income (See 2025 NYC Area Median Income). Students of low or moderate income may be eligible for a fee waiver.
• Are from households above the NYC Median income 

Priority admission is given to students with no prior experience in Engineering or Computer Science, and no access to Engineering or Computer Science at their school.

YOU MAY BE ELIGIBLE TO ATTEND STEM SATURDAYS FOR FREE IF YOUR HOUSEHOLD INCOME FALLS BELOW THE CURRENT NYC MEDIAN INCOME. Note that you must submit your most recent tax returns and/or evidence of income, in order to be considered for financial aid. 

The cost of our courses during the 2025-26 academic year are:

• 3D Printing Meets Wearable Tech & Design - $2,000
• We Need Your Help! Mechanics & Electronics For Emergency Response — What If Your Invention Could Help Save Lives in Our City? - $2,000
• Swift in Motion: App Development Essentials - $3,000
• The Shape of Sound: Instrument Design - $2,000

• Students are required to attend all class meetings.
• Students who miss more than one class for any reason, including illness, may be withdrawn, or will be transferred to another future program, depending upon the circumstances.
• All materials fees are included in the costs of the courses.

Read the STEM Program FAQs to learn more about the STEM Saturdays program.
To receive updates on our upcoming programs, please complete our interest form.
Still have questions about STEM Satudays?  Email stem@cooper.edu