Commencement

The Cooper Union’s 166th Commencement will take place on Thursday, May 28, 2026, honoring our 2026 graduates. The ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. in our historic Great Hall, located in the Foundation Building, 7 East 7th Street, New York, NY 10003. 

The program will also be livestreamed for public viewing at youtube.com/cooperunion.

For additional details, please check the FAQ site here: Frequently Asked Questions!

If you have further questions about commencement, you can email us at commencement@cooper.edu.

Continue to check back for updates 

on the Frequently Asked Questions site 

as final preparations are made to celebrate 

the graduating class of 2026!

 

FAQ Last Updated - Tuesday, May 12, 2026

  • 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.