Commencement Schedule

Ceremony: Wednesday, May 26th

This year's Commencement will have both in-person and virtual components that will take place over the course of the day. There is no rehearsal. Members of both the class of 2020 and of 2021 will participate with their school or major together. Likewise, undergraduates and graduates will participate at the same time.

School of Engineering

Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, BSE
8:00 am – 10:00 am        41 Cooper Square - Check-In, Testing, Great Hall Line Up               
10:00 am – 11:00 am      Walk Across the Stage in the Great Hall
10:30 am – 11:30 am      Reception at The Bowery Hotel

Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering
10:00 am – 12 noon    41 Cooper Square - Check-In, Testing, Great Hall Line Up               
12 noon – 1:00 pm    Walk Across the Stage in the Great Hall
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm    Reception at The Bowery Hotel

School of Architecture

12:00 noon – 2:00 pm    41 Cooper Square - Check-In, Testing, Great Hall Line Up               
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm    Walk Across the Stage in the Great Hall
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm    Reception at The Bowery Hotel

School of Art

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm          41 Cooper Square - Check-In, Testing, Great Hall Line Up               
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm          Walk Across the Stage in the Great Hall
4:30 pm – 5:30 pm          Reception at The Bowery Hotel
 
Important Note for Bowery Hotel Receptions: We are excited that so many graduates and their guests will be participating in our in-person activities. Please note that we are at capacity for each group at The Bowery Hotel based on guidelines for event venues issued by the State of New York. When you arrive at The Bowery Hotel for your designated reception hour, there may be a short delay if we exceed the maximum limit allowed into the reception at The Bowery Hotel for each gathering. We ask all guests to be respectful of capacity and time limits to allow all graduates and their guests to have some time at the reception. Food at the Bowery Hotel will include vegetarian and vegan options. Anyone with any other special dietary concerns should email Crystal Ortiz at crystal.ortiz@cooper.edu by no later than 12pm on Thursday, May 20, 2021, and we will try to accommodate as we are able.

  • 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.