Withdrawal Policy

Requests to withdrawal from a semester must be made in writing to the Registrar. Withdrawals have both academic and financial aid implications.

For academic implications, a student should consult their respective school.

The financial aid implications are outlined below:

Category 1 - If student withdrew before end of the third week

1.       Student will be rebilled.
2.       Half-merit (50%) will be adjusted based on updated tuition charges.
3.       All other institutional aid beyond tuition will be pro-rated based on earned percentage (applies to all students).
4.       Percentage Earned Aid = (# calendar days completed) ÷ (# calendar days in the enrollment period) x 100 – use this to determine percentage earned.

For Example: Spring semester start/end date 01/18/22-05/13/22 and student withdrew on 02/08/22, percentage student earned = 20.60% (22 days completed/107 days in the enrollment period)

•    Initial tuition charges  - $22,275

•    New tuition charges after tuition adjustment – $11,138

•    New half-merit 50% tuition merit $11,138 /2 = $5,569 – adjusted half-merit

•    All other institutional aid including cooper grant, financial aid grant, innovator will be based on percentage earned formula above. 

5.     All emergency funds will remain unchanged.

Category 2- If student withdrew after the third week

1.       Half-merit (50%) will not be adjusted.
2.       All other institutional aid beyond tuition will be pro-rated based on earned percentage (applies to all students). 
3.       Percentage Earned Aid = (# calendar days completed) ÷ (# calendar days in the enrollment period) x 100 – use this to determine percentage earned.

For Example: Spring semester start/end date 01/18/22-05/13/22 and student withdrew on 02/15/22, percentage student earned = 26.16% (28 days completed/107 days in the enrollment period)

•    Initial tuition charges - $22,275 remain unchanged. Half-merit (50%) remains unchanged.

•    All other institutional aid, including Cooper grant, financial aid grant, and innovator will be based on the above percentage earned formula. 

•    All emergency funds are not included in calculation.

4.     All emergency funds will remain unchanged.

Students who receive federal Title IV financial aid are required to return the portion of unearned federal aid if they withdraw from school, do not register, or otherwise fail to complete the period of enrollment for which the Title IV aid was provided as in the case of Leave of Absence.

Title IV funds include

  • Federal Stafford
  • Pell
  • SEOG
  • PLUS Loans
  • Perkins Loans

The return of funds does not apply to any student whose date of withdrawal is beyond the 60 percent enrollment period for which the student has been charged. The date of withdrawal establishes the last date of attendance. The date of withdrawal is determined either by the date the student initiated their school’s withdrawal process, or the last date of recorded attendance. Based on last date of attendance, Title IV funds are “pro-rated." 

Financial aid is returned to the program from which it was disbursed based on the percentage of unearned aid. A rough overview of how financial aid returns are calculated is provided. We encourage students to discuss the financial aid impact of any withdrawal or leave of absence with a financial aid counselor.

Pro-rating financial aid: How unearned financial aid is determined

For students who have withdrawn prior to completion of 60 percent of the term, a calculation will determine the unearned percentage of aid:

  • Percentage Earned Aid = (# calendar days completed) ÷ (# calendar days in the enrollment period) x 100
  • 100% – (% Earned Aid) = (% Unearned Aid)
  • (%Unearned Aid) x Amount of Aid disbursed = Amount to be returned.

Tuition Refund Schedule - Fall 2021 and Spring 2022

Semester tuition fees may be refunded based on the below chart. The further into a given semester, the lower the refund percentage. The refund schedule is based on the withdrawal date. The tables below detail the exact refund schedules for the Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 semesters. Please note, student fees are not refundable after the start of the semester. 

Any withdrawal after the third week of classes is not eligible for a refund of any amount.

 Fall 2021 Refund Schedule

 Refund Percent

Monday, August 30 – Tuesday, September 7

 100%

Wednesday, September 8 – Wednesday, September 15

 50%

Thursday, September 16 – Thursday, September 23

 25%

Any time after September 23

0%

 

 Spring 2022 Refund Schedule

 Refund Percent

Tuesday, January 18 – Tuesday, January 25

 100%

Wednesday, January 26 – Wednesday, February 2

 50%

Thursday, February 3 – Thursday, February 10

 25%

Any time after February 10

 0%

 

  • 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.