Withdrawal and Satisfactory Academic Policy

Eligibility and Satisfactory Academic Policy

To be eligible for financial aid, students must be admitted in a degree granting program, be a U.S. Citizen or permanent resident of the US, and continue to meet Federal financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress guidelines. Visit Who is Eligible for specific criterion.

Please know that the length of all the merit scholarships, institutional grants (including tuition assistance) are 4 years (total of 8 semesters) for Art and Engineering students and 5 years (total of 10 semesters) for Architecture students. Students must be enrolled as a full-time student, maintain satisfactory academic progress eligibility, and adhere to the institutional code of conduct to receive Cooper Union merit scholarships and institutional grants (including tuition assistance). Please note that all institutional scholarships and grants are for first bachelor’s degree seeking students only. Students will automatically be considered for additional merit-based scholarship through the admissions process. In order to be considered for need-based aid, students must file the FAFSA form. For more information, review the financial aid priority deadlines. For more detailed information on requirements for scholarships and grants, visit here.

Withdrawing from Cooper Union

Please review the withdrawal policies to see how your financial aid is affected in the withdrawal process. 

  • 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.