The first day of the semester at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York on Tuesday came with a surprise for seniors that will make them the envy of college students everywhere.
Their tuition for the year will be free.
The announcement marks an unexpected milestone in the college’s effort to return to free tuition for all students, a model that had distinguished Cooper Union, a school for art, architecture and engineering, for nearly all of its 165-year history.
The students learned of the gift just before 1 p.m. at their annual convocation.
“It was electric,” said Talmadge Parnell-Ward, an art student.
“Everyone jumped up immediately.” About a decade ago, the small, prestigious school in Manhattan faced a financial crisis.
It began charging some students to attend, leading to student and alumni protests as well as a lawsuit.
The goal was to bring back free tuition for undergraduates in a decade.
The move comes as other colleges and universities around the country are cutting programs and raising tuition as they face enrollment declines and other financial pressures.
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On Tuesday, seniors at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York received a surprise on their first day of classes that will make them the talk of college campuses everywhere.
They will pay no tuition for the entire year.
In the college’s attempt to bring back free tuition for all students—a model that had set Cooper Union—a university of art, architecture, and engineering—apart for almost the entirety of its 165-year existence—the announcement represents an unanticipated turning point.
Just before 1:00 p.m., the students were informed about the gift. m. at their yearly gathering. Cheers broke out in the school’s Great Hall, the scene of Abraham Lincoln’s 1860 speech.
Art student Talmadge Parnell-Ward described it as “electric.”. “Everyone leaped to their feet right away. “.
The small, elite school in Manhattan experienced financial difficulties about ten years ago. It started charging some students to come, which sparked protests from students and alumni and resulted in legal action. The attorney general of New York, who is responsible for supervising all nonprofit organizations in the state, launched an investigation during the upheaval and subsequently mediated a plan in 2018 to bring the school back to financial stability. It was intended to restore free undergraduate tuition within ten years.
The action is being taken in response to declining enrollment and other financial pressures that have forced other colleges and universities across the nation to reduce programs and raise tuition. According to Laura Sparks, the former president who resigned this summer, the Cooper Union wanted to forge a new course, devoting all available funds to scholarships and refusing to spend money on frivolous amenities like fancy gyms or smoothie bars to draw in students.
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