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Cost & financial aid brief

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# The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

[Overview](/school/the-cooper-union-for-the-advancement-of-science-and-art/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/the-cooper-union-for-the-advancement-of-science-and-art/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/the-cooper-union-for-the-advancement-of-science-and-art/admissions/)[Majors](/school/the-cooper-union-for-the-advancement-of-science-and-art/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/the-cooper-union-for-the-advancement-of-science-and-art/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art cost after financial aid?

The published cost of attendance at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art is $64,190. Its published tuition and fees are $46,820, and room and board are $19,090.

For the average aid recipient, financial aid reduces the sticker price by $50,921, bringing the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) down to $13,269. That average net price is $9,078 below the $22,347 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #129 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The affordability pillar sits in the 91st percentile.

Azimuth places the affordability pillar for The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in the 91st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid recipients pay an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $13,269, $9,078 below the median of $22,347 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $15,000 in federal loans, $10,000 below the peer median of $25,000. Families in the lowest income band pay $3,749 on average.

Those in the highest band pay $25,870. The spread between the two ends is $22,121.

For families earning under $30,000, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $3,749. The figure is $6,904 in the $30,001–$48,000 band, $10,457 in the $48,001–$75,000 band, $16,682 in the $75,001–$110,000 band, and $25,870 for families earning over $110,000.

27.9% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, a group that overlaps with the lowest income band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $22,121.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$3,749

**$30–48K**
$6,904

**$48–75K**
$10,457

**$75–110K**
$16,682

**$110K+**
$25,870

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$13,269**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

The average aid recipient at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art sees 79% of the published cost covered by grants and scholarships, a reduction of $50,921. That average masks a wide range.

The lowest-income band pays $3,749 on average, while the highest band pays $25,870, a spread of $22,121 between the two ends. The pricing structure is steeply progressive, with each income band paying more than the one below it.

These are averages within each band, not what any particular family will pay, and the published cost remains the starting point before aid is applied.

The published cost of attendance is $64,190 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art #129 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $3,749, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $10,457, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $25,870. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $22,121.

Tuition and fees are $46,820. The average aid recipient receives $50,921 in grants and scholarships, bringing the average net price to $13,269.

That is $9,078 below the $22,347 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who finish carry a median of $15,000 in federal student loans.

That is $10,000 below the peer median of $25,000. 60.2% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.

Parents who borrow through [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) hold a separate median of $17,804. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $170 a month.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

The median federal student debt at completion is $15,000. 60.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.

That median sits $10,000 below the $25,000 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $170 a month.

Parents who borrow through the [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) program hold a separate median of $17,804.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $75,729. That figure is $19,814 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), and it lands in the 84th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, show a wide range. The typical earnings scenario matches the observed median, while the downside scenario sits at $24,920 and the upside reaches $132,801.

The median federal debt of $15,000 is $10,000 below the median for comparable institutions, and it corresponds to an estimated payment of $170 a month if repaid over ten years.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $17,804. For student borrowers, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $170 a month if repaid over ten years.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$17,804

**Estimated parent payment**
$226/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
| --- | --- | --- |
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 13.3% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 6.0% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 2.8% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.9% | Safe |

The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. [Open the parent tool for your own numbers](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=the-cooper-union-for-the-advancement-of-science-and-art#parent-tool). [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$15,000

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$17,804

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$170/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$226/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$396/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

#### Student payment as a share of available income

At median graduate earnings of $75,729, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**3.9%** of income above the allowance · Excellent

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  High risk Over 20%

How this estimate works

These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=the-cooper-union-for-the-advancement-of-science-and-art#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).

**Net price and borrowing.** The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. [College Scorecard data and documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.