Coordinates: 40°43′45″N 73°59′26″W / 40.72927°N 73.99058°W / 40.72927; -73.99058

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly known as Cooper Union and informally referred to, especially during the 19th century, as the Cooper Institute, is a private college at Cooper Square in New York City. Inspired in 1830 when Peter Cooper learned about the government-supported École Polytechnique in France, Cooper Union was established in 1859. The school was built on a radical new model of American higher education based on founder Peter Cooper's fundamental belief that an education "equal to the best technology schools established" should be accessible to those who qualify, independent of their race, religion, sex, wealth or social status, and should be "open and free to all."

The Cooper Union originally offered free courses to its admitted students, and when a four-year undergraduate program was established in 1902, the school granted each admitted student a full-tuition scholarship. Following its own financial crisis, the school decided to abandon this policy starting in the fall of 2014 with each incoming student receiving at least a half-tuition merit scholarship, with additional school financial support. The school plans to gradually reinstate full-tuition scholarships for undergraduates by the 2028–2029 academic year.

The Cooper Union for The Advancement of Science and Art