Cooper Union Requirements for Admission

What are Cooper Union's admission requirements? While there are a lot of pieces that go into a college application, you should focus on only a few critical things:

  • GPA requirements
  • Testing requirements, including SAT and ACT requirements
  • Application requirements

In this guide we'll cover what you need to get into Cooper Union and build a strong application.

School location: New York, NY

This school is also known as: Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art


Admissions Rate: 22.3%

If you want to get in, the first thing to look at is the acceptance rate. This tells you how competitive the school is and how serious their requirements are.

The acceptance rate at Cooper Union is 22.3%. For every 100 applicants, 22 are admitted.

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This means the school is very selective. If you meet Cooper Union's requirements for GPA, SAT/ACT scores, and other components of the application, you have a great shot at getting in. But if you fall short on GPA or your SAT/ACT scores, you'll have a very low chance of being admitted, even if you meet the other admissions requirements.


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Cooper Union GPA Requirements

Many schools specify a minimum GPA requirement, but this is often just the bare minimum to submit an application without immediately getting rejected.

The GPA requirement that really matters is the GPA you need for a real chance of getting in. For this, we look at the school's average GPA for its current students.

Average GPA: 3.71

The average GPA at Cooper Union is 3.71.

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(Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA.

With a GPA of 3.71, Cooper Union requires you to be above average in your high school class. You'll need at least a mix of A's and B's, with more A's than B's. You can compensate for a lower GPA with harder classes, like AP or IB classes. This will show that you're able to handle more difficult academics than the average high school student.

If you're currently a junior or senior, your GPA is hard to change in time for college applications. If your GPA is at or below the school average of 3.71, you'll need a higher SAT or ACT score to compensate. This will help you compete effectively against other applicants who have higher GPAs than you.


SAT and ACT Requirements

Each school has different requirements for standardized testing. Only a few schools require the SAT or ACT, but many consider your scores if you choose to submit them.

Cooper Union hasn't explicitly named a policy on SAT/ACT requirements, but because it's published average SAT or ACT scores (we'll cover this next), it's likely test flexible. Typically, these schools say, "if you feel your SAT or ACT score represents you well as a student, submit them. Otherwise, don't."

Despite this policy, the truth is that most students still take the SAT or ACT, and most applicants to Cooper Union will submit their scores. If you don't submit scores, you'll have one fewer dimension to show that you're worthy of being admitted, compared to other students. We therefore recommend that you consider taking the SAT or ACT, and doing well.

Cooper Union SAT Requirements

Many schools say they have no SAT score cutoff, but the truth is that there is a hidden SAT requirement. This is based on the school's average score.

Average SAT: 1460

The average SAT score composite at Cooper Union is a 1460 on the 1600 SAT scale.

This score makes Cooper Union Strongly Competitive for SAT test scores.

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Cooper Union SAT Score Analysis (New 1600 SAT)

The 25th percentile SAT score is 1390, and the 75th percentile SAT score is 1510. In other words, a 1390 on the SAT places you below average, while a 1510 will move you up to above average.

Here's the breakdown of SAT scores by section:

SectionAverage25th Percentile75th Percentile
Math760710790
Reading + Writing700670740
Composite146013901510

SAT Score Choice Policy

The Score Choice policy at your school is an important part of your testing strategy.


Cooper Union ACT Requirements

Just like for the SAT, Cooper Union likely doesn't have a hard ACT cutoff, but if you score too low, your application will get tossed in the trash.

Average ACT: 33

The average ACT score at Cooper Union is 33. This score makes Cooper Union Strongly Competitive for ACT scores.

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The 25th percentile ACT score is 32, and the 75th percentile ACT score is 35.

Even though Cooper Union likely says they have no minimum ACT requirement, if you apply with a 32 or below, you'll have a very hard time getting in, unless you have something else very impressive in your application. There are so many applicants scoring 33 and above that a 32 will look academically weak.

ACT Score Sending Policy

If you're taking the ACT as opposed to the SAT, you have a huge advantage in how you send scores, and this dramatically affects your testing strategy.

Here it is: when you send ACT scores to colleges, you have absolute control over which tests you send. You could take 10 tests, and only send your highest one. This is unlike the SAT, where many schools require you to send all your tests ever taken.

This means that you have more chances than you think to improve your ACT score. To try to aim for the school's ACT requirement of 35 and above, you should try to take the ACT as many times as you can. When you have the final score that you're happy with, you can then send only that score to all your schools.

ACT Superscore Policy

By and large, most colleges do not superscore the ACT. (Superscore means that the school takes your best section scores from all the test dates you submit, and then combines them into the best possible composite score). Thus, most schools will just take your highest ACT score from a single sitting.

We weren't able to find the school's exact ACT policy, which most likely means that it does not Superscore. Regardless, you can choose your single best ACT score to send in to Cooper Union, so you should prep until you reach our recommended target ACT score of 35.


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SAT/ACT Writing Section Requirements

Currently, only the ACT has an optional essay section that all students can take. The SAT used to also have an optional Essay section, but since June 2021, this has been discontinued unless you are taking the test as part of school-day testing in a few states. Because of this, no school requires the SAT Essay or ACT Writing section, but some schools do recommend certain students submit their results if they have them.

Cooper Union considers the SAT Essay/ACT Writing section optional and may not include it as part of their admissions consideration. You don't need to worry too much about Writing for this school, but other schools you're applying to may require or recommend it.



Final Admissions Verdict

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Because this school is very selective, strong academic scores are critical to improving your chances of admission. If you're able to score a 1510 SAT or a 35 ACT or above, you'll have a very strong chance at getting in.

For a school as selective as Cooper Union, rounding out the rest of your application will also help. We'll cover those details next.

But if you apply with a score below a 1510 SAT or a 35 ACT, you unfortunately have a low chance of getting in. There are just too many other applicants with high SAT/ACT scores and strong applications, and you need to compete against them.


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Want to build the best possible college application?

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We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools.

Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in.


Admissions Calculator

What are your chances of admission at Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art?
Chances of admission with these scores:

Here's our custom admissions calculator. Plug in your numbers to see what your chances of getting in are.

Pick your test: SAT ACT

SAT Score
Your GPA

Note: Your admission decision relies not only on your GPA and SAT/ACT scores, but also on your coursework difficulty, extracurriculars, letters of recommendation, and personal statements. This tool provides only a simplistic estimate of your chances of admission. Instead of treating this tool as a crystal ball, we recommend you consider the big picture of what your chance means:
  • 80-100%: Safety school: Strong chance of getting in
  • 50-80%: More likely than not getting in
  • 20-50%: Lower but still good chance of getting in
  • 5-20%: Reach school: Unlikely to get in, but still have a shot
  • 0-5%: Hard reach school: Very difficult to get in
We recommend you apply to schools across a range of chances. Applying to some safety schools will guarantee you have a college to go to, while applying to some reach schools will give you a shot at getting into the school at the top of your range.

How would your chances improve with a better score?

Take your current SAT score and add 160 points (or take your ACT score and add 4 points) to the calculator above. See how much your chances improve?

At PrepScholar, we've created the leading online SAT/ACT prep program. We guarantee an improvement of 160 SAT points or 4 ACT points on your score, or your money back.

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Application Requirements

Every school requires an application with the bare essentials - high school transcript and GPA, application form, and other core information. Many schools, as explained above, also require SAT and ACT scores, as well as letters of recommendation, application essays, and interviews. We'll cover the exact requirements of Cooper Union here.

Application Requirements Overview

  • Common Application Accepted
  • Electronic Application Available
  • Essay or Personal Statement Required for all freshmen
  • Letters of Recommendation 3
  • Interview Not required
  • Application Fee $75
  • Fee Waiver Available? Available
  • Other Notes Home Test, Portfolio

Testing Requirements

  • SAT or ACT Considered if submitted
  • Scores Due in Office January 5

Coursework Requirements

  • Subject Required Years
  • English 4
  • Math 1
  • Science 1
  • Foreign Language
  • Social Studies 1
  • History 1
  • Electives 8

Deadlines and Early Admissions

  •  
    • Offered? Deadline Notification
  • Regular Admission
    • Yes January 5 April 1
  • Early Action
    • No
  • Early Decision
    • Yes November 1 December 15

Admissions Office Information


Other Schools For You

If you're interested in Cooper Union, you'll probably be interested in these schools as well. We've divided them into 3 categories depending on how hard they are to get into, relative to Cooper Union.


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Reach Schools: Harder to Get Into

These schools are have higher average SAT scores than Cooper Union. If you improve your SAT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
New York University New York, NY 1520 34
Cornell University Ithaca, NY 1520 34
University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA 1510 32
Tufts University Medford, MA 1500 34
Dartmouth College Hanover, NH 1500 34
Northeastern University Boston, MA 1500 34
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN 1500 34

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Same Level: Equally Hard to Get Into

If you're competitive for Cooper Union, these schools will offer you a similar chance of admission.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
Georgetown University Washington, DC 1480 33
University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 1470 33
College of William and Mary Williamsburg, VA 1460 33
University of Maryland College Park, MD 1450 33
Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC 1450 33
University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA 1445 33
Villanova University Villanova, PA 1440 33

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Safety Schools: Easier to Get Into

If you're currently competitive for Cooper Union, you should have no problem getting into these schools. If Cooper Union is currently out of your reach, you might already be competitive for these schools.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
Boston University Boston, MA 1418 32
Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY 1396 31
American University Washington, DC 1368 30
University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA 1358 30
University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 1355 29
Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY 1352 31
University of Connecticut Storrs, CT 1315 29

Data on this page is sourced from Peterson's Databases © 2024 (Peterson's LLC. All rights reserved.) as well as additional publicly available sources.


image description
Want to build the best possible college application?

We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League.

We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools.

Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in.


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