Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

What Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art does

Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art is a private, nonprofit educational institution founded in 1859 by industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in New York City. It operates four academic units: The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture, the School of Art, the Albert Nerken School of Engineering, and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Historically, Cooper Union provided full-tuition scholarships to all undergraduate students as part of Peter Cooper's founding mission that education should be accessible based on talent, though the institution has been working to restore that commitment under the current administration. Beyond degree programs, the institution runs continuing education initiatives (notably Type@Cooper, a typeface-design certificate program with 477 graduates since 2010), pre-college outreach such as the Saturday Program and architecture summer intensives, and gallery and Great Hall programming open to the public.

Name

Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

Legal name

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

Website

https://cooper.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1859

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art is a private nonprofit college founded in 1859 in New York City, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in architecture, art, engineering, and humanities, historically providing tuition-free undergraduate education and owning the Chrysler Building land lease.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Cooper Union historically offered full-tuition scholarships to all undergraduate students, funded by the institution's endowment and real estate holdings including the Chrysler Building ground lease. The institution has been working to restore full-tuition scholarships.
2. Ground Lease Income (Chrysler Building): Cooper Union owns the land beneath the Chrysler Building at 405 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. After reclaiming the ground lease in 2024 due to unpaid arrears of $21 million from RFR Holding, the institution is seeking a new leaseholder with ground rent expected to reach $41 million in two years.
3. Donations and Charitable Giving: Annual giving campaigns, leadership giving societies, reunion giving, and endowment donations from alumni, parents, and friends. Gift acceptance policy exists for various asset types including appreciated stock.
4. Continuing Education Programs: Non-credit courses in typography, visual arts, and NYC architectural history offered through continuing education division.
5. Event Venue Rentals: The Great Hall and other campus spaces are available for rental and event inquiries, generating revenue while serving as public spaces for free speech and social activism.

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Cooper Union is a private, nonprofit college offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs in architecture, art, engineering, and humanities across its three professional schools and Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. It complements degree programs with the Type@Cooper typeface design certificate, continuing education courses, pre-college Saturday and summer programs, an event-venue rental business centered on the Great Hall, and career, library, and alumni services. The institution is partially funded by ground-lease income from the land it owns beneath the Chrysler Building in Manhattan.

Product overview

Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art is a private college in New York City founded in 1859 by Peter Cooper, offering education in art, architecture, and engineering as well as humanities and social sciences. The institution consists of four academic schools (The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture, School of Art, Albert Nerken School of Engineering, and Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences), continuing education programs including the Type@Cooper typography certificate program, and various outreach/pre-college programs. Supporting infrastructure includes the Library, Great Hall event venue, multiple galleries, the Alumni Portal, and Center for Career Development. The institution also owns the land beneath the Chrysler Building, which it reclaimed in 2024.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture: One of the world's leading architecture schools offering Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture II programs.
• School of Art
• Albert Nerken School of Engineering
• Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Products and services

• The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture

Quantifiable outcome

• 166th Commencement in 2026
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• NYC Municipal Archives WNYC CollectionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Voices from the Great Hall digital platform project, contributing archival materials and recordings.
• Tishman SpeyercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReal estate firm in exclusive negotiations with Cooper Union to potentially regain control of the Chrysler Building through a ground lease exceeding 100 years. Previously held the lease until 2008 when the tower was valued at over $800 million.
• GFP Real EstatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOwned by Jeff Gural, in advanced talks to acquire the Chrysler Building ground lease from Cooper Union. Appears to have overtaken Tishman Speyer as front-runner in the bidding process as of March 2026.
• Cooper Union Archives and Special CollectionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternal partner in the Voices from the Great Hall digital platform project, contributing archival materials, photographs, fliers, and ephemera.
• Cooper Union AV/Multimedia ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternal department partner in the Voices from the Great Hall digital platform project.
• Royal Danish Academy of Fine ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooper architecture students traveled to Copenhagen for a collaborative workshop with peers from the Royal Danish Academy.
• Architectural League of New YorkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAwarded 2025 Independent Projects Grant to Cooper professors Mersiha Veledar AR'03 and Kayla Montes de Oca AR'20 for research on housing cooperatives and shared living spaces.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• School of Visual Arts (SVA): NYC-based private college specializing in visual and applied arts. Comparable as a peer art school in the same city with overlapping student recruitment and program offerings.
• Carnegie Mellon University: Private research university with top-ranked programs in architecture, art, and engineering. Closely comparable to Cooper Union's three-school academic structure (architecture, art, engineering) at a larger scale.
• Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT): Private university with College of Architecture and engineering programs. Directly comparable in offering architecture and engineering education with similar school structure.
• Pratt Institute: Private NYC college offering programs in architecture, art, and engineering with similar cross-disciplinary focus and comparable tuition profile. Directly comparable as a peer institution in the same geographic and academic market.
• Yale School of Architecture: Elite private architecture school offering B.A., M.Arch, and post-professional degrees. Directly comparable as a top-tier architecture program competing for similar student talent.
• Parsons School of Design (The New School): NYC-based design school offering art and design programs. Comparable as a peer institution targeting similar creative and design students with strong NYC brand positioning.
• Rhode Island School of Design (RISD): Elite private art and design college with strong architecture program. Directly comparable as a leading art/design institution serving similar student demographics and career outcomes.
• California Institute of the Arts (CalArts): Private arts college offering interdisciplinary programs in visual and performing arts. Comparable as a peer arts-focused institution with strong industry reputation.
• Columbia GSAPP: Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation — a peer institution in NYC for architecture education at the graduate level, competing for similar students and faculty.

Broad incumbents

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): Elite private research university with top-ranked architecture and engineering programs. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the same academic space, with much larger scale and resources than Cooper Union.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TheCooperUnion
• Facebookfacebook.com/187158094646409
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-cooper-union
• Instagraminstagram.com/thecooperunion
• Xx.com/cooperunion

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art