Senior Students at NYC’s Cooper Union College to Graduate Tuition-Free

For almost a century, students did not have to pay tuition. From 2014, the college introduced half-fees—a decision they have been trying to reverse.

Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art on April 24, 2013, in New York City. Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Seniors at The Cooper Union, a college in New York City, will graduate tuition-free thanks to multi-million dollar donations from a group of alumni, the school said on Sept. 3.

Laura Sparks, president of Cooper Union, a private college in Lower Manhattan that opened in 1859, surprised students with the news during a convocation ceremony, according to a statement from the school.