Seniors at a private college in New York City had a financial weight lifted off their shoulders in a surprise announcement on the first day of the new semester. The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art announced that their tuition for the year will be free and it is on course to provide full scholarships for all undergraduates by 2028. The New York Times reports that there were cheers in the college's Great Hall when students learned about the move at their annual convocation. Tuition will be refunded to seniors who have already paid.
The Cooper Union, founded by industrialist Peter Cooper in 1859 with the goal of providing a quality education that was "open and free to all," didn't charge tuition for most of its history but it started charging some students after it ran into financial trouble a decade ago, the Times reports. It has been working for years toward restoring its founder's vision—it covered around half the $44,550 tuition for its 900 undergraduates last year—and it says it was able to speed up the timeline thanks to millions in donations.
"Thanks to the generosity of three extraordinary alumni donors, we are removing a major financial burden for our graduating classes and reaffirming the ideals that have been foundational to this institution since Peter Cooper opened its doors in 1859," President Laura Sparks said in a statement, per NBC New York. Fourth-year architecture student Shannagh Crowe tells the Times that the news is "life changing." "It's like $23,000, so this is an insane amount of money for me," she says. (More uplifting news stories.)
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