The Cooper Union has just announced a plan designed to return to free tuition. This plan was the result of a lawsuit filed by ECBAWM on behalf of the Committee to Save Cooper Union (CSCU), which challenged the school’s decision to charge tuition for the first time in its history.

CSCU is a coalition of current and prospective students, alumni, and faculty. The case argued that the school’s decision to charge tuition violated the terms of the trust established by Peter Cooper.  As a result of the CSCU lawsuit, the Attorney General of the State of New York launched a confidential investigation into Cooper Union. The settlement reached between CSCU, the school, and the Attorney General imposed an independent financial monitor; established a Board committee made up of alumni, students, and faculty to develop a plan for the return to free tuition; required the school’s leadership to make a good faith effort to return to free; and expanded the presence of alumni, students, and faculty on the Board of Trustees. The recent plan announced by the school is the result of this settlement agreement.

CSCU was represented by ECBAWM attorneys Richard D. Emery, O. Andrew F. Wilson, and Zoe Salzman.

“Cooper Union Announces Plan to Reinstate Free Tuition,” New York Times
“Cooper Union Says It Will Again Offer Students Free Tuition,” Crain’s