Dive Brief:
- Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art started charging its students tuition this year and says it has increased the diversity of its class.
- Faculty, students, and alumni protested the change when it was proposed in 2013, and many continue to argue charging goes against the founding values of the Manhattan college.
- Low-income students still get free tuition, but because the higher sticker price of the college qualifies needy students for greater Pell grant funding, college leaders say the overall cost of attending has gone down for them.
Dive Insight:
Cooper Union was founded in 1859 in the model of the elite French science and technology school École Polytechnique, which is free for students. It’s egalitarian mission applied to students of all classes and races, as well as both genders. The fight over the latest tuition increase at Cooper Union comes down to the philosophical underpinnings of the institution. Charging tuition, however, was deemed necessary for financial reasons. College leaders said the school wouldn’t survive if its free model was not amended.