The Cooper Union
What Cooper Union says
Exact quotes from Cooper Union’s official pages, checked word for word on Oct 22, 2026.
Students seeking a Discretionary Leave of Absence or Term Withdrawal should contact their advisor, who can help initiate the process.
— cooper.edu ↗The petition for leave of absence must be made proactively, ideally before the beginning of the term in which the leave is sought, but no later than close of the add/drop period …
— cooper.edu ↗Students seeking to be on leave for more than one term such that they will be on leave for more than 180 days will need to be administratively withdrawn from School.
— cooper.edu ↗… must notify the respective dean's office their school of their intent to return before April 1 for a fall semester return, or November 1 for a spring semester return.
— cooper.edu ↗Discretionary Leaves of Absence can be initiated for personal reasons, such as internships, job opportunities, or family emergencies.
— cooper.edu ↗Written by AI from the quotes and pages we read. It may be incomplete or wrong; the school’s own pages win.
- Cooper Union appears to use a Discretionary Leave of Absence approved by your school.
- The petition looks ideally due before the term, and no later than close of add/drop.
- Leave looks capped at 180 days, which a spring leave with fall return may exceed.
- Reasons accepted: any personal reason (Needs school/dean's office approval).
- Time away allowed: Up to 4 leave terms.
- Classes start Jan 19.
Before you decide
Check on the following…
- Will my spot be held?Check how long your school keeps your place and whether you have to apply to come back.Ask: Registrar
- Will I graduate later?A term off can push back your graduation. Ask which required classes only run in the spring.Ask: Academic advisor
- Is there a deadline to ask?Some schools want your leave request before January. Find out the exact date and the form.Ask: Dean’s office or registrar
- What happens to my scholarships and aid?Ask whether your scholarships and grants pause while you’re away or end, and what you need to do to get them back.Ask: Financial aid office
- When would I have to start repaying loans?Student loans usually stop being deferred when you’re not enrolled. After a short grace period, often six months, payments can start.Ask: Financial aid office
- Will I still have health insurance?A student health plan usually needs you to be enrolled. Make sure you’re covered from January to April.Ask: Student health office
- What about my housing?Ask whether you can leave your housing contract without a penalty and whether you’ll get housing when you come back.Ask: Housing office
- I’m on a student visa. Does this affect it?For F-1 students, not enrolling usually ends your visa status. Talk to this office before anything else.Ask: International student office
Student founder community
- Create@Cooper ↗Student-run product-invention community (workshops, speakers, Hack Cooper hackathon) listed on Cooper's official clubs page. The hackcooper.
Hard-tech team
- Cooper Motorsports (Formula SAE) ↗Engineering, art and architecture students build Formula SAE cars; also offered as course VIP 381C. The team's own site (fsae.cooper.edu) re
Why 72
Spend the winter building. Southbound runs Jan 11 to Apr 11, 2027 in Miami. Acceptance is rolling.
What we could find (checked Oct 22, 2026). Not final: confirm dates and aid with your school before you act. Source pages look current for 2026–27. We date pages from server timestamps, page metadata, “last updated” text, PDF dates and the Wayback Machine.