The president of Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, a privately funded college in New York City’s East Village, is considering charging its students tuition for the first time in its 152-year history, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported.
The college, which has about 900 students, has been under financial strain for a while now, having stirred up criticism 12 years ago by leasing out prime campus real estate to a developer to help make ends meet. Founded in 1859, the school established a tuition-free policy based on founder Peter Cooper’s belief that education of the highest quality should be “free as air and water” and available to all who qualify.
