Registration Instructions

Get ready to register! Spring 2027 registration instructions are now available.

Spring 2027

Online registration through Student Self-Service for Spring 2027 semester classes will take place between Tuesday, November 17 – Friday, November 20, 2026. Registration starts at 9 am in accordance with the schedule below. This registration is for all matriculating students who plan to return to The Cooper Union in the spring.

If in Spring 2027 you will be: You will register online starting at 9 am on:

A Senior or Graduate student

Tuesday, November 17

An Art Junior, or
An Engineering Junior, or
A Third- or Fourth-Year Architecture student

Wednesday, November 18

An Architecture, Art, or Engineering Sophomore

Thursday, November 19

A Continuing First-Year student

Will be placed into Spring 2027 courses by the Office of the Registrar by approximately Tuesday, December 1*



*First-year students will be registered for their Spring 2027 classes by the Office of the Registrar. Registration for all students is not simultaneous; the process takes several weeks and is contingent on successful completion of Fall 2026 courses.

Separate registration instructions for each school and HSS can be found below:

Please note: Students who have a financial obligation to The Cooper Union will not be permitted to register. Please satisfy any debts before registration.

Registration Changes and Important Dates

The first day of Spring 2027 classes is Tuesday, January 19, 2027.

Schedule changes and necessary program alterations may be accommodated without a fee during the Spring 2027 add/drop period (Tuesday, January 19, 2027 – Tuesday, January 26, 2027). 

Any returning student who does not register between November 17 – November 20, 2026, may register between January 19 – January 26, 2027. However, a $100 late registration fee will be charged, as the primary Spring registration period is in November.

After January 26, students may withdraw from classes only within the guidelines and timeframes established by the three schools and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Graduate students on the thesis track, even if only pursuing the completion of their thesis, must still register according to the guidelines above.

Note on Drops and Withdrawals

A "drop" and a "withdrawal" are separate processes with different implications for financial aid, grading, and degree progress.

A class drop occurs when a student elects to remove a class from their schedule during a designated "add/drop period," sometimes called a "late registration period." A dropped class does not appear on a students transcript, does not count as attempted credits or towards the GPA, and does not receive a grade. Dropped classes do not count towards the 12-credit requirement to be considered a full-time student.

A withdrawal occurs at any point after the add/drop period when a student decides to no longer attend the class for any reason. Withdrawn classes appear on the transcript with a W grade. They count as attempted credits, and thus towards the 12-credit minimum requirement to be considered full-time, but are not included in GPA credits calculations.

The deadline for withdrawals is eight weeks into the semester, after which students must attempt to complete the course to the best of their ability.

Both drops and withdrawals must be made with the permission of your academic advisor. We strongly advise that students consult their advisor before withdrawing from a class and do not simply stop attending, as this may result in an F grade.

Students who register in November 2026 but have not paid their balance or enrolled in a payment plan by Monday, January 11, 2027, will be deregistered from all courses on Friday, January 15, 2027, by 5 pm. Seats in courses that are lost will be held until the first day of the Spring 2027 semester, January 19. Once the semester begins, the seats will no longer be held and may be lost for the semester.

Students who are not registered for Spring 2027 classes after the end of the first week of the semester will have their IDs deactivated and will not be permitted on campus. This will result in a status of "Stopout" being applied to their record, which may have financial aid implications. If you plan to take a leave of any kind in the Spring 2027 semester, it is important to begin the Leave of Absence request process as soon as possible by speaking with your advisor or emailing registrar@cooper.edu for more information.

Engineering Students: Prerequisite Waivers for Classes

Please note that if you intend to register for a class in Spring or Fall that requires a prerequisite waiver, you should submit the waiver form at least one week prior to registration to ensure it is processed and approved before your registration window opens. Contact Betsy Quitugua in the Engineering Dean's Office to begin the prerequisite waiver process.

If a Spring course has a Fall course as a prerequisite, failure of that Fall course will cause you to be removed from the Spring course, unless you obtain an approved prerequisite waiver in January (once grades are finalized and course failure is confirmed). If you are in danger of failing a fall course, please discuss this situation with your advisor.

All Seniors and Graduating Master’s Students

Please answer the questions in the Graduation section in Student Self-Service, and make sure to indicate how you want your name to appear on your diploma.

Name Changes

To change your name, you must make arrangements to bring original legal documentation to the Office of the Registrar. For more information, visit our Name and Address Change webpage, or contact us at registrar@cooper.edu.


Online Registration

Online registration through Student Self-Service will occur in the following way:

  1. Each student will submit a proposed schedule to their advisor. Students are encouraged to email their advisors that they have submitted their course plan. School of Art students will follow their school's instructions and follow up with their advisors as needed.
  2. Advisors will review the schedule and approve it if satisfactory. Advisors must email the student upon approval.
  3. Starting on their appointed day and continuing through November 20, students will register online.
  4. If a student encounters difficulty with registration, staff members in the Office of the Registrar can be reached during normal business hours at registrar@cooper.edu.

See Using Student Self-Service for detailed instructions.

Previous Term Registration Instructions

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.