The East Village’s Cooper Union is set to start doing what everyone else does, and start making money off its graduate students. Undergraduate tuition to the college — home to highly selective programs in engineering, architecture, and fine art — will remain free, but those seeking advanced degrees from the school will have to pay for it starting next year. President Jamshed Bharucha called the new system “exciting” because it will “give us a chance to do new things, and not just hunker down.” However, he added, “There are risks for this strategy, and there are those who worry if it will work.” If it doesn’t, then Cooper will likely start charging undergraduates, as well — four years free tuition has been guaranteed to the incoming class of 2017, but there are “no commitments” beyond that.
