Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

Cooper Union's electrical engineering program comes with an unusual wrinkle: its highly selective admissions (19% acceptance, 1480 SAT) suggest an elite education, yet we're working with estimated outcomes derived from other New York engineering programs rather than reported data for Cooper's own graduates. Based on comparable programs in the state, electrical engineering graduates typically earn around $78,000 in their first year with roughly $24,000 in debt—a 0.31 ratio that represents manageable leverage for an engineering credential.

The gap between Cooper Union's selectivity and these estimated figures raises questions. Top engineering schools in New York report significantly higher earnings: Cornell leads at $100,500, followed by Syracuse and Columbia in the mid-$80,000s. If Cooper Union's actual outcomes align with these elite peers—as its admissions profile suggests they might—graduates would be considerably better positioned than the state median implies. Conversely, if outcomes track closer to the estimates, parents should question why they'd choose a school this selective over less competitive options producing similar results.

The fundamental challenge is making a decision with incomplete information about a school that markets itself as exceptional. If Cooper Union still offers its historically free or deeply subsidized tuition, that changes everything—$24,000 in debt would represent only personal expenses, making any engineering salary a strong return. But if you're paying closer to full freight at a private institution, you need actual outcome data before committing to a program that should outperform the state average given its reputation.