Minneapolis College of Art and Design vs Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) and Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art are two prestigious institutions offering unique educational experiences in the arts. MCAD, located in the vibrant city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on studio-based learning. In contrast, Cooper Union, situated in the heart of New York City, is renowned for its rigorous academic programs and its commitment to social justice. With acceptance rates of 58% and 10%, respectively, both colleges are highly selective, attracting talented students from around the world. While MCAD offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs in the arts, Cooper Union primarily focuses on undergraduate education in art, architecture, and engineering. Explore the comparison table below to delve deeper into the differences between these two esteemed institutions and find the one that best aligns with your academic aspirations and career goals.

	Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art	Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Overview
Location	New York, New York	Minneapolis, Minnesota
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	77.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	14.7%	65.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	2,678	638
Total number of admissions given out	393	418
Admitted students who chose to enroll	210	163
Yield rate	53.4%	39.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$67,146	$55,702
Average net price	$20,757	$28,520
Tuition	$44,550	$41,344
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $5,980 Meal plan: $1,200
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $38,212	100.0% Average amount $25,957
Students receiving federal student loan	20.0% Average amount $4,814	96.0% Average amount $5,416
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $24,000	20.0% Average amount $15,914

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	876 Men 53.2% Women 46.8%	675 Men 31.6% Women 68.4%
Graduate students	60 Men 80.0% Women 20.0%	100 Men 22.0% Women 78.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	36.5%	44.4%
International students	14.6%	4.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	170	288
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York New Jersey California Florida Texas	Minnesota Wisconsin Illinois Iowa South Dakota

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Visual & Performing Arts Architecture	Visual & Performing Arts Communications Technology Business Communication and Journalism Precision Production
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	83.4%	66.2%
Dropout rate	11.8%	18.6%
Transferred out	N/A	15.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,818 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $19,405 Astronomy and Astrophysics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,379 Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: N/A	Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,967 Year 3: $34,987 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,412 Year 2: $25,967 Year 3: $34,268 Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $25,993 Year 2: $28,236 Year 3: $28,847 Graphic Communications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,090 Year 2: $18,771 Year 3: $26,963 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,098 Year 2: $22,192 Year 3: $25,223 Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,078 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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