Seniors at Cooper Union college in New York City were surprised with the best welcome-back gift Tuesday — a year of free tuition.
The unprecedented announcement was made possible thanks to $6 million grants made by three alumni, the school’s former president, Laura Sparks announced on the first day of classes.
That puts as much as $44,550 back into the pockets of each of the roughly 200 students slated to walk the graduation stage this spring.
And it won’t stop there — there’s enough cash to cover the costs of the next three graduating classes to follow.
“Thanks to the generosity of three extraordinary alumni donors, we are removing a major financial burden for our graduating classes and reaffirming the ideals that have been foundational to this institution since Peter Cooper opened its doors in 1859,” Sparks said in a statement.
The donations were made by one anonymous donor and two named: George Reeves, a 1964 alumnus of Cooper Union’s Albert Nerken School of Engineering, and his wife and business partner Ross Wisnewski, and John Manuck, a 1969 School of Engineering graduate, and his wife Mary, the schools said.
