Why co-op?
Waterloo as a world leader in co-op
Why we're a good choice:
World's largest co-op program – approximately 17,300 undergraduate co-op students
- More than twice as many students as the next largest program in the world.
- More than 120 undergraduate programs that offer co-op (80% of all programs)
- More resources and experienced staff to help you succeed.
- Canada’s largest building completely dedicated to co-operative education and career action.
4,500 regularly participating co-op employers worldwide
- That's almost a few thousand more than the next largest co-op program, so you'll have a vast selection of employers to access when you're searching for co-op jobs.
$25,000 - $74,000 - potential co-op earnings by graduation (depending on your program of study)
- Waterloo’s co-op students generally have smaller student loans than regular students, because co-op earnings help pay for their education.
$161 million
- Co-op students' total approximate earnings last year.
Four to six co-op work terms by graduation
- Which is 16 months to two years of work experience.
95 per cent
- Co-op student employment rate per average term.
1,100
- Four month work terms annually outside Canada.
$641 co-op term fee.
- Helps cover administrative costs of operating the co-op program.
- You pay the fee when you pay your tuition for your academic term.
- The number of terms and the timing of payments are based on your academic program.
15 per cent higher earnings after graduation
- Graduates of Waterloo's co-op programs typically earn 15 per cent more upon graduation than graduates of non-co-op programs, because of their skill set and previous work experience.
