Welcome, Waterloo co-op students! This web page will give you a sense of what your recruiting term will look like if you're using the Full-Cycle Service job board to search for jobs.
There are many pathways to find a co-op work term and we're here to help. For jobs outside of the Full-Cycle Service job board, you can check the Employer-Student Direct job board or Arrange Own Job process.
Pharmacy students: Please navigate to view important dates for Pharmacy co-op students.
Architecture students now follow the regular hiring cycles and no longer begin in cycle 2.
Employers will be posting jobs in all of the cycles, so keep applying until you have a match! Whether you end up finding a job in Cycle 1 or later in the recruitment process, great jobs will be available and we’re here to support you every step of the way. If you have any questions, please send a message to your co-op advisor via WaterlooWorks.
Suggested co-op work term start and end dates
| Date | September - December 2025 | January - April 2026 | May - August 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start date | September 2 | January 5 | May 11 |
| End date | December 19 | April 24 | August 21 |
Fall 2025 important dates
Recruiting schedule for Full-Cycle Service job board
| Cycle | Number of apps you can submit | Job postings open | Job postings close (ET) | Interview period | Employer rankings available (ET) | Student rankings due (ET) | Match results available (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cycle 1 Posting A | Submit up to 50 apps | Sept. 6 - 16 | Sept. 16 at 9 a.m. | Sept. 19 - Oct. 7 | Oct. 8 at 2 p.m. | Oct. 10 at 2 p.m. | Oct. 10 by end of day |
| Cycle 1 Posting B | Submit up to 100 apps total (includes apps from previous cycle) | Sept. 17 - 23 | Sept. 23 at 9 a.m. | ||||
| Cycle 2 | Submit up to 500 apps total (includes apps from previous cycles) | Starting Oct. 11 New jobs are posted daily |
Jobs posted between Oct. 11 - 19 (Reading Week) will close Oct. 22 at 9 a.m. Jobs posted after Oct. 19 will close at 9 a.m., 2 business days after the job is posted |
Oct. 27 - Nov. 11 | Nov. 12 at 2 p.m. | Nov. 14 at 2 p.m. | Nov. 14 by end of day |
| Cycle 3 | Nov. 18 - 25 | Nov. 26 at 2 p.m. | Nov. 28 at 2 p.m. | Nov. 28 by end of day |
Important notes
- September 1: No interviews/University closed (Labour day).
- September 29: Last day to start work to earn a standard co-op credit for the fall 2025 term.
- October 11 - 19: No interviews (Reading week).
- October 13: No interviews/University closed (Thanksgiving holiday).
- October 27: Last day to start work to earn a flexible co-op credit for the fall 2025 term.
- December 24 - January 4: University closed (Holiday closure).
Direct offers: Hiring continues following the last match on December 1. If you are still looking for a winter 2026 work term, keep searching and applying for jobs on WaterlooWorks. After applying, employers will contact you directly to arrange interviews and discuss any offers.
Winter 2026 important dates
Recruiting schedule for Full-Cycle Service job board
| Cycle | Number of apps you can submit | Job postings open | Job postings close (ET) | Interview period | Employer rankings available (ET) | Student rankings due (ET) | Match results available (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cycle 1 Posting A | Submit up to 50 apps | Jan. 10 - 20 | Jan. 20 at 9 a.m. | Jan. 23 - Feb. 10 | Feb. 11 at 2 p.m. | Feb. 13 at 2 p.m. | Feb. 13 by end of day |
| Cycle 1 Posting B | Submit up to 100 apps total (includes apps from previous cycle) | Jan. 21 - 27 | Jan. 27 at 9 a.m. | ||||
| Cycle 2 | Submit up to 500 apps total (includes apps from previous cycles) | Starting Feb. 14 New jobs are posted daily |
Jobs posted between Feb. 14 - 22 (Reading Week) will close Feb. 25 at 9 a.m. Jobs posted after Feb. 22 will close at 9 a.m., 2 business days after the job is posted |
Mar. 2 - 17 | Mar. 18 at 2 p.m. | Mar. 20 at 2 p.m. | Mar. 20 by end of day |
| Cycle 3 | Mar. 24 - 30 | Mar. 31 at 2 p.m. | Apr. 2 at 2 p.m. | Apr. 2 by end of day |
Important notes
- January 1 – 2: University closed (Holiday closure).
- February 16: Last day to start work to earn a standard co-op credit for the winter 2026 term.
- February 16: University closed (Holiday closure).
- February 14 – 22: No interviews (Reading week).
- March 16: Last day to start work to earn a flexible co-op credit for the winter 2026 term.
- April 3: University closed (Holiday closure).
Direct offers: Hiring continues following the last match on April 6. If you are still looking for a spring 2026 work term, keep searching and applying for jobs on WaterlooWorks. After applying, employers will contact you directly to arrange interviews and discuss any offers.