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 | January - April 2026 | May - August 2026 | September - December 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start date | January 5 | May 11 | September 8 |
| End date | April 24 | August 21 | December 23 |
Fall 2025 important dates
It’s not too late to find a co-op job for the winter 2026 work term.
- 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.
- Fall 2025 co-op work term ends: Friday, December 19, 2025.
- Holiday closure: The University of Waterloo is closed between December 24 and January 4.
- Work term requirements:
- February 16 is the last day to start work to earn a standard co-op credit for the winter 2026 term
- March 16 is the last day to start work to earn a flexible co-op credit for the winter 2026 term
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.
Spring 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 | May 9 - 19 | May 19 at 9 a.m. | May 22 - Jun. 9 | Jun. 10 at 2 p.m. | Jun. 12 at 2 p.m. | Jun. 12 by end of day |
| Cycle 1 Posting B | Submit up to 100 apps total (includes apps from previous cycle) | May 20 - 26 | May 26 at 9 a.m. | ||||
| Cycle 2 | Submit up to 500 apps total (includes apps from previous cycles) | Starting Jun. 13 new jobs are posted daily |
2 business days after the job is posted beginning Jun. 17 |
Jun. 22 - Jul. 7 | Jul. 8 at 2 p.m. | Jul. 10 at 2 p.m. | Jul. 10 by end of day |
| Cycle 3 | Jul. 13 - 21 | Jul. 22 at 2 p.m. | Jul. 24 at 2 p.m. | Jul. 24 by end of day |
Important notes
- May 18: University closed (Holiday closure).
- June 15: Last day to start work to earn a standard co-op credit for the spring 2026 term.
- July 1: University closed (Holiday closure).
- July 13: Last day to start work to earn a flexible co-op credit for the spring 2026 term.
- August 3: University closed (Holiday closure).
Direct offers: Hiring continues following the last match on July 27. If you are still looking for a fall 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.