Co‑op Program Fees

Co-operative Education is not a job placement program, it is a formalized educational strategy that offers exceptional learning opportunities that must be planned, developed, coordinated, tracked, monitored and graded. The true cost of delivering this program is approximately $1200 per work term, even when students find their own employment.  To offset a portion of these costs there are two co-op fees.

Co-op Orientation Course Fee
Students must pay a one-time fee of $318 for the mandatory Co-op Orientation Course; an admission requirement for the co-op program. 

Co-op Program Fee
A program fee of $530 is assessed for each four-month work term. Because this is a program fee, not a placement fee, it is assessed if you find your own job and it is non-refundable if do not find a job. If you are not doing a scheduled work term notify the Co-op Office before the start of the job competition to avoid the charge.

Computer Science students: Please note that your faculty applies an additional $334 fee per work term, as Computer Science work terms are graded and  count towards an elective.

What do co-op fees pay for?

Co-op fees only cover about 50% of the actual cost of operating the co-op program. While the university absorbs much of the cost of co-op, a portion is covered by the co-op fee.

The co-op fee offsets the costs of delivering the co-op program, including:

• Developing co-op job opportunities and maintaining employer relationships
• Organizing and scheduling job interviews
• Designing and delivering courses to prepare students for success in their job search, including job search training, career advising and work term preparation
• Co-op job search services, including résumé critiques, practice interviews and advising
• Curriculum to prepare students for success on their work term, including co-op student monitoring and worksite visits
• Interacting with faculty and other internal university departments to maintain and develop regulations and processes. 
• Validating and monitoring student jobs to ensure high quality co-op learning opportunities
• Administering and maintaining the co-op information management systems. 

Our co-op fee remains one of the lowest in the country.

Work term fees across Canada

Updated February 5, 2018

When is the co-op fee added to my account?

For Summer Work Terms: The Co-op fees are added to your student account 2 weeks before the start of your summer work term and you will be notified by email one week before the fee is added in April.

For Fall/Winter Work Terms: The Co-op fees are added to your account when you register for your work term course. 

•  Students who are not academically eligible for the work term should notify the Co-op Office to avoid being charged the fee. Paying the fee does not constitute acceptance into the co-op program.

Self-found co-op jobs

All co-op students must pay the same co-op fee. Students who find their own co-op jobs still participate in co-op curriculum, use co-op services to monitor work term progress, obtain academic credits for their work terms, and ultimately graduate with the co-op degree designation.  

The co-op fee is non-refundable

Paying your co-op fee does not guarantee a co-op job, just as paying your regular tuition does not guarantee you will pass your courses. Co-op success is tied directly to the amount of work you put into it. Almost all students who don't get a co-op job did not apply to all job postings or were not competitive enough in the job market. The Co-op Office cannot control these factors, and the cost of running the co-op program doesn’t change because a student doesn't get a job.