6 Hidden Gem Colleges with Co-op Programs

In co-op programs (cooperative education), students take advantage of semester- or year-long paid jobs during college to apply what they learn in the classroom. Students who participate in co-op programs typically graduate with more extensive career experience than students with only 1-2 summer internships, which gives them a leg up in the hiring process. Often, if a student has done well in the co-op, that company will extend a job offer. As a bonus, co-ops often pay well, allowing students to graduate with less debt and possibly even come out ahead financially!

Here are 6 hidden gem colleges with excellent co-op programs that students may want to check out:


Wentworth Institute of Technology - Boston, MA: Every student at Wentworth must complete two Co-op semesters to graduate. The university supports students with the skills they will need to be successful in the Co-op Institute, a co-op preparation course required for students to take before their co-op.


Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) - Rochester, NY: RIT offers students three options for co-ops: They can do a co-op in industry, on campus working for RIT, or they can do an entrepreneurial co-op where they work for themselves and may even get a stipend.


Temple University - Philadelphia, PA: Temple engineering students can choose to do one or two co-ops in their junior year. The College of Engineering’s industrial relations director continually builds and maintains long-standing employer relationships to help students land co-ops. 


University of Cincinnati - Cincinnati, OH: University of Cincinnati is known for being the founder of co-op education. It now offers co-ops in three formats to match today’s workplace: traditional full-time, part-time, or project-based. 


Elon University - Elon, NC: Elon’s co-op program is geared toward students who want to explore career options and those who may already have completed a required internship in their major. Students receive academic credit for their co-op and can choose to do more than one.


Stephens Institute of Technology - Hoboken, NJ: Stephens’ co-op program requires a competitive application and is available to students in 13 different majors. Students accepted into the program are paired with a senior peer mentor who has completed the program and then they can become a peer mentor themselves in their senior year.

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