Prospective Co-op Students FAQs

The Co-op option tells the Co-operative Education Office that you would like to join the Co-op Program and triggers an automatic assessment of your university performance at the first possible entry point (typically the fall of a student’s second or third year of study). During this assessment, we will check how many credits you’ve completed, your CGPA(s), and review your registration for the upcoming term(s). All students with the Co-op option will be notified via email whether or not they have been deemed eligible for admission.

The full-time registration rule only comes into effect once a student has been admitted to Co-op and is registered in the COOP 1000 course. There is no minimum registration requirement per term before being admitted. However, students must complete at least 5.0 credits, which includes all first-year courses, to be considered for admission to Co-op. If you are not admitted at your first entry point, you can reach out to us at co-opprogram@carleton.ca to learn about your program’s other entry points.

Yes. Once admitted to the Co-op Program, students must maintain full-time student status during each fall and winter term while studying.

• Undergraduate students: Full-time status for Co-op purposes is defined as enrollment in a minimum of 1.5 credits per term.

• Graduate students: You must be registered in academic courses during each fall and winter term and have full-time student status as defined by Carleton University.

If your program lists pre-requisite courses, you must minimally be enrolled in them at the time your Co-op assessment takes place, and must be able to complete them before your first scheduled Co-op work term.

Transfer students’ academic records are assessed on a case-by-case basis. Once you have received and accepted an offer of admission to Carleton and all possible transfer credits have been awarded, please reach out to us at co-opprogram@carleton.ca to see if participation may be possible.

First, it’s important you understand which admission requirements were not met – CGPA(s), course pre-requisites, total credits earned – or some combination of the three. If you are unsure, please reach out to us and ask. If you have the Co-op option on your record, you will automatically be assessed again at the next possible entry point for your program. If you don’t have the Co-op option on your record, you can submit another manual application via mySuccess. It is important to note that if a student is too close to graduation, they may not be eligible to join Co-op. Please email us at co-opprogram@carleton.ca if you are unsure.

All students must register for their normal fall and winter courses before they can be assessed for admission to Co-op. Registration in COOP 1000 is by invitation only. If you receive an offer of admission to Co-op, you will be sent an email with important next steps, including how to register for COOP 1000. As it is an asynchronous, non-credit course that does not count towards the registration limit, it does not affect a student’s existing timetable.

Students’ CGPAs are located on their academic audit, accessible through Carleton Central. Most students have an Overall CGPA and a Major CGPA, but some programs (Engineering, for example) only list an Overall CGPA on the audit. The Overall CGPA is based on every course counting towards a student’s degree, including electives, whereas the Major CGPA is only based on courses that fall within the Major requirements. Some Co-op programs require a minimum Overall CGPA and a minimum Major CGPA, whereas others only require a minimum Overall CGPA or a minimum Major CGPA. If you have questions about your academic audit or CGPAs, please reach out to your departmental advisor or the Academic Advising Centre.

Yes, we do. SAT grades count as completed courses but have no impact on a student’s CGPA(s).

Yes, you can be considered for admission to the Co-op Program. A CR or NR grade will be counted towards you CGPA(s).

Participating students who have successfully completed COOP 1000 and have continued to meet all other eligibility requirements will be able to view the Co-op Job Board in mySuccess. Access is provided as follows:

• Early January – Job Board access opens to students scheduled to work during the summer.
• Early May – Job Board access opens to students scheduled to work during the fall.
• Early September – Job Board access opens to students scheduled to work during the winter.

More jobs are added throughout the term, so students are encouraged to check the Job Board continuously.

Co-op employers include Ottawa’s high-tech community, several renowned research facilities, and many government departments and agencies. The range of postings presented on the Co-op Job Board reflects the current job market for students in particular academic programs, and can change from term to term.

Co-operative Education combines traditional, in-class education with hands-on experience. Co-op students alternate study terms with four, eight, twelve, or sixteen-month paid work terms. An internship, by contrast, is typically a shorter, unpaid placement done for academic credit. You can contact your academic department to find out whether your program offers internship opportunities.

Yes. The fees you pay cover the entire cost of delivering the Co-op Program to eligible students. The total cost will depend on the number of work terms required to earn the Co-op Designation, as this varies by academic program. For more information, please refer to our Fees page: Program Cost – Co-op.

For a job to count as a Co-op work term, students must be officially enrolled in the Co-op Program. You must apply, be admitted, and complete the COOP 1000 course successfully to work in a Co-op capacity.