For 120 years, UC’s cooperative-education (co-op) program has helped students graduate with a career already waiting for them.
At UC, learning goes beyond the classroom.
As the birthplace of cooperative education, UC embeds real-world experience into every degree. However, co-op is just the beginning.
UC helps students complete a required portfolio of experience-based learning that can include internships, research, clinicals, service learning, global study and industry-connected projects.
This hands-on training turns knowledge into skillsets and coursework into career momentum. It’s not optional or extracurricular; it’s built into the degree, powering more than 32,000 real-world learning experiences every year.
Cooperative education, or co-op, is an educational model that connects academic learning with paid, career-relevant workplace experience. These experiences are intentionally aligned with a student’s major so classroom knowledge is applied to real projects, teams, and challenges.
At the University of Cincinnati, co-op refers both to the students who participate and the professional experiences they complete. UC co-op students work with partners across industry, government, nonprofit organizations and the university while continuing to make progress toward their degrees.
Through co-op, students build professional skills, expand their networks and contribute meaningfully to today’s workforce, graduating with experience that sets them apart.
For the University of Cincinnati, our return on investment lies in our co-op student outcomes. Every semester, UC students go to work — at Nike, at Google, at any one of the university’s 1,700-plus employer partners. Our co-op students not only earn an average of $11,220 per semester, they graduate with 12.2% lower student loan debt compared to peers at other schools. Almost all students (98%) are employed or continue their education at the time of graduation.
$94M
collective student co-op earnings
The University of Cincinnati is leading urban public universities into a new era of innovation and impact. We're engaging people and igniting ideas, ultimately transforming the world — one Bearcat at a time. UC by the numbers:
98%
employment or continuing education rate following graduation
Behind every dream is proof that it’s possible. Our numbers show how pathways, outcomes, and opportunities add up — giving you the confidence that your future is built on results.
1700+
co-op employee partners
$94M
in student co-op earnings
$11,220
avg student earnings per semester
Meet Keller
Biomedical Engineering Co-op
Kinetic Vision | Cincinnati, OH
Students receive individualized career coaching, resume support and employer matching throughout their co-op journey.
April 21, 2026
The Biomedical Research and Mentoring Program (RaMP), a University Honors Program pre-approved experience, introduces UC undergraduates to STEMM research at the College of Medicine and Cincinnati Children's Hospital.
April 20, 2026
The 2026 CAHS Scholarly Showcase at the University of Cincinnati brought together nearly 400 students to present research across disciplines, highlighting expanded undergraduate participation, interdisciplinary collaboration and student-driven innovation in health care.
April 17, 2026
“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” not only stars the titular “demon” barber, but is famously a monster of a show. It’s such a grand team lift across its dozens of cast members, special effects and a multistory set that most productions cut it down to a small-scale adaptation. But the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music is stepping up to the challenge of putting on a full-scale performance of the classic, gory tale. Debuting on Broadway in 1979, the show is almost 50 years old, with countless revivals and adaptations of the vengeful barber Sweeney Todd and his co-conspirator, pie shop owner Mrs. Lovett. CCM’s performance, with a double cast and three-story set, is just as huge and bloody as the original.
