As a university, there is no more valuable contribution we can make to society and the economy than that of a freshly minted, career-ready college graduate who is prepared to drive impact in the workplace.”
Dr. Neville Pinto University of Cincinnati President
1700+
co-op employer partners
$94M+
in collective co-op earnings
Top 5
U.S. co-op ranking
(U.S. News & World Report)
UC’s cooperative education model connects academic learning with paid, degree-integrated professional experience to produce job-ready graduates, strengthen employer pipelines and deliver measurable workforce impact.
At the University of Cincinnati, co-op refers both to the students who participate and the experiences they complete. Through co-op, students build professional skills, grow their networks and apply what they learn in the classroom to real-world challenges.
100+ years of impact The University of Cincinnati has connected academic learning with paid, real-world experience for more than a century — creating career-ready graduates and measurable workforce impact.
Not an internship UC’s co-op is a degree-integrated, paid professional experience built directly into the curriculum and aligned with workforce needs.
Career-ready talent for employers Employers gain access to motivated, prepared students, while graduates leave UC with experience that supports employment, earnings and long-term career growth.
Commitment to student success This model advances UC’s mission around student outcomes, workforce readiness and regional and national economic development.
Learn more: How the UC Co-op Model will save Higher Education
UC operates one of the nation’s largest integrated, work-based learning systems, designed to prepare students for careers at scale.
UC is not just hoping students become employable after graduation. Over 98% of co-op students are employed or enrolled in continuing education upon completion of an undergraduate degree. The university operates a live workforce development system that supports tens of thousands of students every year.
UC’s co-op model delivers real earnings, real hiring and real return on investment. This impact is not theoretical.
Students like Emma Brantley (IT) turned co-op experiences at MassMutual and Viasat into a full-time software engineering role at Viasat after graduation.
UC co-op students regularly convert paid work experiences into job offers, graduate placements and leadership tracks at employers such as Great American, P&G, Viasat and 84.51.
UC is trusted by government, Fortune 500 companies and regional employers to deliver workforce-ready talent.
UC’s Industry Advisory Cabinet includes senior leaders from:
These companies do more than recruit at UC. They help shape UC’s talent pipeline, signaling deep trust in the co-op model and its outcomes.
At the University of Cincinnati, cooperative education isn’t just a student program — it’s a proven engine for economic and workforce impact that aligns higher education with real-world needs. UC’s co-op model blends rigorous academic learning with paid, degree-integrated work experience that produces job-ready graduates, strengthens employer talent pipelines and fuels regional economic growth.
Across industries — from engineering and technology to business, healthcare and design — UC students earn meaningful wages while building professional skills, networks and confidence. The result is measurable: participating students graduate more prepared, employers gain access to trained talent and communities benefit from sustained workforce development.
Co-op at UC is more than experiential learning — it’s a strategic, century-old model driving student success and workforce innovation, grounded in deep partnerships with employers and aligned with regional and national economic priorities.
UC’s co-op impact is supported by national rankings, longitudinal student outcomes and employer hiring data, all measured consistently over time.
