Making college pay

Cincinnati brought learning out of the classroom and into business more than a century ago, and today, UC integrates career preparation and professional development into every academic program.

Experience-based learning made a difference for Blincoe, alternating semesters of full-time employment with time in the classroom. “Co-op is a no-brainer,” he says. “Any school that provides you with the opportunity to get work experience and get paid before you graduate is a must.”

Co-op, now in its 113th year at UC, helps students answer two ageless questions: How are they going to pay for college, and how much is it worth. With most tuition estimates at around $26,000 annually for an in-state resident at a moderately priced state school, and most borrowers amassing close to $30,000 in college loan debt, families and students are more motivated than ever to ensure a solid return on investment.

At Cincinnati, co-op is a two-birds-one-stone proposition. Students gain invaluable real-world experience that often leads to a career, and they make good money doing it. In 2018, UC students earned a collective $66 million — about $11,000 per student per year.

Co-op students earn enough in one year to offset two semesters of classes at UC (not including room and board). When you do the math, that’s $55,000 over the course of a typical five-semester co-op.

Beyond the immediate ROI, Cincinnati students graduate ahead of their peers from other institutions, with a degree and a résumé, ready to make an impact on day one — so organizations depend on University of Cincinnati as a talent pipeline. Today, UC co-op students work for 1,800 national and international employers such as Apple, Disney, Fisher Price, General Electric, HBO, Kroger, NASA, Nike, Procter and Gamble, SpaceX and Toyota.

Blincoe, who admits to a lifelong fascination with space exploration, didn’t figure he’d end up in the business straight out of college, but he decided to take a chance. As he made his way through the interview process at Blue Origin, though, he found that his experience took him a long way and opened door normally closed to new grads.

“I actually know what it's like to work in an engineering environment,” Blincoe says. “I’m not some untested engineering student. I’m someone with experience under my belt.”

By the time co-op students graduate from Cincinnati, they’ve typically logged almost two years of work. Often, they wind up fielding offers from the companies they co-op with — and offers from multiple organizations are not uncommon.

And, just as valuable, sometimes they discover the field they thought they loved is less than they hoped for. Learning this as a co-op provides a better chance to change course before investing too much time — and tuition money.

Sometimes students wind up on a trajectory that surprises even the most talented. Like Blincoe.

“You want to talk about return on investment?” Blincoe asks. “My co-op experience at UC provided me with a dream job. That’s about as big a return as you can ask for.”