The ROI of co-op education: How work-integrated learning pays off

Co-op education, also called work-integrated learning, gives students something traditional college programs can’t — paid, real-world experience built into their degree. Instead of graduating with only a diploma, co-op students graduate with professional experience, employer connections and a stronger career path.

As Inside Higher Ed recently reported, UC’s co-op model is being held up as a blueprint for the future of higher education.

Co-op education (short for cooperative education) is a college learning model that combines classroom learning with paid work experience in a student’s field of study.

Students supplement academic coursework with professional employment, allowing them to earn money, gain experience and apply what they learn in real-world settings before they graduate.

Unlike traditional college programs where work experience is optional, co-op is built directly into the degree, making career preparation part of the academic journey — not an afterthought.

While co-ops and internships both provide hands-on experience, they are not the same.

Internships are typically:

• Short-term (often a summer or one semester)

• Part-time or unpaid

• Optional

• Focused on exposure

Co-op programs are:

• Often longer and more immersive (some even continue across full-time work terms)

• Paid and professional-level

• Required or credit-bearing as part of the degree

• Designed to build deep, career-ready experience

In a co-op program, students don’t just “try out” a job — they become part of a real workplace, contributing to projects, building relationships and developing skills that employers value.

Work-integrated learning is an educational model that blends academic instruction with real-world work. In a co-op program,this means students alternate among learning, working and applying:

1. Learn key concepts in the classroom
   

2. Apply them during paid work periods with employers
   

3. Return to the classroom with clearer goals, stronger skills and deeper understanding

This learning model repeats throughout a student’s degree, allowing them to refine their interests, build professional confidence and graduate with both a diploma and a proven track record in their field.

At the University of Cincinnati, co-op isn’t an add-on — it’s a core part of how students prepare for their careers, helping them graduate not just educated, but workforce-ready.

College ROI is not just about what you earn after graduation. It is about how much value you gain while you are earning your degree. Co-op education changes the math by letting students start building their careers before they ever walk across the stage.

One of the biggest advantages of a co-op program is that students are paid for their work. Instead of taking on unpaid internships or only working retail or service jobs, co-op students earn professional wages in roles related to their major.

That income can make a real difference. Students often use their co-op earnings to:

• Pay for tuition and fees

• Cover housing and living expenses

• Reduce how much they need to borrow in student loans

By the time they graduate, many co-op students have already earned thousands of dollars — lowering their overall cost of college and increasing their financial independence.

Most college graduates enter the job market with little more than a diploma and a few short internships. Co-op students graduate with multiple periods of substantive, professional work experience already on their resume.

That experience means they can:

• Show employers exactly what they’ve done in the workplace

• Speak confidently about projects, tools and teams

• Stand out in competitive job searches

In many fields, co-op students graduate with the equivalent of one to two years of relevant experience — a major advantage over peers who are just getting started.

Co-op doesn’t just prepare students for the job market — it connects them directly to it. Many employers use co-op programs as a long-term hiring pipeline, bringing students back for multiple work terms and often extending full-time job offers after graduation.

Because employers have already worked with these students, they know:

• How they perform

• How they fit into the team

• What skills they bring to the organization

That familiarity dramatically reduces hiring risk — which is why co-op students are often hired more quickly and with more confidence than graduates they’re meeting for the first time.

The University of Cincinnati is not just a participant in co-op education — it is the institution that invented and scaled the model.

For more than a century, UC has been at the forefront of work-integrated learning, shaping how universities across the country connect education to careers.

In 1906, the University of Cincinnati became the first university in the world to formally integrate paid work experience into a college curriculum. What began as a bold experiment has become a global standard for experiential learning.

By embedding professional employment into degree programs from the very beginning, UC established the blueprint that many other universities would later follow, proving that students learn best when theory and practice work together.

Today, UC operates one of the largest and most comprehensive co-op programs in the United States. Thousands of students across dozens of majors participate in co-op every year, integrating academic study and paid, professional work

This scale means UC is able to offer:

• Co-op opportunities across nearly every discipline

• Connections to industries ranging from engineering and healthcare to business, design and technology

• A structured system that supports students from their first work term through graduation

Few universities can match both the breadth and depth of UC’s work-integrated learning ecosystem.

UC’s co-op program is powered by one of the largest employer networks in higher education. Thousands of companies across the globe partner with UC to hire co-op students, including Fortune 500 companies, fast-growing startups, hospitals, research labs and public agencies.

These partnerships are not transactional. They are long-term relationships built on:

• Consistent talent pipelines

• Employer feedback shaping curriculum

• Students returning for multiple work terms

This creates a positive feedback loop where employers know what to expect from UC students — and students know their experience will be valued in the job market.

The ultimate measure of any co-op program is what happens after graduation and UC’s results speak for themselves.

Through repeated paid work experiences, UC students graduate with:

• Years of professional experience

• Strong employer references

• Clearer career direction

• High job placement and graduate school enrollment rates

This is why employers continue to recruit UC students year after year and why UC consistently stands out as a national leader in career readiness and workforce preparation.

Co-op is not just a different way to go to college. It is a different way to prepare for life after college. While many students can benefit from work-integrated learning, some will find it especially powerful.

Co-op is a strong fit for students who want:

• A clearer connection between their major and a future career

• Help paying for college through paid, professional work

• Time to explore different roles or industries before committing to a full-time job

• A competitive edge when applying for jobs or graduate school

Students who like learning by doing, building confidence through experience and seeing how their coursework applies in the real world often thrive in co-op programs.

Co-op is used across nearly every field at the University of Cincinnati, but it is especially valuable in majors where employers look for hands-on experience, such as:

• Engineering and computer science

• Business, marketing and finance

• Healthcare and life sciences

• Design, architecture and creative fields

• Information technology and cybersecurity

• Liberal arts

In these areas, co-op helps students graduate with both technical skills and professional experience that employers expect from entry-level hires.

Co-op students do not need to have everything figured out, but they do tend to share a few important traits. They are curious about their future, open to new environments and willing to take initiative in the workplace.

Students who succeed in co-op are often:

• Motivated to gain real-world experience

• Comfortable learning on the job

• Interested in building professional relationships

• Willing to balance academic and work responsibilities

For many students, co-op becomes the bridge between college and career, helping them graduate with clarity, confidence and a stronger sense of direction.

See which Bearcat path matches your future.

Co-op education changes what “college ROI” really means. Instead of waiting until graduation to start your career, you start building it from your first year on campus. With paid experience, stronger job prospects and less debt, co-op makes college a smarter investment — and at UC, it’s part of who we are.