Securing a co-op is competitive, but it’s a game-changer for maximizing your education. Northeastern has been supporting students through the co-op process for over a century, so you’ll have lots of resources and guidance. Take advantage of them! For undergrads, build your resume during your first year at Northeastern and throughout the summer—join clubs, work in a professor’s lab, do a summer internship. Graduate students, work your network. Most important: Be curious, keep your options open, and work closely with your co-op coordinator each step of the way.

It typically does. In fact, the average pay is $20-plus an hour. Some research, service, arts, and nonprofit co-ops pay less. Know that we work with students to remove cost barriers wherever possible, and some stipends—from Northeastern and employers—are available. Northeastern also offers some scholarships for global co-ops and low-paying fields. Keep in mind that because co-op jobs are full-time, we discourage simultaneous work and study.

You don’t pay tuition when you’re on co-op. Undergraduates only pay room and board if they live in a residence hall on campus while working. If you do a co-op outside Boston, you’ll secure your own housing. But we can help. Furnished apartments leased by the university are available for undergraduate co-op students in New York City, Chicago, and Portland, Maine (where we also have a campus). And many students find accommodations with the assistance of our Campus Relocation office, through student networking events, and through our broader Northeastern network. 

All sizes and all types. Company sizes vary from under 100 employees to more than 100,000. The majority of jobs are at organizations with between 1,000 and 100,000 employees. Job types include business, healthcare, finance and accounting, research, engineering, marketing and communications, software development, art, media, and design. Those are fields, not industries—meaning you can land a finance position at a healthcare company, or a software job at an engineering firm. The options are many! Your co-op coordinator will help you think through what makes the most sense for you.

Co-op is a great way for undergraduate and graduate international students studying in the U.S. to gain professional experience. You’ll need to work with Northeastern’s Office of Global Services to obtain authorization (called Curricular Practical Training, or CPT) as an eligible F-1 student. With authorization, you can work full-time, part-time, or hybrid (a mix of in-person and remote).