The Co-op Program

• Designed for employers interested in hosting undergraduate students for multiple work terms. Co-op students complete at least one semester and one summer work rotation, providing employers with a student for approximately 7.5 months while allowing students to gain extensive, hands-on industry experience.
• Partners with public- and private-sector employers enable us to facilitate about 1,000 co-op work rotations each academic year.
• Provide students with meaningful full-time, PAID work experiences, in line with their career and academic goals.

Co-op students can fill an important role in your company – energetic, skilled workers eager to make a good impression and find contacts in the real world.

Students have shown that recruitment efforts were more successful with co-op graduates, recruitment costs were lower and many co-op students offered permanent jobs and accepted them.

Participating Employers

As an employer participating in the Co-op Program, you’ll enjoy:

• Access to reliable, motivated, and skilled individuals whose career objectives are directly related to the job,
• The opportunity to evaluate students for employment upon graduation,
• The opportunity to form a lasting partnership between your organization and NC State University.

The Co-op Program is an optional academic program. Co-op opportunities are multiple semesters of full-time work with the SAME employer. Students typically alternate semesters of full-time work with full-time study. Employers are required to complete a Co-op Employer Agreement in order to participate in the program.

Internships can be one semester, typically full-time over the summer months and/or part-time during the academic year.

If you think your organization is a potential fit for the Co-op Program, please contact Kelly Laraway at [email protected] to set up a meeting. New employers will be required to complete a Co-op Employer Agreement in order to participate in the program.

Co-op Employer Process

• Please contact Kelly Laraway at [email protected] to complete your co-op employer agreement paperwork to participate in the co-op program. If your agreement is five years old or more and haven’t hired any co-op students within that time, please reach out to Kelly to update your agreement. Please post your co-op position to ePACK before beginning the hiring process. Our team will promote the co-op opportunity to NC State students.
• Once a student accepts the offer that was extended to them, please complete the Co-op Employer Hiring Form.
• Employers may begin the hiring process. Co-op coordinators will begin to set up pre-work conferences with students to set up university logistics.

Important University Dates

These dates from the academic calendar should be utilized to determine start and end dates.

Summer 2026

Wednesday, May 20	Report to work
Friday, June 26	Deadline for the mid-point check-in with Co-op Manager/Supervisor
Monday, August 3	Deadline for students to complete Co-op Portfolio & post-self assessment
Friday, August 7	Last day of work

Fall 2026

Friday, July 24	Course Tuition for Fall Enrollment Due
Monday, August 17	Suggested Start Date
Friday, December 11	Suggested End Date

Spring 2027

Monday, January 11	Suggested Start Date
Friday, April 30	Suggested End Date

These deadlines represent administrative requirements for the Co-op Program. Individual student work schedules and semester rotation plans may vary and should be determined on a case-by-case basis between you and your co-op hire.