Co-op Application FAQ

In 2021, the application deadline was Monday, September 13, 2021. The application process is closed. We do not accept late applications.

You may apply to co-op by the first day of classes in September of your second year. (Students seeking admission to UXD or PEP apply in third year.)

You must be pursuing your first undergraduate degree to be eligible for an undergraduate co-op program.

You must be enrolled full-time in September.

Enrolment in co-op is limited and there is a competitive admission process for co-op programs in Arts, Business, Economics, Science and User Experience Design.

See admission requirements for your program, including the minimum GPA required. (For Business and Economics Co-op, we set the minimum GPA each July; in 2021, the minimum overall first-year GPA is 9.1 out of 12.)

You apply through the Navigator database. It’s as easy as selecting “Co-op," your program, and clicking “submit application." See the Applying to Co-op section for the step by step details.

We accepted applications from undergraduate students for admission to co-op for 2021 until September 13. We do not accept applications after the deadline.

In 2022, the deadline is the first day of classes in the fall term.

(Graduate students indicate they want co-op when they apply to their graduate program.) 

Business and Financial Mathematics or Business and Computer Science at Laurier:

• You are eligible for automatic entry to co-op. The only entry point for co-op is at the beginning of second year. Simply enrol online by the first Monday of classes in September of your second year.

Business at Laurier; Mathematics or Computer Science at UWaterloo:

• Co-op is compulsory for you if your BBA is at Laurier and your other degree is at UW.

You will find additional information about enrolling in co-op on the double degree co-op program page.

You may also view the webinar for your program.

Absolutely. The Co-op Office will determine your eligibility for an admissions interview after receiving your previous transcripts from the Registrar’s Office. Remember, you must be entering the second year of your studies with no more than 7.5 credits and you must meet the GPA requirements in order to be considered for an admissions interview.

Yes! Learn about the co-op application process for by watching the webinar for students in your program.

Arts and Science

If you are a first-year student in Honours Arts or Honours Science, you may listen to a webinar about applying to Arts Co-op or Science Co-op.  

Business and Economics

If you are a first-year student in Honours Business or Economics, you may view a webinar about applying to Business and Economics Co-op.

Business Technology Management

If you are a first-year student in Business Technology Managment, you may view a webinar about enrolling in  BTM Co-op.

Computer Science, Data Science, PEP, and Water Science and Environmental Health

If you are a first-year student in Data Science, or Water Science and Environmental Health, or a student in first or second year of Computer Science, you may watch a webinar about applying to Computer Science Co-op, Data Science Co-op, Water Science Co-op, or PEP. 

Double Degree at Laurier: Business and Computer Science, Business and Financial Mathematics

If you are a first-year student in a double degree program at Laurier, you may view a webinar about enrolling in co-op for BBA/Computer Science or BBA/Financial Mathematics. 

Double Degree at Laurier and Waterloo: Business and Computer Science, Business and Mathematics

If you are a first-year student in a double degree program at Laurier and Waterloo, you may view a webinar about enrolling in co-op for BBA/Computer Science or BBA/Mathematics.  

User Experience Design

If you are a second-year student in UXD, you may view a webinar about applying to UXD Co-op.

We announce the minimum GPA for the year in July. In 2021, candidates to Business and Economics Co-op need to achieve an overall first-year GPA of at least 9.1 out of 12 to be eligible for an admission interview. (The actual average GPA of students to whom we offered admission in 2020 was 10.2.)

We consider all first-year courses completed between September and April in your first year; you must have five full credits.

If you don’t meet the minimum GPA, consult the Grade Requirements. 

Students in Arts or Science must achieve either a first-year overall GPA of at least 7.0 out of 12 or a GPA of at least 7.0 in their honours discipline courses and at least a 6.5 GPA overall.

We consider first-year courses completed between September and April in your first year. See the Marks for Applicants drop down for more detail, including transfer, AP and LEAF courses we consider.

When determining your GPA, we will include only those courses for which we see a numeric grade. We will exclude course letter grades that you have chosen to convert to a “credit" notation.

We will first review your overall GPA for the fall 2020 and winter 2021 term. In addition:

• If you elected to convert one or more grades to the credit format, we will recognize you as having met academic requirements, along with all other students with the same GPA.
• If you provide numeric grades for all required courses, we will recognize you as having exceeded academic requirements, compared to other students with the same GPA.
• If you provide numeric grades for all required and elective courses, we will recognize you as having reached the highest academic achievement, compared to other students with the same GPA.

Please see the admission requirements for your program for more information.

You may retake courses in the summer. We may, however, give more credit for academic achievement to students who achieved the minimum GPA cut-off by the end of the winter term.

We will not consider marks we receive after Monday of the second week of classes in September. Before taking courses through another school, check whether they will provide you with marks by our deadline.

See Courses Taken After the Winter Term for more information.

We hold interviews from late August or early September through mid-September. Staff members will began contacting students who are eligible for an interview in August. You will be asked to pick a time for your interview.

(As in the next answer, all interviews will be via Teams, so you will need Internet access and a device with a webcam.)

In fall 2021, we are interviewing candidates virtually, using video conference software.

Please arrange to have access to the Internet and a device with a webcam.

How to use MS Teams for your co-op admission interview.

You will find lots of information about admission interviews here, including the webinar for your program. We are not able to conduct practise interviews with candidates, and neither are staff members in Laurier's Career Centre.

If you are granted an admission interview, you will need to provide a resume three days before your interview. Please follow the instructions for submitting your resume, and see the sample resume for your program.

Four categories (weighted equally):

• Work experience in the last three years
• Volunteer service and extracurricular activities in the last three years
• Academic record in your first year at Laurier (GPA)
• Performance during the interview

Consult Step 2: Application Review for all the information you'll need for your interview. 

We will give consideration to students who were able to secure paid employment, in a safe environment, during the summers of 2020 and 2021. If you have any gaps in your employment, please be prepared to tell us how you spent your time. We want to hear about courses and volunteer work, and about any skills or knowledge you gained and that you could apply to co-op jobs.

To find work in the summer, you might apply to postings through the Career Centre's Navigator database, and also check out job sites such as these:

• Youth-Job Bank
•  Portal to agriculture and food jobs
• Indeed.ca
• Job Bank
• Monster.ca
• Workopolis

The admission process is very competitive, as we interview many more students than we can admit to co-op. We assess both the quality and the quantity of work experience. If you have related experience in an office or in a supervisory role, you may have an advantage, as long as you are able to tell us about your role effectively during the interview.

Try to build on the work experience you have obtained already, and search for relevant work experience during your first year or during the following summer.

Even if you don't have relevant jobs, please tell us about your roles, responsibilities and how you gained skills.

On the resume you provide to the Co-op Office before your interview, please include each employer's name, phone number and email address along with the job description. Follow the sample resume template.

We expect students to present their skills and experience truthfully and factually, as per the Non-Academic Student Code of Conduct. We reserve the right to verify any information provided and any student who is found to have misrepresented himself or herself will be ineligible for enrolment in the co-op program.

You should be able to list all the roles you held during senior high school and university. If you did more than attend meetings, explain how you contributed to each organization.

You could investigate volunteering within your community.

Ontario Volunteer Centre Network

Spark Ontario

Volunteer Canada