Frequently Asked Questions

The application process is open 3 times a year. Visit our eligibility section to view the specific registration timelines for Fall, Winter and Summer.

Steps to submit your application (when the registration is open) 
Step 1: Log in to the Co-op Portal
Step 2: On the menu, located on the left-hand side of the page, select “Co-op & Internship”
Step 3: Beta view: Click on ” Apply to Program”, located on the top right hand corner of the page; then select the Co-op Program to which you are applying to (e.g. Summer 2024 -Mechanical Engineering).
traditional view: select the Co-op Program to which you are applying to (e.g. Summer 2024 Computer Science).
Step 4: Answer the questions on the Application form.
Step 5: Scroll down and click “Submit Application”

After submitting your application, you will be redirected to your dashboard with a message indicating your application has been submitted.
Depending on your account view, there are guides you can download with step-by-step instructions and screen grab images:
Traditional view:  How to Submit Application to Lassonde Coop 
Beta view: How to Submit Application to Lassonde Co-op.

Attend a Group Drop-in session or contact us at lsecoop@lassonde.yorku.ca with the subject line: Co-op Registration – Application Correction. Please note it may take us up to 72 hours to respond to your email.

We’ve prepared some commonly asked questions from students. If you have additional questions, please join our Discord Community or attend a Group Drop-in session.

⠀Co-op⠀ is available after your second year and consists of 2 work periods separated by at least one study term.
Co-op is available for students in the following programs:
● Civil Engineering
● Computer Engineering
● Electrical Engineering
● Geomatics Engineering
● Mechanical Engineering
● Software Engineering
● Space Engineering
● Earth & Atmospheric Science
● Computer Science
● Computer Security
● Digital Media (as of Fall 2023 for Summer 2024 admission)

⠀Internships⠀ are available after your third year and consist of one work period.
Internships are available for students in the following programs:
● Digital Media
* Students who successfully complete the Co-op program, including a passing grade of all mandatory courses will receive a co-op designation, which will be noted on your official transcript. Learn more on Eligibility & Registration page.

Co-op students are required to complete 2 blocks of work (separated by at least one full-time academic semester) for a minimum combined total of 12 months to earn the co-op designation. The maximum total number of months over both periods is 20 months.

The first block is called the first co-op work period, typically takes place the summer after completing your second year of studies. The second block, is called the second co-op work period, and  takes place after you return for at least one academic semester, typically after 3rd-year of your studies.

Participating in the co-op/internship program will extend your graduation. Applied experience outside the classroom is heavily emphasized for engineering and computer science students. Many employers will require new graduates have previous co-op or internship experience as one of their entry-level requirements. Upon graduation, you can expect to compete for recent grad opportunities with graduates who have completed an average of 12 months co-op/internship.

Engineering students wishing to apply for professional engineering license are eligible to receive credit of up to 12 months for engineering experience acquired before graduation toward the required 48 months of work experience for licensing. See peo.on.ca for more details.

To graduate from York University with a Co-op Designation, you must be enrolled in our co-op program. Co-op fees are like membership dues and give you access to numerous services. These fees are mandatory regardless of how you go about finding a position. See here for more details on finding and securing positions.

The Lassonde Co-op/Internships team has 3 coordinators who play a big role in ensuring your Co-op experience runs as smoothly as possible. They act as a liaison between you and your employer, meet with you one-on-one to guide you through the entire process, conduct regular site visits, and develop new co-op opportunities for you to take advantage of.

● For the Co-op Program, only students whose home faculty is Lassonde are eligible to apply. Students pursuing an Honours degree in Digital Media with the AMPD faculty are eligible to apply for the Digital Media Co-op or Internship Program.
● York University offers various experiential education opportunities in the classroom, community or at work. Your faculty may have their own Co-op, Internship Program. We encourage you to meet with an Experiential Education (EE) Coordinator from your faculty to discuss your options. Below is a list of York’s Faculties and relevant links to Experiential Education Programs.
● Faculty of Science – Co-op & Internship Program: https://www.yorku.ca/co-op/
● Faculty of LA&PS – Internship Program: https://www.yorku.ca/laps/internships/
● Schulich School of Business: https://teachingandlearning.schulich.yorku.ca/experiential-education/
● Osgoode Law School: Experiential Education – Osgoode Hall Law School (yorku.ca)
● School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design: https://ampd.yorku.ca/current-students/
**Exception: Digital Media students in AMPD are eligible to apply for the Digital Media Co-op or Internship Program. With the introduction of Co-op for Digital Media in Fall 2023, the Internship Program will close as of Winter 2024 for students searching for a Fall 2024 position.
● Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change: https://euc.yorku.ca/experiential-education/
● Glendon: Experiential Education | Glendon (yorku.ca)
● Faculty of Graduate Studies: https://gradstudies.yorku.ca/
● Faculty of Health: Experiential Education Resources – Faculty of Health (yorku.ca)

The 2.0 COOP courses are considered academic credits and will contribute to any BA/BSc students overall 90/120 credit count required to graduate. However, these courses do not contribute to any other academic requirement (e.g. non-science, general education).

York University’s Career Centre offers career exploration and job search support to all York University students. We strongly encourage the following:
⠀⠀⠀● To learn about the variety of supports and services available to students and new graduates (up to 2 years after graduation), visit here
⠀⠀⠀● Want to chat with someone? Drop by their Career Lounge to chat with a Peer Advisor and get advice
⠀⠀⠀● Book a Job Search Advising Appointment with a Career Professional to discuss options of finding work outside of the co-op/internship program
⠀⠀⠀● Are you having difficulty deciding on a career path? Are you unsure how your degree may relate to your future career? Do you feel challenged moving forward with your career exploration? Book a Career Counselling Appointment with a Career Counsellor

The main reasons why students’ applications are declined is due to academic requirements not being met (see further explanation below):

1. you may not have met the GPA required for your program. **
2. you may not be enrolled in or have completed the required courses prior to your first work term (e.g. Winter 2024). Refer to chart below for the required courses.
3. you do not meet the full-time, Honours degree, Lassonde student status requirement for your program.
⠀⠀⠀Full-time is based on York University’s definitions:
⠀⠀⠀● at least 60% course load (at least 9 credits in each term) for undergraduate students.
⠀⠀⠀● at least 40% course load (at least 6 credits in each term) for undergraduate students with a disability.
You must be enrolled in your degree program as a full-time student during the academic term before your anticipated first co-op work term.
Please see below for more details:

Term Applying For: Winter 2024
When to Apply: Summer
Full-time Registration Required: at least 9 credits per term (6 for students with a disability) for Fall 2023 and Winter 2024. Note, as you are not guaranteed to secure a work term, you should also be enrolled full-time for Winter 2024. Once you secure a co-op, you can drop these courses

Term Applying For: Summer 2024
When to Apply: Fall 2023
Full-time Registration Required: at least 9 credits per term (6 for students with a disability) for Fall 2023 and Winter 2024

Term Applying For: Fall 2024
When to Apply: Winter 2024
Full-time Registration Required: at least 9 credits per term (6 for students with a disability) for Fall 2023 and Winter 2024. Note, as you are not guaranteed to secure a work term, you should also be enrolled full-time for Fall 2024. Once you secure a co-op, you can drop these courses

4. You must be enrolled in an Honours Degree, requiring at least 120 credits to graduate. Ordinary degree cannot be considered. With exception of Digital Media students, your home faculty must be Lassonde School of Engineering.
5. You may not have earned the minimum credit requirements OR you may have exceeded the maximum credit requirements to be admitted into the program. Refer to chart below for the minimum and maximum credits.

** If you applied for Winter 2024, this GPA is based on your most recent Lassonde GPA at the time of application, which is based on FW22/23 and SU23 grades (if applicable). If your CGPA changes based on Summer 2023 grades, you can attend a group drop-in to speak to a Co-op Coordinator about your options.

The Career Centre offers job search support for all students searching for summer, part-time, on-campus or full-time work. Be sure to take advantage of this invaluable resource.

● If your academic status has changed since you last submitted your application (e.g. GPA, added or dropped a course, etc) or you believe we have made an error in assessing your eligibility,
⠀⠀⠀● Visit our application checklist page at: https://lassonde.yorku.ca/co-op/application-checklists/ and self-assess.
⠀⠀⠀● Fill out the form, take a screenshot or copy this into a Word file. Indicate where you think we made the error and we invite you to attend our Drop-ins. Every term, we also schedule specific drop-in dates for students who receive a decline.

● For students with extenuating circumstances, you may be able to file a Co-op/Internship Requirements Waived or Altered Petition. For more details, review the Lassonde Petitions website. https://lassonde.yorku.ca/petitions **
**A petition is a written request by a student which outlines exceptional circumstances they have faced which warrant consideration to be exempt from or have waived a Lassonde School of Engineering rule or regulation.  Submitting a petition is not always the best solution to an academic problem

Speak with a Lassonde Co-op/Internship Coordinator by joining our drop-in hours before submitting a petition of this sort, as some co-op/internship requirements are not petitionable.

Co-op for Digital Media is launching as of Fall-Winter 2023-2024. Therefore, students who are pursuing their second year of studies during this academic term are the students eligible to pursue Digital Media Co-op.

Co-op is the one of the most well-defined types of Work Integrated Learning (WIL) in Canada and is the only type accredited by CEWIL Canada. Co-op is more accessible to students as you can begin your first work term the summer after completion of your 2nd year of studies. Co-op is a much more flexible option for students as it enables students to alternate academic studies with paid work terms. This allows a student to move from one industry to another or explore different roles before graduation. Co-op enables students to participate in additional work terms (maximum 20 months instead of 16 months).

Students who are enrolled in Honours, full-time, pursuing 2000-level courses in Digital Media in Fall/Winter 2023-2024 may apply for the program. Please review our Eligibility and Registration page and self-assess your eligibility

Please review our Eligibility and Registration page and self assess your eligibility Note that as a Lassonde CGPA is required at the time of application, transfer students must have completed at least one academic semester at Lassonde prior to their first co-op work term.

The Co-op/Internship team is committed to supporting the employment needs of students with disabilities. If you would like to discuss strategies for success in your co-op experience, contact your Co-op/Internship Coordinator. We would be happy to assist you in discussing your questions or any accommodations you may need.
If you have a learning disability, mental health disability, or physical, sensory or medical disability, we encourage you to register as soon as possible with York University’s Student Accessibility Services (SAS). SAS can help to identify reasonable adjustments in an academic setting and can provide guidance for accommodations in the workplace.

Important note for Co-op & Digital Media Internship students: Should you require accommodations in your co-op/internship workplace for disability-related needs or on other Ontario Human Rights Code grounds, you will need to connect in a timely way with your employer to determine and implement any necessary arrangements. We recommend that you review the Student Guide to Practicum Accommodations and reach out to Lassonde Co-op if you have any questions. You can also find additional information on the Student Accessibility Services website to support you with this conversation.  Lassonde Co-op can assist students with questions related to the Code around accommodations outside of disability related ones and Student Accessibility Services will be happy to provide you with guidance on how to go about accessing disability related accommodations if you would find this support helpful.

We strongly recommend students with disabilities register with Student Accessibility Services (SAS)  in order to access the variety of supports available to you. We want as many Lassonde students to be able to have the opportunity to join the co-op program.
Students who are registered with SAS will have their full-time course load calculated based on York University’s Undergraduates with a permanent disability, which is at least 40% (At least 6 credits in each term).