<p>I am an international student who belongs to a very poor family. I am very interested in UC's Co-op program. It claims that students can earn upto $40,000 or more working and NOT pay tuition during their co-op. Roughly $40,000 will be needed to be spent each year to pay for room,tuition etc. If I work full-time in co-op and hence don't pay tuition, I can finance everything for the year.</p>
<p>Students cannot take co-op in the first year. So, I'll have to pay all the fees minus the UC Global scholarship for the first year. But after the first year, can I really afford to attend UC by relying on co-op and campus, part-time jobs to fund ALL my expenses?</p>
<p>My family cannot pay more than ~$2000 per year.</p>
<p>Your calculation appears to assume at 6 day work week when the typical work week has 5 days. I doubt that the co-op program employs students full-time year round.</p>
<p>You don’t pay tuition during your Co-op because you are not in school. You’re working and 95% likely, are not even on campus. That’s how co-ops function everywhere.</p>
<p>Co-op programs are available for college students anywhere – not just Cincinnati. And they are not guaranteed. You apply for them and companies choose among students they’ve interviewed. Yes, many students use the money to pay down their tuition – but to plan on this is a very risky venture when you only have USD 2000. Please seek some more advice in the International student’s forum . Also, you should contact UoC’s career services and admissions department.</p>
<p>No. This is not a jobs program: you have to be enrolled in a college. Co Ops are meant as recruiting tools for students completing a degree. Your visa may allow you to get a co-op but you should check – again, go to the international students forum to ask. I don’t know the rules about this.</p>
<p>Remember as a coop student you must pay for your living expenses. Some coops will provide either a stipend or some form of housing, however, you will have transportation costs, food, utilities, taxes etc. You are alternating semester between going to class and working, thus you will be averaging 26 weeks a year not 52. The $40/hr you quote will likely be for a 5th session coop in an area that has a very high cost of living and you will more than likely be responsible for more of your own expenses. The more probable scenario is that you will find a position somewhere in the midwest making between $15 and $20 per hour your first session. I think coops are a wonderful way of gaining experience in the work place and help defray SOME of the costs of college.</p>
<p>U of Cincinnati does have a mandatory 5 sessions coop, however, it is your job to find the position. If you do not find a position I believe they allow you to do research or an internship for one or two of the sessions. They do have companies that will interview on campus but you must be proactive. The school will have an office that will assist you in finding companies and positions but there is no guarantee. There are other schools that will have mandatory coops such as U. of Toledo, Kettering University and I’m sure many others. As someone else mentioned many engineering schools offer coops, however, most are optional. Good luck.</p>
<p>Expect 8 to 10 month co-ops, 5 days a week, with salaries increasing progressively - from about $15 an hour first year. $40 an hour would be for seniors with a lot of experience and positive professional feedback. Most juniors-seiors would make$30 an hour or so.</p>
<p>You’re an int’l. Probably most of those co-op jobs aren’t open to you. Plus, I don’t think your education visa allows you to earn that much. I think your education visa limits the number of hours you can work. </p>
<p>??? and how would you pay for the first year anyway?</p>
<p>Why don’t you go to school in your own country since money is such a big issue</p>
<p>You would have to be good at budgeting and saving money, because the program lasts five years instead of four and there is only coursework and no coop for the fifth year. </p>
<p>Co-ops are allowed for internationals and don’t fall under the F1 rules about working on campus.
But beside the two 4-5 month sessions/programs that are most common, even for 5-co-op/program schools like UCincinnati - which IS a pioneer in that area - it’s unlikely you can fund the entire costs of years 2-5 through co-op, even living frugally (cost of living in the US is quite high - check out walmart or target websites to have an idea of how much basics like pasta or yoghurt cost.)
Check out UWaterloo.</p>
<p>Even if co-ops don’t fall into the F1 rules, many co-op employers will not hire int’ls, so it would be a big risk to need to count on that opportunity, especially one that pays $40k per year. </p>
<p>Plus, if the family can only pay $2k per year, how would the first year get paid?</p>
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It claims that students can earn upto $40,000 or more workin</p>
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<p>Would the student be working one semester per year? If so, wouldn’t that add 3 more semesters in time? </p>
<p>How much would the student earn in a semester/summer? and how much of the earnings will go towards taxes and housing/food/transportation? This student seems to think it can all go towards school costs for the next school year.</p>