Office of Student Financial Aid & Student Employment

Internship & Co-Operative Education Programs

Two of the most popular ways to gain experience within a student's field of study are co-operative education opportunities and internship opportunities. Co-operative education opportunities ("co-ops") allow students in many fields to spend one working in the field, and the next attending class full time. The experience gained through this program has allowed many students to pursue full-time employment with their employing company (or with similar companies) upon graduation. Beyond this benefit, students are paid for their work. Generally speaking, but not in all cases, primary supervision of work is through the hiring institution and evaluative functions occur through that institution's evaluation of the work product. Work is often entry level and progresses with the student's experience level.

Internship opportunities may have a more intensive supervision function from the University and may involve a weekly or bi-weekly class meeting with University faculty to help evaluate the student's experience in the placement. Students may or may not be paid for their efforts (this expectation varies widely by field). Interns often function at the level of an entry-level practitioner in the field, with strong supervision from the placement and from the placement site. It should be noted that internships are often required as a part of graduation from a program. Students may or may not receive academic credit hours for internship--depending on the structure of their program.

Although considered to be enrolled full-time by The University of Akron, (important for health insurance, good student discounts on auto insurance, etc.) students participating in the Co-Operative Education are only eligible for financial aid based on the number of credit hours they are enrolled in for that academic term. Since this number is usually zero ("0") a co-op student would not usually eligible for scholarships, grants during your "co-op" semesters.

Students enrolled in internship programs may or may not, depending on their program's structure receive internship credit. Internships are often considered for financial aid in a manner similar to that of a co-op, BUT ONLY in cases where the internship experience is necessary for graduation.

Students whose programs do not require an internship, who are enrolled in an internship course will be eligible for receipt of aid at the level of the number of credit hours they are enrolled in, including any internship course.

Contact our office for details.

Exceptions

• A co-op student is eligible for federal student loans during the co-op semester. The student is also eligible to receive deferment on payment of all Federal Student Loans during Co-op experiences. If you require more information, please contact the Office of Student Financial Aid. Enrollment information for loan companies and deferments, health insurance, etc. are available through the Office of the Registrar, (330) 972-8300.
• If you are enrolled in other classes for academic credit while on Co-op assignment you may be eligible for aid based on those credits. Note: Students attending other schools should read the information for "Transient Students" section and contact this office for further information.
• An internship student is eligible for federal student loans during the internship semester if internship is needed for graduation and the clock hours spent within the internship experience are sufficient to justify status. The student is also eligible to receive deferment on payment of all Federal Student Loans during qualifying internship experiences. If you require more information, please contact the Office of Student Financial Aid. Enrollment information for loan companies and deferments, health insurance, etc. are available through the Office of the Registrar, (330) 972-8300.

Some financial aid that is not used during the Intern/Co-op term can be used the following summer. Other financial aid must be used the previous summer.

For the best results, you will want to contact our office PRIOR to the summer BEFORE your Intern/Co-op term.

This means that if you are planning to Intern/Co-op in Fall 2005, or Spring 2006, for best results, especially if you receive a pell grant, you should contact our office before the beginning of Summer 2005 so that we can work with you to make sure you maximize your aid eligibility.


Finally, It should be noted that the payment students receive from their Co-operative education experience can effect financial aid eligibility for the following academic year.

While being involved in Internship/Co-operative Education often involves some prior planning surrounding financial aid, the benefits of the programs are many and are greatly worth the effort.

If you are interested in being involved in a cooperative education program contact the Center for Career Management (330) 972-8655 or your academic department for more information.