Extending a Job Offer

The Hiring Process

After an employer has identified a co-op student it would like to make a job offer to, the employer is free to do so as they normally would for any new hire. Please refer to and follow these guidelines when doing so. The student is then required to notify us of the position by submitting the Job Status Form. That form will provide information such as their starting semester and plans for subsequent co-op semesters. 

Semester Dates

The breakdown of dates that the students can work at their Co-op employer is determined by the University of Minnesota's semester dates. The starting and ending work dates do not need to exactly match the University's semester dates but they should fall within the following ranges:

  • Spring Semester is between January 1 to mid-May. The latest start date should be first day of the spring semester, which is the day after the Martin Luther King holiday. The end date should be in May.
  • Summer Semester is between mid-May to the end of August. The latest start date should be the second week of June, the start of the University's summer semester. The end date should be between mid-August and Labor Day.
  • Fall Semester is from the Tuesday after Labor Day to the end of December. The latest start date should be the first day of the fall semester, the Tuesday after Labor Day.  The end date should be between mid and late December.

Salary Considerations

The Co-op Program requires that Co-op students be paid a competitive wage, though we do not specify the exact amount. To assist employers we have an ongoing salary survey and compile the results in a summary of wages paid to Co-op students. Please email us at co-op@umn.edu to request a copy.

We ask that Co-op employers complete this form once a year. Participation in this survey is greatly appreciated and all employer salaries in the published results are kept anonymous.

Co-op Average Salary

The average Co-op salary in 2018-19 is $18/hour, with a range of $16.00 to $22/hour, with a variety of other benefits and perks. Some employers increase the salary each semester and others do not.

Hiring International Students

Employers do not need to sponsor international students that are hired through the Co-op Program. All Co-op students will take care of the proper authorization through the University of Minnesota's International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) office, so they may legally work at their Co-op employer without any negative ramifications for either the student or the employer. The authorization stipulations are as follows:

  • International students with F-1 visas are eligible to participate in the Co-op Program and work legally in the United States with Curricular Practical Training (CPT) authorization.
  • It is the responsibility of the student to obtain the CPT authorization through the University's ISSS office to work with the Co-op employer.
  • The CPT authorization takes seven business days to administer, and students cannot begin employment until the CPT authorization is processed.
  • Since international students must complete the CPT authorization before beginning work, employers need to allow time for the student to complete the process when determining the start date.
  • International students have to be active in an academic program and must complete an academic year of full-time coursework to be eligible for a CPT.
  • Participation in the Co-op Program should not delay a student's completion of studies.