• Minimum 2.50 CGPA 
• Encouraged to apply after 30 credits 
• New students are required to apply at least 2 terms before the intended work term

No, you are required to obtain a minimum 2.50 CGPA in order to be accepted to the Co-op program. If your CGPA is below 2.50, your application will be rejected. We suggest to you to raise your CGPA and apply to Co-op once you meet this requirement.

The minimum GPA requirement is 2.00 CGPA. Co-op is an optional additional program for CMPT students.

Upon receiving your application form, you will be contacted within 10 business days to advise you of your Conditional Approval to the Program via myExperience message or email. There will be program specific steps that you will need to complete in order to be fully accepted into the Co-op program.

CMPT 276 is no longer a requirement to seek for a Co-op placement. CMPT 276 is still an excellent course and is highly recommended.

You should plan for at least 3 Co-op terms to complete the Co-op program and receive the Co-op designation on your degree, which is recognized across Canada.

Each term the Co-op office will complete graduation checks for all Co-op students in the program who have submitted the application for graduation. If the Co-op student did not complete 3+ Co-op work terms then the Co-op subplan will be manually removed from the student’s academic file. No extra steps are required by the student to graduate.

To speak with a coordinator or advisor, you must book an appointment with them through myExperience. If you have any questions for them, find out who your Coordinator is, and send them an email.

For your coordinator please check our contact page.

Once you have completed the prep requirements and have been released to seek, you will have ongoing access to view the job postings on myExperience for multiple future terms. You do not need to let your coordinator know each term that you want to job search.

You can start seeking after you complete the Prep requirements. Including:

• Workshops: Participate in the FAS Co-op Resume, Cover Letter and Interview workshops - either separately or by attending the "All In One" option.
• International students require a valid work permit in order to start seeking.

You are only required to attend the workshops once. Therefore, if you have attended the workshops once and fulfilled this requirement, then you do not have to attend them again.

You should plan for at least 3 Co-op terms to complete the Co-op program and receive the Co-op designation on your degree, which is recognized across Canada.

We recommend that Seeking students apply to a minimum of 30-60 jobs throughout the term (that is about 2-4 a week). Senior students should be actively and attentively applying throughout the term. This can take up to 7-12 hours a week and should be compared to taking a course.

Similar to applying into university, there is an application fee for applying into co-op. This is a one-time cost that is applied to your goSFU account and must be paid within 10 days of receiving your acceptance letter into the Co-op program. Please visit: https://www.sfu.ca/coop/apply.html for more information about the fee. If you are not accepted into the co-op program, your application fee is refunded.

Aside from the application fee, Co-op students pay tuition fees only when they are placed in a Co-op work term. The tuition fee is the same for domestic and international students: $878.31 CAD. This fee applies to every work term that you secure, including extensions and self-directed work terms. Co-op tuition fees are generally due on the 7th week of classes. Students who secure a local placement will also have access to U-Pass and will continue to have access to public transit.

The best time to apply to Co-op is around 45 credits. As a transfer student, we recommend waiting at least one term before joining the Co-op program. Focus your energy in your first term on having a successful transition to the curriculum and expectations.

Self-Directed Work Terms provide a great opportunity finding a job that is right for you, or targeting a specific industry or location. Contact your Co-op coordinator to discuss strategies. You may use your own connections such as family and friends, current employers, colleagues, or people you know through networking. You could also be applying to jobs you find through different means. 

However, make sure that your chose Co-op position fulfills all requirements such as minimum of 420 hours of work, paid, provided supervision, and is in an area of your academic field.

International students are required to obtain a valid Co-op work permit from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) before applying to SFU Co-op jobs. This is different from your off-campus work permit. We recommend applying for the Co-op work permit as early as possible as processing times can be lengthy. To apply you must submit a letter provided from the Co-op office indicating you are part of the Co-op program along with your application. You will be issued the letter at the beginning of your New Student term. See here for more information. 

The Co-op office must have a copy of your valid Co-op Work Permit prior to students being released to apply for Co-op positions. Direct questions you have regarding the Co-op Work Permit process to International Services for Students.

• Practice on your own or with a friend using questions from the OLC Interview Questions Database.
• Use InterviewPrep tool from inside myExperience. You can record yourself answering interview questions and then reflect on your performance.
• Book a practice interview with your Co-op advisor or coordinator.
• Create an account on Interview Prep to practice Interviews Questions.

If an employer contacts you directly for an interview request, please notfiy our Co-op office right away by emailing hire@sfu.ca with all the details. We will provide you with instructions for your next steps.

If an offer was sent directly to you from the employer, please notify your coordinator either directly of email hire@sfu.ca. Making the Co-op office aware of your offer, ensures receiving a placement email with information and instructions. 

If you do not receive the placement email wihtin a few weeks of accepting your offer, please follow up with the Co-op office.

Please refer to your placement email for your course enrollment details for your work term.

We do not recommend taking a course during a work term. Your priority and commitment should be with the employer. However, if your employer is open to letting you take on a course while you are working you must submit a Time Conflict Request document online to the Computing Science School along with written consent of your supervisor. 

It really depends on what kind of issues you are experiencing. Physical work environments need to be safe, so check out Work Safe BC and the BC Employment Standards. This might help you in figuring out what kind of concerns you are encountering. 

If this does not answer your questions and your concerns persist, and you feel uncomfortable approaching your colleagues or supervisor, please do not hesitate to contact your coordinator.

Before you do anything, please contact your coordinator. They will be able to answer your questions and address your concerns as well as ask you relevant questions to problem-solve the situation. They will be able to give you guidance and advice on what actions you can take and what potential consequences may arise.

There are a few things that may be happening:

• It may be too late in the term for you to register, in which case let us know and we will register you.
• You may be trying to enrol in the wrong course: each work term number is sequential.
• Another common issue is that you may have fees still outstanding: in which case pay them in full as soon as possible after which you can enroll in your Co-op course.