Financial Considerations

Co-op Course Fee

There is a ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ course fee for each four-month work term (WKEXP). 

The fee for each Work Experience course is set by the University. In addition to the course fee, there are miscellaneous fees from the University and Students’ Union such as the UPass.

For domestic students, you can find work experience fee information from the Office of the Registrar.

International students on a tuition guarantee model who are branched into a Co-op program maintain their original tuition guarantee total. As a co-op degree takes an extra year to complete, your remaining tuition for your program (your total guarantee minus what you paid for your foundational year) is divided into 4 years rather than 3 years, but your overall guaranteed total tuition will not change. Please note that you are still assessed the standard non-instructional fees in addition to your tuition each term of your registration. Please review your tuition guarantee for the registration conditions and requirements for your guarantee. View more about international student fees »

In the event that a student was unable to obtain employment in a given work term, or became unemployed during a work term due to circumstances beyond their control, the fee would be refunded.

What Are The Benefits for the Investment?

  • Students enrolled in WKEXP maintain full-time student status
  • Access to an exclusive co-op job board on campusBRIDGE with co-op approved positions
  • Gain up to 20 months of paid hands-on and practical experience prior to graduation
  • Pre-graduation co-op work experience can count for up to 12 months of the four-year APEGA experience requirement
  • Network with industry leaders and build a personal professional brand
  • Access to a team of co-op staff dedicated to helping and supporting co-op students including
    • Workshops and specialty events
    • 1:1 appointments for resumes, interviews, job search coaching, and more
    • Daily drop in advising both in-person and virtually 
    • Onsite support throughout a work term
    • And more!

Engineering Co-op Students Opting Out of U-Pass Fees

Students on work terms outside of the Edmonton metropolitan transit service area may apply to opt-out of the U-Pass Fee. 

To be eligible to opt-out of the U-Pass, one of the following conditions must be met: 

  • The student is working outside the serviceable transit area of Edmonton, Strathcona County, St. Albert, Leduc, Fort Saskatchewan, and Spruce Grove. 
  • The employer has an office in one of the serviceable transit areas, but the student does not frequently work at this site. 
  • Your placement requires that the work be done remotely (100%). 

Once your form is submitted, the Engineering Co-op Office will confirm the accuracy of the information provided. The Fees Division of the Registrar’s Office will also verify the information before removing the fee.

Important

  • U-Pass Fees cannot be removed if the student is also registered in an on-campus academic course.
  • Students that have already picked up their U-Pass for the term cannot be exempted from the U-Pass Fee. 
  • The U-Pass Fee will not be removed after the ADD/DROP Deadline for the term. It is the student’s responsibility to notify the Co-op Department should they wish to opt out of the U-Pass. Students who do not complete this form will pay the U-Pass Fee. 
Learn more about the U-Pass »

Student Loans - Full Time Student Status

Federal and ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Government student loans begin to accrue interest six months after a student ceases full time attendance at a post-secondary institution. This has created some problems for co-op students in the past, particularly those who are on concurrent work terms. 

If you have made use of student loans, you must take the following steps to notify loan officials that you are considered a full time student and are therefore entitled to interest-free status throughout the length of your work terms. Failure to do so could result in being asked to begin repayment on any outstanding loans.

  1. Log in to
  2. Go to 'Academics' > 'Verification Documents'
  3. Once a verification document is requested through Bear Tracks, students will receive them in MyCreds™ | MesCertif™ for a fee of $10. (Note: The document is called Confirmation of Enrolment in MyCreds™).

Current students can order their enrolment verification document for pick up in the Student Service Centre (SSC) or the Augustana Student Academic Services Office. This option is free and the document will be available for pickup 10 business days after submitting the request. Students can also request enrolment verification documents be mailed or couriered for a fee. Requests for mail/courier will be processed 10 business days after submitting the request, plus mail/shipping time. See more information about verification documents »

If this does not meet your requirements, please contact the co-op office at engineering.co-op@ualberta.ca.

Scholarships

Co-op students are considered for scholarships on the basis of work completed in Year 2 (academic terms 3 and 4), Year 3 (academic terms 5 and 6) and Year 4 (academic terms 7 and 8). Co-op students are considered for scholarships three times over the course of their program. They have no advantage over traditional engineering students who are also eligible at the same three points in their program.

Scholarships and awards are only available once a year in May/June. Therefore, the academic terms used may come from different academic years.For example, a student in electrical engineering being considered for an award at the end of year 3 would have already completed academic term 7. However, the terms used for the awards would be academic term 5 which occurred in the winter term of the preceding academic year, and academic term 6, the previous fall term. This way, all students both co-op and regular program students, will be considered for awards on the basis of the same academic terms.

Income Tax

You are not eligible to claim the federal government education income tax deduction for work term periods. Co-op students may claim this deduction only for those months they are attending classes on campus as a full-time student. For example, a student who has one four-month academic term and two four-month work terms during a taxation year will be eligible for the education tax deduction for four months only.

ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Health Care Insurance

Co-op students are eligible to obtain coverage through their parent's plan for both academic and co-op work terms, provided they are dependents as defined by ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Health Care.