Frequently Asked Questions

UTM offers a variety of different curricular experiential learning (EL) opportunities.

The UTMCIP is a co-op internship program modelled after the definition established by Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL Canada). Co-op internship programs include one work experience period (i.e., a minimum of 12 weeks and/or 420 hours full-time paid experience) where students receive an in-depth exposure to one employer organization, which provides students the opportunity for development commensurate with the length of the overall program.

Academic internships are courses that are designed to supplement classroom learning with practical work-based experience. They are offered in upper-year courses across academic programs and allow undergraduate students to apply specialized knowledge acquired in their field through a 100 to 200-hour work placement for academic credit. Academic internships may be paid or unpaid.

Students who participate in the UTMCIP do not receive academic credit. The preparatory program and Work-Readiness Modules are not credit-bearing and will not appear on the student's academic transcript. The work experience is zero-credit and will appear on the student's academic transcript.

Students that enroll in the UTMCIP will participate in a 12- or 16-month full-time work experience between Year of Study 3 and Year of Study 4. As a result, the time to degree completion for students enrolled in the UTMCIP is normally expected to be 5 years.

The UTMCIP is an optional paid program.

Every student registered in the UTMCIP is required to pay program fees as established by the University. The fees cover the cost of operations including, but not limited to, registration, stakeholder relations, program staffing, business development, curriculum design and iteration, delivery of preparatory program through mandatory Work-Readiness Modules, ongoing student support, and grading. Program fees are calculated in accordance with the Government of Ontario and University of Toronto policies and paid over a series of six installments. Please refer to the Program Fees section on the Information for Students webpage.

The UTMCIP is launching for the first time in Fall 2024. It is being piloted with limited enrolment among academic units that have existing work-integrated learning programming as part of their curriculum.

Following the pilot, the EEU plans to expand the UTMCIP to include additional academic units and programs in future years.

With the launch of the UTMCIP, UTM students will no longer be permitted to participate in the Professional Experience Year (PEY) Co-op Program offered by the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, effective immediately. 

UTM has introduced the UTMCIP as a co-op internship program run directly through our campus, which will allow UTM to better meet the academic and professional needs of our student population. While the UTMCIP and PEY Co-op Program have similar structures (i.e., include preparatory modules and a paid work experience between 12 and 16 months), the PEY Co-op Program primarily targets Engineering students in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering and necessarily caters to a different student population with different career interests than UTM students. The UTMCIP is tailored to meet the needs of UTM students, offering students work-readiness preparation and work opportunities across a broader range of industries. 

The UTMCIP is available to students entering Year of Study 2 as a full-time student in the upcoming Fall/Winter 2024-25 session. A full-time student will be enrolled in a minimum of 1.5 credits in each of the Fall and Winter terms. Both domestic and international students are eligible for the UTMCIP program. Students in Year of Study 2 and Year of Study 3 will not have the option to transfer into the UTMCIP (no ”late admission”).

Students with part-time status may be considered for the program if they have received accommodation from the University. An example of an accommodation may include, but is not limited to, having a reduced course-load accommodation with Accessibility Services. Students with part-time status who have received accommodation from the University and wish to apply to a UTMCIP stream must contact coopinternship.utm@utoronto.ca.

Please see Student Eligibility Requirements on the Information for Students page.

Students apply to the UTMCIP by adding the regular stream of a participating program in ACORN and then submitting an online application to join the UTMCIP stream of the same program. Please see the Application Process on the Information for Students page.

Students can apply to the UTMCIP during either round of the program selection request period. Round 1 runs from March 5 through April 30, 2024, and Round 2 runs from June 3 through August 23, 2024. The last day to submit an application is Friday, August 23, 2024. Late applications to the UTMCIP will not be accepted.

Students must add the regular stream of an academic program in ACORN before submitting an application to join the UTMCIP stream of the program. 

International students will require a co-op work permit for participation in the UTMCIP in addition to a valid study permit. Both items can be addressed once you have been admitted into the program. For additional information, please visit https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/international/career-counselling-international-students/working-canada/co-op-work-permit.

You are encouraged to contact the International Education Centre for support.

Students cannot enroll in more than one co-op program at the University of Toronto. Students cannot be enrolled in both the UTMCIP and complete a University of Toronto certificate with an experiential learning component. 

Upon admission to the UTMCIP, students will be enrolled in a series of four Work-Readiness Modules to prepare them for the employment recruitment cycle. 

Following completion of all four modules, students will be granted access to the University of Toronto Co-op Job Board, which they will use to secure a 12- or 16-month work experience.

Students who fail to complete a module will be given an opportunity to retake it once before moving on to the next module. They will not be required to pay an additional fee for the retake. Students that do not complete the required modules within the designated timeframe will be removed from the UTMCIP stream and returned to the regular program stream after consultation with the Undergraduate Advisor in the corresponding academic unit. 

In situations where extenuating circumstances may prevent a student from completing a Work-Readiness Module, students are strongly encouraged to contact the UTMCIP staff for guidance and support.

While it is not necessary at the time of application to the UTMCIP, all international students will require a valid work permit and Social Insurance Number (SIN) to participate in a work experience. UTMCIP staff will connect international students with the UTM International Education Centre for guidance on the required documentation, which will be issued to international students by the Office of the Registrar at least 6 months prior to securing local work experiences so that they have sufficient time to apply for a work permit.

Students may elect to withdraw from the UTMCIP stream of their program at any time and return to the regular program stream with no academic penalty. 

For details on how to withdraw from the UTMCIP, please refer to the Withdrawal from the Program section on the Program Structure webpage. 

Students who participate in the UTMCIP will be expected to apply to and secure their own work experiences with support from UTMCIP staff.

Students enter the recruitment cycle after completing all four Work-Readiness modules. During this time, students will be granted access to the University of Toronto Co-op Job Board, where they will be able to discover and apply to University-approved job postings.

Students who prefer to secure their own work experiences through personal connections will be permitted to do so, but all self-secured work experiences must be vetted and approved by UTMCIP staff in accordance with tri-campus employer guidelines. Hiring into self-secured work experiences will still flow through the University of Toronto Co-op Job Board and students will be expected to follow the normal work term sequences for the program. 

Students who do not secure a work experience will be removed from the UTMCIP stream in order to avoid incurring any additional program fees. Students will return to the regular program stream after consultation with the Undergraduate Advisor in the corresponding academic unit, in alignment with departmental undergraduate advising processes.

A work experience consists of 12 or 16 months of paid, full-time work in the private, not for-profit, and/or public sectors. A student's work term begins following the completion of Year of Study 3 and takes place between Year of Study 3 and Year of Study 4. Depending on the work experience, students may begin their work term at the earliest on May 1st (for a 16-month work term) and at the latest on September 1st (for a 12-month work term). Any work experiences that begin between May 2nd and August 31st must be 12 months in duration.

Students will be paid based on sector and industry standards for the duration of their work term. It is the responsibility of each student to honour the conditions of that work term. This includes the agreed-upon duration, working hours, and confidentiality requirements.

Students can participate in work experience offered locally, nationally, and internationally, the latter in consultation with UTM’s International Education Centre. All work experiences will be vetted and approved by UTMCIP staff in accordance with tri-campus employer guidelines.

All students interested in participating in work experiences outside of Canada must first consult with UTMCIP staff, who will ensure that students have access to the necessary supports to succeed in an international work environment. All international work experiences must be vetted and approved by UTMCIP staff in accordance with tri-campus employer guidelines. Students must also review the University of Toronto’s Safety Abroad requirements. 

All work experiences facilitated through the UTMCIP are paid positions. Students can expect to be paid based on sector and industry standards for the duration of their 12- or 16-month work term.

Students may not enroll in full-time academic study during a work term. It is strongly recommended that students not take more than a maximum of one 0.5 credit course during each 4-month work period. In order to enroll in academic courses while on work experiences, students must first consult with their employer and receive approval from their academic unit. Students must complete and submit a request form, available on the UTMCIP website, with the appropriate sign-off from their employer and academic unit. 

Students are required to notify UTMCIP staff in the EEU of any challenges or issues that they may encounter while completing their work experience. UTMCIP staff will work closely with campus partners to ensure that students receive the necessary support to succeed in the workplace.