Invest in your next best employee.
Access top talent too often invisible to other employers. Secure students who arrive ready to work. Level the playing field for those who come from low-income backgrounds.
Not all co-op students are wealthy.
The majority of Northeastern University’s students are in the top 10% of family incomes ($248,000 in 2022 dollars). In contrast, the average family income for students at Franklin Cummings Tech is $43,000.*
We have high expectations that the co-op will propel our students into professional careers, and our students are as motivated to succeed as students at other colleges. However, they don’t have the cushion to external shocks that wealth brings.
The co-op investment allows us to provide students high support to meet our high expectations, including:
- on-the-job coaching on how to thrive in the workplace
- a holistic safety net, including social workers and an emergency fund
Participating companies in the Franklin Cummings Tech Co-op Program provide 12% of the student’s expected annual salary over three installments: September 2025, January 2026, and May 2026. Companies only pay if the co-op student meets or exceeds expectations.**
100% of the financial co-op investment goes to support our co-op students. Also, participating companies are able to attend the college’s career fairs at no cost.
Examples of high expectations and high support
- At the beginning of his co-op placement, one student couldn’t afford to both drive to work and eat. The college provided the student additional funding until his first paycheck.
- One student kept his original job even as he started his co-op, which was causing burnout. The college provided counseling and budget planning to help the student quit his original job.
- One student had a long commute and was struggling with meeting her family obligations. We helped the student negotiate working more hours for fewer days.
The fine print:
* Based on Opportunity Insights and the 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) .
** For example, if a co-op student meets expectations for the whole year and is on track to earn a full-time salary of $50,000 after graduation, the company invests $6,000 in the college, divided into three $2000 payments paid during and immediately after the co-op.
