Northeastern University Receives $20 Million Grant to Expand Co-op and Experiential Learning

Northeastern University has been awarded a $20 million grant to expand its signature co-op program, part of a broader push to grow employer partnerships and increase the number of paid, credit-bearing work placements available to students each year.

The grant, distributed over five years, will fund new employer relationship staff, expanded placement coordination in emerging fields like biotech manufacturing and clean energy, and scholarships aimed at students whose co-op placements require relocation. University officials said the funding will also support a new partnership with several Massachusetts-based life sciences companies to guarantee co-op slots for engineering students.

"Northeastern built its reputation on co-op, and this grant lets us scale that model into industries that are growing fast in this state but that we haven't fully built placement pipelines for yet," said the university's vice provost for experiential learning. "We want students leaving here with real industry experience, not just a resume line."

The university plans to add 30 new employer relationship positions over the grant period and expects the funding to support several hundred additional paid co-op placements annually. Northeastern's co-op enrollment has grown steadily over the past five years as the model has drawn increasing national attention from other universities looking to replicate it.

State higher education officials described the grant as a significant win for a model that has become closely associated with Massachusetts higher education. University leadership said expanded co-op placement infrastructure is expected to be fully operational within the next academic year.