Drexel or University of Delaware for computer engineering: which is better for internships and co-ops?

Drexel has the clearer edge for internships and co-ops in computer engineering.

The biggest difference is structure. At Drexel, co-op is not just something you can pursue if you are proactive; it is one of the university’s defining features. For a student who wants substantial resume experience before the first full-time job search, that built-in system is a major advantage.

Location also matters. Being in Philadelphia helps with employer access, networking, part-time technical roles, and commuting to interviews or internships without needing to relocate. For computer engineering, that can matter because the field often overlaps hardware, embedded systems, software, and systems work, so having a large metro area nearby tends to create more ways to test different interests.

University of Delaware still does well in career preparation, and students there absolutely get internships and strong first jobs. It has a respected engineering program and active employer recruiting, but the experience is less centered on mandatory or deeply integrated co-op cycles, so real-world experience can depend a bit more on how aggressively you pursue summer internships and research.

One practical tradeoff is timing and cost. Drexel’s co-op model can mean a longer path to graduation for some students, but you often graduate with much more hands-on experience. If your main priority is maximizing structured work experience before graduation, Drexel stands out more strongly for computer engineering.