Which offers stronger co-op opportunities for undergraduates: Tulane or Drexel?

For a student whose top priority is a structured, substantial undergraduate co-op experience, Drexel is the clear fit. Drexel’s co-op program is built into many undergraduate curricula and places students in full-time, paid professional roles, often for six months at a time. Many students complete multiple co-ops before graduation, making it possible to leave college with a year or more of directly relevant work experience.

Drexel is especially well suited to students in engineering, computing, business, design, health-related fields, and sciences who want work experience to be a central part of their degree plan. Its cooperative education office, employer network, job-search cycles, and academic calendar are designed around co-op participation.

Tulane offers internship and career-development support, including opportunities connected to New Orleans businesses, nonprofits, public health organizations, research, and community-engaged work. However, it does not have a Drexel-style, university-wide co-op system in which extended paid placements are a standard, integrated component of undergraduate study. At Tulane, gaining comparable experience would require more individual planning through summer internships, part-time roles during semesters, research, and school-specific career resources.

Tulane can make sense for a student who wants a traditional four-year academic schedule and plans to pursue internships independently, particularly in areas tied to public service, healthcare, environmental work, culture, or the New Orleans community. But for predictable access to multiple, formalized work placements across a broad range of majors, Drexel provides the more robust and practical co-op model.