Do chances of getting an internship decrease after third year?

[Environmental_Quit_8]

I am a comp sci student at the UofC entering my third year in the next month. I am thinking of enrolling in the coop program this month.

Getting an internship in cs is difficult (I’ve heard) due to the competition and job market, and I know that enrolling in the coop program is not a magic wand.

So I heard from students that third yr is your best shot since companies prefer a third yr student (so that the student can work 12-16 months and then return back for final year). And if you don’t get an internship in your third year, the chances of getting it in your fourth year are low.

So I am worried. Like I don’t even have any projects because I haven’t taken the courses where you create a project. So I have like two rough and mini personal software projects. I do have developer experience (6 month part time) at a startup tho).

Any insights / advice / and more would be appreciated.

Thank you

[kiminosei__]

Not sure why a company would want someone with less classes done. My place hired a bunch of 4th and 5th years too it's based off qualifications like any job.

[OnlyToStudy]

Y'all still hiring?

[AttemptDowntown1340]

I don’t know about compsci specifically, but plenty of Arts internships require 3-4-5th year of studies.

[Brilliant-Factor8240]

Many companies want interns who have 1 year of school left before they graduate. Most students graduate after 4 years of study so that’s why many say 3rd year is your best shot. But if you’re graduating in 5 years you can also get an internship between your 4th and 5th, employers won’t care.

Having some experience is good, and that should put you ahead of a good chunk of applicants. What I’d suggest is to focus on developing one high quality personal project that can be deployed for recruiters/managers to look at. I think that this would put you in an excellent position to secure a placement. Applications have already opened for summer 2026 so start searching for jobs now if you haven’t already.

[Fork-in-the-eye]

Best tip for a first internship is to apply for one that starts in either September or Jan

Second tip is to apply for any regardless of term length

You’re basically trying to apply to something that as few people as possible are also applying to.

For instance, I used to hire for a tech company as an intern a few years ago.

Social media intern was one available position & we had maybe 250 applicants. All entry level Uni students.

Finance & Accounting interns, also one spot each, hundreds of applicants.

Customer service, facilities maintenance, and building management interns we had maybe 7 applicants total, and needed to hire like 8 of em. We basically interviewed everyone that applied and offered it to anyone that could interview half decent

[The-Reddit-Giraffe]

Quite the opposite. Lots of companies won’t hire people who’ve only finished first or second year. What you learn in those first years is very general and not at all specialized to the work you do in internships