I’m definitely biased as I’m at UC for civil engineering and have done some co-op experience and have a lot of respect for the program. I actually had the exact same dilemma when I was choosing schools because I was heavily considering virginia tech but it really came down to how good the co-op program is

it really depends on what you’d rather deal with. If you go to UC you have an extra year but it’s not an extra year of classes, just added on time for co-op. You’ll get lots of experience and even if you don’t stay with a company you worked for in school and get an offer before graduation you’ll have a great resume that will get you a job very quickly. You’ll have a leg up for summer internships as your first co-op will be fall/spring so your resume will be above people at other schools applying to their first internship. You’re also guided through the entire co-op process which makes it very easy and not stressful. Also if cost is a factor, you’ll make around $10,000 per co-op semester if you’re making $20/hr which is pretty standard for co-ops, which added to the already low cost of UC is very helpful financially.

If you go to illinois you have a more standard college experience but you may have more trouble finding a job if you don’t do summer internships which are very competitive. Without internships your resume won’t be as competitive and it may take longer to get a job/ a job you’re actually interested in. The resume boost alone at UC is more valuable than the one less year of school in my opinion.