How to get a degree apprenticeship
A degree apprenticeship lets you work for an employer, earn a salary and study for a degree at the same time, without paying tuition fees. The best programmes are hard to get into, but the process is learnable. This guide walks through it from choosing employers to the final assessment centre, with the practical steps that make the biggest difference.
It is more competitive than most people expect. Across apprenticeships as a whole there are about 11 applications for every place, according to BBC reporting of Department for Work and Pensions data. Oxford, by comparison, received 23,061 applications for 3,245 places in 2024, roughly 7 per place. Degree apprenticeships at well-known employers are a small, sought-after part of that market, so an early, careful application matters.
What a degree apprenticeship is
A degree apprenticeship is a Level 6 or Level 7 apprenticeship. Level 6 is equivalent to a bachelor’s degree and Level 7 to a master’s. You are employed from the first day, you do a real job, and study with a university or training provider is built into the programme, either as regular study days or in blocks, depending on the employer.
Programmes usually last several years and cover finance, accountancy, law, technology, engineering, consulting, business and more. Many are aimed at students finishing A levels or an equivalent qualification, so the usual time to apply is during Year 13.
They are rarer than you might think. On 4 October 2026, only 35 of the 3,486 listings on GOV.UK Find an Apprenticeship were degree level, fewer than 1 in 50. Some employers also list roles only on their own careers site, so you need to look in more than one place.
Step 1: check what employers ask for
Entry requirements vary by employer and by programme, so read each listing rather than relying on a general rule. Most set minimum grades, often for A levels or equivalent qualifications and for GCSE maths and English. Engineering and technology programmes may ask for particular subjects, such as maths or physics.
Because you apply before results day, employers typically look at your GCSE results and predicted grades at the application stage. If you clearly miss a stated requirement, your time is better spent on programmes where you meet it.
Step 2: build a shortlist of employers
Start with the work, not the logo. Read what apprentices actually do in each role, which degree you would study and where you would be based. Then choose a focused list of employers across one or two sectors. Around 10 to 15 is enough to give you options without spreading your effort so thin that every application turns generic.
For each employer, keep a short note: the programme name, the location, the entry requirements, what the application involves and anything specific that made you interested. You will use those notes at every later stage. Sprout’s firm pages, such as PwC degree apprenticeships and JLR degree apprenticeships, show live listings from the official feed and how the stages typically work.
Step 3: know when to apply
Timing catches out more students than anything else. Finance and professional services programmes tend to open in September, and engineering programmes from November, though every employer sets its own dates and they can change from year to year.
The closing date on a listing is often not the real deadline. Large employers frequently close a programme early once they have enough applications. The practical rule is to apply within 24 to 48 hours of a role opening. That means having your CV and core answers ready before the season starts, so applying is a matter of tailoring rather than starting from scratch.
Set up job alerts on employer careers sites where they offer them, and check your shortlist regularly from late summer onwards.
Step 4: get organised before you apply
Create a dedicated email address for applications and check it every day. Online test links and interview invitations often expire after a few days, and missing one can end an application that was going well. A separate inbox stops them getting lost among everything else.
Keep a simple tracker, a spreadsheet is fine, with each employer, the date you applied, the stage you have reached and the next deadline. Save a copy of every answer you submit. Interviewers may ask about what you wrote, and you will want to reread it beforehand.
Step 5: write an application that matches the job
Treat the job description as the published mark scheme. Employers list the skills and qualities they want, and the people reading applications are usually checking for evidence of exactly those. Go through it line by line, highlight each skill, and make sure your CV and answers show evidence of every one.
Keep a master CV of up to three pages with everything you have done, then cut it to two pages for each application, keeping the experience that best fits that role. Motivation questions such as “Why this company?” need specific reasons that would not make sense for any other employer. Our degree apprenticeship application guide covers forms, CVs and cover letters in detail.
Step 6: prepare for online tests
Many large employers use online assessments after, or alongside, the application form. These can include numerical and verbal reasoning, situational judgement tests and, increasingly, game-based assessments. Practise the formats under timed conditions before the season, because there is rarely time once the invitations start arriving. Our guide to degree apprenticeship online tests explains how each type works.
Step 7: interviews and assessment centres
If you get through the tests, you are typically invited to an interview, which may be a recorded video interview, a live video call or an in-person meeting. Answer competency questions with a clear structure: the situation, the task, the actions you took and the result, then relate what you learned to the role and finish with a short concluding sentence. Talk about what you did, using “I” rather than “we”, and aim for three to five distinct actions in each example.
The final stage is often an assessment centre with a group exercise, a case study or presentation, and sometimes a final interview. Assessors are watching how you work with others as much as what you conclude. Small, visible habits help, such as keeping an eye on the time, bringing in quieter people and taking notes.
Step 8: get feedback where it counts
You can do all of this yourself, and plenty of students do. Where outside help makes the most difference is practice with feedback: a mock interview with someone who knows the process, or a careful read of an application before you submit it. If one stage is worrying you, a single one-to-one coaching session can focus on just that, such as a mock interview, your CV or one company’s whole process.
Keep a backup plan as well. Many students apply to university through UCAS alongside their apprenticeship applications, so they have a real choice when offers arrive.
Frequently asked questions
How hard is it to get a degree apprenticeship?
It is competitive. Across apprenticeships as a whole there are about 11 applications for every place, according to BBC reporting of Department for Work and Pensions data, and degree apprenticeships at well-known employers are among the most sought after. Applying early, tailoring each application and practising every stage make a real difference.
When should I apply for a degree apprenticeship?
Most students apply during Year 13 for programmes that typically start the following autumn. Finance programmes tend to open in September and engineering programmes from November. Apply within 24 to 48 hours of a role opening, because many employers close early once they have enough applications.
What grades do you need for a degree apprenticeship?
It depends on the employer and the programme. Most set minimum grades for A levels or equivalent qualifications, and often for GCSE maths and English. Some technical programmes ask for particular subjects. Always check the requirements on each listing.
Can you apply for a degree apprenticeship and university at the same time?
Yes. Many students apply to university through UCAS alongside their apprenticeship applications, which gives them a choice when offers arrive. If you accept an apprenticeship, you can then withdraw from your university place.
Where can I find degree apprenticeship vacancies?
Check employer careers sites, GOV.UK Find an Apprenticeship and Sprout’s firm pages. Degree level roles are a small share of the government listings, fewer than 1 in 50 on 4 October 2026, and some employers list roles only on their own sites, so look in more than one place.
How many degree apprenticeships should I apply for?
There is no fixed number, but a focused list of around 10 to 15 employers suits most students. That is enough to give you options while leaving time to tailor each application properly.
Want a coach for the whole season?
Sprout’s coaches are degree apprentices and offer holders at firms like JLR, Morgan Stanley and HSBC. With one-to-one coaching, a named coach helps you build a shortlist of 10 to 15 companies, reviews every application and rehearses each interview and assessment centre with you. Read about degree apprenticeship coaching, and book a screening call if it sounds right.
Keep reading
- Degree apprenticeship application help: How to fill in the application form, answer motivation questions, tailor a CV and write a cover letter that matches the job.
- Degree apprenticeship online tests: Numerical, verbal, situational judgement and game-based assessments: what each one measures and how to prepare for it.