How to Find and Track Degree Apprenticeships in 2026 (Without Losing Your Mind)
Every year, thousands of UK students miss degree apprenticeship deadlines — not because they weren't good enough, but because no one told them where to look or how to stay organised once they started applying.
This is that guide.
The problem nobody talks about
Degree apprenticeship listings don't live in one place. You'll find some on GOV.UK's Find an Apprenticeship service, others on UCAS, more on individual company career portals, and the rest scattered across LinkedIn, Prospects, and niche industry boards.
A student applying to ten roles might be juggling ten different websites, ten different account logins, and ten different application formats — with deadlines that can close weeks before the advertised date.
The result? Missed deadlines, duplicate applications, and the creeping anxiety that you've already failed before you've really started.
Step 1 — Start earlier than you think
Most degree apprenticeship cycles open in September and October for the following September start. The best programmes at PwC, KPMG, BAE Systems, and Dyson can close within weeks of opening — sometimes before Christmas.
Rule of thumb: if you're in Year 12 or first year of university, set a reminder now for 1 September. If you're in Year 13 or second year, the window may already be open.
Step 2 — Know what you're searching for
Degree apprenticeships sit at Level 6 (bachelor's equivalent) or Level 7 (master's equivalent) on the IfATE framework. When searching, use these terms alongside the role or sector you want:
- "Degree apprenticeship"
- "Higher apprenticeship Level 6"
- "Chartered [profession] apprenticeship"
- The specific standard name (e.g. "Software Engineer Degree Apprenticeship")
Avoid searching just "apprenticeship" — you'll get a flood of Level 2 and 3 roles that aren't the same thing.
Step 3 — Build a shortlist, not a wish list
It's tempting to favourite 40 roles and tell yourself you'll apply to all of them. You won't. Degree apprenticeship applications are time-intensive — many include online tests, video interviews, and assessment centres before you even get an offer.
A realistic shortlist for most students is 8–15 roles, filtered by:
- Sector and role fit (does the day-to-day match what you actually want to do?)
- Location (will you need to relocate? Is the commute feasible?)
- Training provider (which university is the employer partnered with?)
- Salary (degree apprenticeship salaries range from £14,000 to £40,000+ — the spread matters)
Step 4 — Track everything, or prepare to lose everything
This is where most students fall apart. A spreadsheet feels fine for the first three applications. By application seven, you're missing which stage you're at, when your next deadline is, and whether you've already submitted your video interview.
A good tracking system needs at minimum:
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Company + role | Obvious |
| Application deadline | Programmes close without warning |
| Current stage | Applied / online tests / video / AC / offer |
| Login URL | You will forget where you applied |
| Notes | What did their values page say? What did you write in your cover letter? |
| Next action + date | The thing you need to do next, and when |
ApprenticeWizard's tracker was built for exactly this — one place to save roles, update stages, set reminders, and never lose the thread across a full application cycle.
Step 5 — Prepare once, apply often
Most degree apprenticeship applications ask similar things:
- Why this company?
- Why this programme?
- Tell us about a time you demonstrated [leadership / teamwork / problem-solving]
- What are your career goals?
The students who do best don't write these from scratch every time. They maintain a personal evidence bank — a running document of specific examples from school, part-time work, volunteering, or personal projects, tagged by competency.
When an application asks for a teamwork example, you pull from the bank. You tailor the framing for the company, but the core story is already written.
Step 6 — Treat rejections as data
The average acceptance rate for a top degree apprenticeship programme is under 5%. A student who gets three offers probably applied to twelve or more programmes, got rejected at online tests twice, and bombed a video interview before figuring out what assessors actually want.
When you get a rejection, ask for feedback if it's offered. Note which stage you reached. Look for the pattern. The students who treat early rejections as calibration data — not verdicts on their worth — are the ones who end up with offers.
The short version
- Start in September, or earlier.
- Search for Level 6 and Level 7 apprenticeships specifically.
- Build a realistic shortlist of 8–15 roles.
- Track every application — stage, deadline, next action.
- Build an evidence bank so you're not writing from scratch each time.
- Use rejections to improve, not to stop.
The process is learnable. The tools exist. You don't need a career coach or a private school network to navigate it.
You just need a system.
ApprenticeWizard aggregates degree apprenticeship and internship listings across the UK, and gives every student a free application tracker to manage the chaos. No paywalls, no recruitment fees — just a better shot at your first offer.