Everything you need to know about degree apprenticeships

This will depend on what you’re looking to get out of university (which is a bit of an annoying answer, we know). If you’re looking to focus solely on building your knowledge base on a subject before heading into work, a traditional undergraduate degree is probably what you’d want to take. It’s the route you’ll want to follow if you’re still unsure what you’d like to do for a career in the future. 

However, when it comes to getting real-world experience of working in the industry you’re interested in, a degree apprenticeship is an excellent choice. Plus, it’s brilliant if you’re looking to get an education while earning money, and not ending up with any student loan debt.   

NEXT: Get help deciding between a university degree and a degree apprenticeship

Degree apprenticeships are a way for you to earn an undergraduate or master’s degree by completing an apprenticeship. While there’s still some studying involved, for the most part, you’ll be working and training in the industry instead, and are offered in partnership between universities and employers. This will help you to gain real-world experience at the same time as earning a recognised qualification. 

NEXT: More about degree apprenticeships

There are degree apprenticeships across lots of different industries, meaning if you're interested in a subject, there's likely to be a degree apprenticeship that'll suit your needs. Here are just a few popular options for degree apprenticeships that you could find:

• Accounting 

• Business 

• Chartered manager 

• Civil engineering 

• Engineering 

• Finance 

• Law 

• Midwifery  

• Nursing 

• Paramedic  

• Police 

There are a variety of different apprenticeships that equal out to different education levels. This is important information to have when you’re applying for jobs and further education. This table will show you what they all are:

NEXT: Degree apprenticeship FAQs

Degree apprenticeships are run by universities and employers, but it’s worth noting that most of your time will be spent working. You’ll spend at least 20% of your time in off-the-job training, and a minimum of 30 hours a week at work. 

During a degree apprenticeship, you’ll be an employee of the employer, meaning you’ll have the same rights as other employees, which includes paid holidays. You’ll also get paid a salary, which is a major draw for many students. 

At the end of your apprenticeship, you’ll complete an end-point assessment, though for some courses this will be the same as for your degree. 

NEXT: Learn more about how degree apprenticeships work

A degree apprenticeship’s length will vary depending on the job, course and how you choose to study it. Typically, they’ll take three to six years to complete. Degree apprenticeships that award a master’s degree are generally shorter than ones that award a bachelor’s degree. 

Whether you complete the degree apprenticeship part-time or full-time will be the big difference for how long they take. A full-time degree apprenticeship will usually last three years, while part-time could take up to six years. 

One of the biggest arguments for degree apprenticeships for students is that you’re paid for your time working. Glassdoor says the average salary for an apprentice in the UK is £20,124, so there could be opportunities to earn more depending on the industry and company where you work. 

One of the other big arguments for degree apprenticeships is that you won’t pay tuition fees for your time studying. These are paid by the government or your employer, so when you finish your degree apprenticeship, you won’t have any student debt.  

It’s worth noting that while your tuition fees are covered, you won’t be able to receive a maintenance loan like students of standard undergraduate degrees do. This means that you will have to cover your living expenses yourself. 

NEXT: Pros and cons of degree apprenticeships

Applying for a degree apprenticeship is just like applying for a job. Employers will advertise their degree apprenticeships and you’ll be able to apply online. You’ll probably need a CV as well as a cover letter – if you’ve already done a uni application, your personal statement would be a good start for a cover letter. 

You will also likely need to go to an interview with the employer before you’re chosen for the degree apprenticeship. It would be a good idea to research the company, as well as similar roles to the one you’re applying for, before your interview. 

Looking for degree apprenticeships? The government has a Find an Apprenticeship search, which lists loads of available opportunities. There are also other websites that advertise apprenticeships, like Best Apprenticeships and HigherIn. 

NEXT: Read more about getting a degree apprenticeship

While degree apprenticeships are not part-time (unless you take a part-time degree apprenticeship), you won’t be studying or working the whole time. You’ll be studying around 20% of the time, with the rest of it being made up of training and working. 

Degree apprenticeships are pretty different compared to courses with placement years. In those courses, you spend one year working in the industry and three years studying full-time. Whereas with degree apprenticeships, you spend the whole time working and studying concurrently.  

NEXT: Find out more about placement years

Your university experience will be different from students doing a standard undergraduate degree, mostly because you won’t be spending as much time on campus as them. Most of your time will be spent working and training with your employer, you may not see the other students at your uni as much. 

That’s not to say that you’ll miss everything at uni. You’ll still be able to attend university-organised events and parties, join university societies, get involved with university sports teams, and all that good stuff. You will just need to make sure you can fit it around your working schedule.