A degree apprenticeship is an apprenticeship whose standard includes a mandatory degree. The apprentice is employed throughout, and completes a bachelor's or master's degree as part of the programme, with the tuition funded through the apprenticeship system rather than through student loans.
The distinction that matters
“Degree apprenticeship”, “higher apprenticeship” and “Level 6 or 7 apprenticeship” are used interchangeably in a great deal of coverage. They are three different things.
| Term | What it means | Starts, 2025/26 * |
|---|---|---|
| Higher apprenticeship | Any apprenticeship at Levels 4 to 7 | 126,660 |
| Level 6 or 7 apprenticeship | Degree-level, but a degree is not necessarily part of it | 53,940 |
| Degree apprenticeship | The standard includes a mandatory degree | 22,990 |
* England, August 2025 to April 2026, provisional.
So degree apprenticeships are roughly 18.2% of higher apprenticeships and 7.4% of all apprenticeship starts. A Level 7 apprenticeship can be a professional qualification – in accountancy or law, for example – with no degree attached at all.
Integrated and non-integrated
DfE splits degree apprenticeships two ways. In an integrated degree apprenticeship, the degree and the end-point assessment are assessed together by the university. In a non-integrated one, the degree is awarded separately and there is a distinct end-point assessment. Both are genuine degree apprenticeships; the difference is about assessment design, not about status or quality. In the current period there were 17,580 integrated and 5,410 non-integrated starts.
The Level 7 funding change
Many degree apprenticeships sit at Level 7. From 1 January 2026, government funding for Level 7 apprenticeships was restricted to apprentices aged 16 to 21, together with care leavers aged under 25 at the start of the apprenticeship and apprentices with an Education, Health and Care plan aged under 25 at the start. Anyone who started a Level 7 apprenticeship before 1 January 2026 continues to be funded through to completion.
For a school leaver this narrowing is, if anything, favourable: 16–21-year-olds remain eligible. For an adult already in work hoping an employer will fund a Level 7 master's-level apprenticeship, government funding is generally no longer available – though an employer may still choose to pay for it. See the full explanation.
How does a degree apprenticeship work?
The apprentice is employed in a real occupational role. Alongside the work, they complete structured training and the degree the standard requires. Training may be delivered by a university, another approved higher-education provider, an apprenticeship training provider, or a partnership between them. The apprentice applies what they learn in the workplace throughout.
Do you have to pay university tuition fees?
No. The apprentice does not personally pay normal university tuition fees for apprenticeship training; costs are met through apprenticeship funding and employer arrangements. So an apprentice can obtain a degree without taking the conventional tuition-fee route.
That does not make it free money. The apprentice is an employee with a job, workplace responsibilities and substantial training requirements, and the programme is typically longer than a full-time degree.
Do degree apprentices get paid?
Yes. Degree apprentices are employees, and the employer sets the salary subject to minimum-wage law. Many degree-apprenticeship vacancies pay well above the statutory apprentice minimum, particularly in sectors competing for skilled applicants. Check the individual vacancy. See how much do apprentices get paid?
How do you apply?
You apply to an employer vacancy, not to a university course. That makes degree-apprenticeship recruitment much more like a job application. Selection can include an application form, a CV, online tests, assessment centres, interviews and employer-specific stages. Some sought-after programmes are extremely competitive, so it is worth searching early and applying to several suitable vacancies rather than assuming one application will do. How to find and apply for an apprenticeship →
When should Year 13 students start looking?
There is no single national apprenticeship application deadline equivalent to the main UCAS deadline. Employers advertise vacancies throughout the year. Some large employers recruit many months before the apprenticeship starts; others advertise much later. Students should begin researching vacancies during Year 12 or early Year 13 and monitor opportunities regularly. The GOV.UK Find an apprenticeship service is one key search route.
Can I apply to university and degree apprenticeships at the same time?
Yes. University and apprenticeship applications are separate processes, so a student can hold a UCAS application open while applying for apprenticeship vacancies. Given how competitive degree apprenticeships are, doing both is usually the sensible course rather than a sign of indecision.
What this means if you are 17
Degree apprenticeships are genuinely attractive: a degree, no tuition debt, a salary and relevant experience. They are also scarce and competitive. Across all ages there were 22,990 degree apprenticeship starts in the current nine-month period, and only 3,380 Level 6 starts by under-19s. Applying for one is sensible. Relying on one as a plan is not.
Vacancies are advertised by individual employers and through the Find an apprenticeship service, often on a recruitment cycle that runs earlier in the year than university applications.