Degree apprenticeships: a complete guide for employers and training providers

What is a degree apprenticeship?

A degree apprenticeship is an apprenticeship programme that includes a full bachelor's or master's degree as an integral component. The apprentice is employed by an organisation, earns a wage throughout the programme, and studies for their degree at a university — all simultaneously. Because the programme is funded by the apprenticeship levy (or through co-investment), the apprentice does not pay tuition fees.

Degree apprenticeships exist at two levels:

• Level 6 — bachelor's degree standard (e.g. Digital and Technology Solutions Professional, Chartered Surveyor)
• Level 7 — master's degree standard (e.g. Senior Leader, Chartered Manager, Solicitor)

The degree is not optional or parallel — it is part of the apprenticeship standard. Completing the degree is a gateway requirement. An apprentice who drops out of the degree element cannot progress to EPA even if they have met all other gateway criteria.

Who is involved in a degree apprenticeship

Degree apprenticeships involve more parties than standard apprenticeships:

• The employer — hires the apprentice, pays them a salary, provides workplace experience, and participates in reviews and gateway sign-off
• The higher education institution (HEI) — the university that delivers the degree and, in most cases, acts as the main apprenticeship provider registered with ESFA
• The apprentice — works, studies, and builds evidence for both the degree and the apprenticeship standard KSBs
• The training provider — in some arrangements, a separate training provider delivers the work-based apprenticeship elements while the HEI delivers academic content. This is a subcontracting arrangement.
• The EPA organisation — an ESFA-approved independent End-Point Assessment organisation that conducts the final assessment

How degree apprenticeships work

The structure varies by standard but the typical pattern for a Level 6 degree apprenticeship is:

Years 1–3: Integrated learning and work — the apprentice splits their time between the university (typically one or two days per week, or block study weeks) and the employer (three or four days per week). During this period they complete university modules, develop workplace competency against the KSBs, and build their portfolio of evidence.

Final year: Synoptic project and gateway preparation — the final year typically includes a synoptic work-based project (often the dissertation equivalent) that integrates academic and workplace learning. This feeds directly into EPA preparation.

Gateway: Three-way sign-off — the employer, HEI, and apprentice must all sign off that gateway criteria have been met. This includes confirmation that the degree has been completed (or that results have been confirmed) alongside the standard KSB and OTJ gateway requirements.

EPA: Independent assessment — the EPA organisation conducts the end-point assessment, which may include a professional discussion, portfolio review, or interview. The grade (Pass, Merit, Distinction) is independent of the degree classification.

Employer obligations for degree apprenticeships

Employers taking on degree apprentices have the same core obligations as for standard apprenticeships — plus additional requirements specific to degree programmes:

Study release time

Employers must release the apprentice for university attendance. The typical commitment is one or two days per week during term time, or equivalent block release (e.g., one week per month). This time counts towards the 20% OTJ requirement.

Employers who do not plan release time carefully often find that apprentices are struggling to balance work demands with university attendance. Unlike a standard apprenticeship where OTJ can be delivered more flexibly, university timetables are fixed — the employer must build around them.

Workplace mentor

Most degree apprenticeship standards require a named workplace mentor who supports the apprentice in developing the KSBs through their work role. The mentor is typically a line manager or senior colleague, not a tutor from the HEI. The mentor's involvement should be documented in progress reviews.

Synoptic project support

The synoptic project (final-year work-based project) requires employer cooperation — the apprentice needs access to company data, processes, or problems to complete it. Employers should be briefed on this requirement before the apprentice starts, not when the project brief arrives in year three.

Gateway sign-off

Degree apprenticeship gateway requires written employer confirmation that the apprentice has met all gateway criteria. This is not a formality — employers should be tracking the apprentice's development throughout the programme so that gateway sign-off is a substantive confirmation, not a rubber stamp.

The HEI relationship

The relationship between the HEI and the employer (and in some cases, a separate training provider) is the most complex aspect of degree apprenticeship delivery. Key things to understand:

Who is the main provider?

In most degree apprenticeships, the HEI is the ESFA-registered main provider and is responsible for ILR reporting, funding compliance, and the apprenticeship framework. If a separate training provider is involved, they typically subcontract from the HEI and the HEI remains accountable for compliance.

Degree completion as a gateway criterion

The degree must be completed before or at gateway. In practice, this means the HEI must confirm that the apprentice has passed all required modules and that the degree will be awarded before the EPA takes place. This creates a dependency between the university's assessment processes and the apprenticeship gateway timeline — both must be managed in parallel.

A common problem is that university results are released on a fixed schedule that does not align with the provider's planned gateway date. The gateway should be planned backward from the confirmed degree results date, not forward from an arbitrary end date.

Tripartite reviews

Progress reviews in degree apprenticeships should involve the employer, the HEI (or training provider), and the apprentice. In practice, some HEIs treat the degree programme reviews and the apprenticeship programme reviews as separate processes — this creates duplication and gaps. The most effective programmes integrate both into a single tripartite review that covers academic progress, KSB development, and OTJ pace together.

OTJ and compliance requirements

The 20% off-the-job training requirement applies to degree apprenticeships in the same way as standard apprenticeships, calculated against contracted working hours over the planned training period.

University attendance counts as OTJ — lectures, seminars, tutorials, and directed study time that takes place during contracted hours all qualify. This typically makes the 20% threshold easier to meet than in standard apprenticeships, but it still needs to be tracked and evidenced.

The most common OTJ compliance failure in degree apprenticeships is insufficient documentation of university attendance as OTJ. Attendance records from the HEI do not automatically translate into OTJ records for ESFA purposes — the provider needs a system that captures and categorises time appropriately.

Gateway and EPA at degree level

Gateway requirements for degree apprenticeships include all standard gateway criteria plus degree-specific requirements:

• All KSBs evidenced to the standard specified in the assessment plan
• OTJ hours met (20% threshold)
• English and Maths requirements met (unless exempt)
• Degree completed and results confirmed — this is the unique gateway criterion for degree apprenticeships
• Synoptic project or equivalent final-year assessment completed
• Three-way gateway sign-off: employer, HEI (or provider), and apprentice

The EPA for degree apprenticeships is typically shorter and more focused than the degree itself — it may be a 45-60 minute professional discussion, a portfolio review, or a presentation. The grade awarded at EPA (Pass, Merit, Distinction) appears alongside the degree classification on the apprentice's certificate but is determined independently.

Degree apprenticeships vs standard apprenticeships: key differences

• Duration — 3–5 years vs 12–24 months for most standard apprenticeships
• Funding band — typically higher, up to £27,000 for some standards
• Delivery complexity — three parties (employer, HEI, apprentice) vs two; university timetable constraints
• Gateway — degree completion is a mandatory gateway criterion with no equivalent in standard apprenticeships
• Employer investment — more sustained over a longer period; employers need to plan for 3–5 years of study release
• Apprentice profile — typically (though not exclusively) taken by school leavers or people making a significant career change; increasingly also used by experienced workers at Level 7

Popular degree apprenticeship standards

Some of the most widely used degree apprenticeship standards across UK employers:

• Digital and Technology Solutions Professional (Level 6) — one of the most popular; covers software engineer, cyber security analyst, data analyst, and IT consultant pathways
• Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (Level 6) — management and leadership; widely used across sectors
• Senior Leader (Level 7) — strategic leadership; typically for managers moving into senior roles
• Solicitor (Level 7) — qualifies apprentices as solicitors while working at a law firm
• Chartered Surveyor (Level 6) — property, construction, and infrastructure sectors
• Nurse (Level 6) — healthcare; delivered in partnership with NHS trusts and HEIs
• Aerospace Engineer (Level 6) — defence and aerospace sector

The full list of IfATE-approved apprenticeship standards, including degree apprenticeships, is available on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education website.