Graduate jobs and schemes that accept a 2:2

Yes. A 2:2 rules out some graduate schemes, but many graduate jobs and schemes are still open to you. In the Institute of Student Employers’ 2025 survey, 47% of employers asked for at least a 2:1, down from 71% in 2015/16, while 20% accepted a 2:2 and 23% set no minimum at all. Well-known schemes that accept a 2:2 include most Civil Service Fast Stream schemes and the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme, and PwC asks only for a pass on most of its graduate programmes.

Is a 2:2 bad?#

It is a lower result than most graduates get, but it is not rare, and it is not the end of a good career.

The Office for Students’ latest analysis, published in November 2025, found that of UK full-time students who graduated with an honours degree from universities and colleges in England in 2023-24, 77.2% got a first or a 2:1. That means more than one in five, 22.8%, got a 2:2 or a third.

In practice, a 2:2 mostly affects your first step after university. It can stop you applying to some large graduate schemes, but plenty of employers accept it, and every piece of relevant experience you add gives employers more to judge you on than your degree result.

How many employers still ask for a 2:1?#

Fewer than half of the employers in the Institute of Student Employers’ (ISE) survey, and the share has fallen a long way. Its 2025 survey, published in October 2025, found that:

• 47% of employers asked for a 2:1, down from 71% in 2015/16
• 20% accepted a 2:2
• 23% set no minimum entry requirements, up from 11% in 2015/16
• 13% asked for specific A-level grades, down from 26%

The ISE adds that the trend may be levelling off, with only small changes since 2022/23. So a 2:1 is still the most common requirement among the employers surveyed, but it is no longer the norm it once was.

Which graduate schemes accept a 2:2?#

These well-known schemes say on their own careers pages that they accept a 2:2 or only ask for a pass. We checked each page on 27 September 2026.

Entry requirements change from year to year and can differ between streams or roles within the same employer. Always check the employer’s current careers page, and the specific job advert, before you apply.

What about smaller employers?#

This is where many graduates start. Oxford University’s careers service points out that most new graduates find work outside the big corporate programmes, many of them with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Jobs with smaller employers don’t always carry the word “graduate”, so widen your search:

• search for entry-level titles such as junior, assistant, trainee, associate or coordinator, not just “graduate”
• use your university careers service’s vacancy board
• look at organisations in your area or in a sector you care about, and check their own careers pages
• read each advert’s requirements closely: some ask only for “a degree”, or for skills and experience, without naming a grade

Can you do an apprenticeship if you already have a degree?#

Often, yes. In England, the government’s apprenticeship funding rules for 2026 to 2027 allow funding for an apprenticeship at the same or a lower level than a qualification you already hold, as long as it gives you significant new skills and the training is materially different from what you have studied before. Apprenticeships at a higher level than your existing qualification can also be funded.

One exception matters for graduates. Level 7 (master’s-level) apprenticeships are now only funded for apprentices aged 16 to 21 when they start, with limited exceptions for people aged 22 to 24.

As an apprentice you are an employee, so you earn while you train. Each employer sets its own entry requirements, so read every vacancy carefully. If data interests you, our guide to becoming a graduate data analyst covers the Level 4 data analyst apprenticeship.

Will a master’s make up for a 2:2?#

Sometimes, but not automatically, and it is an expensive way to find out.

When it can help:

• Some employers accept a postgraduate degree instead of a minimum undergraduate grade. The NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme, for example, accepts a 2:2 in any subject or a postgraduate qualification such as an MBA, master’s or PhD on most of its pathways.
• A master’s can make sense if the job you want really needs the specialist knowledge, or if you want to change direction into a field your first degree did not cover.

When it may not:

• Some requirements are written around your undergraduate degree. Teach First asks for a UK undergraduate honours degree at 2:1 for primary teaching, and Frontline says applicants must hold an undergraduate honours degree specifically. A master’s may not change whether you meet requirements like these.
• A year of relevant work, a portfolio of projects or an apprenticeship may do more for your applications than another year of study, at much lower cost.

Before you commit, check the entry requirements of three or four jobs you would actually apply for afterwards, and see whether a master’s changes them. If you are weighing a master’s against other options, the free Options Compared tool sets out the trade-offs. For student finance, check the current rules on GOV.UK.

How should you mention a 2:2 on applications?#

• Be accurate. State your grade as it is. Offers can depend on your final result, and employers check: Frontline, for example, asks for confirmation of a 2:2 by 30 June 2027 for final-year applicants.
• Check the minimum before you apply. Some employers do not bend. Frontline says it cannot accept applications from anyone who does not meet all its requirements, and that mitigating circumstances will not be considered.
• Put your strongest evidence first. On your CV, lead with relevant experience, projects and skills, and add high module marks or a strong dissertation result if they help. Our guide to writing a graduate CV covers layout.
• Show your skills in the answers. Competency and motivation questions are where you can show what you can do, whatever your grade.

How do you talk about a 2:2 in an interview?#

Expect the question and prepare a short, honest answer. Oxford’s careers service advises not to try to “cover up” difficulties, but to present them positively as a learning experience and show how you have developed since.

A good answer usually has three parts:

1. Acknowledge it briefly. “My final result was a 2:2.”
2. Give context without excuses. One sentence is enough, for example that you balanced study with a part-time job, or that one area of your course suited you less.
3. Show what you have done since, or instead. Point to evidence of the skills the role needs: work experience, projects, strong marks in relevant modules, or something you learned and now do differently.

Keep it under a minute, then move on to what you offer. Our guide to graduate interview questions has more on structuring answers.

What if extenuating circumstances affected your grade?#

If something outside your control, such as illness or bereavement, affected your results, there are two places to raise it.

• With the employer. Oxford’s careers service says many companies take mitigating circumstances into account. If the form has no section for them, it suggests using the “anything else you want us to know” box that many employers include. Policies differ, and some employers, like Frontline, do not consider them at all, so check with each employer’s recruitment team.
• With your university. If you think your circumstances were not taken into account when your degree was classified, ask your university about its extenuating circumstances or academic appeals process. Your department, student support team or students’ union advice service can explain what applies to you and any deadlines.

A disappointing result can be hard to deal with. If it is affecting how you feel, Mind’s guide to student life and your university’s support services are good places to start.