Graduate jobs vs graduate schemes: What's the difference (and why it matters!)

By Bernadette Dooley, Careers Adviser.              Photo by Nachristos on Unsplash

When you’re finishing university, the job hunt can feel like a whirlwind of applications, deadlines, and decisions. One of the most common questions we hear is:

What’s the difference between a graduate job and a graduate scheme?

Let’s break it down so you can feel confident exploring both.

What is a graduate job?

A graduate job is a permanent role that usually requires a degree and is open to graduates. You’ll usually apply for a specific position in a company and start contributing straight away.

Quick facts:

• Open all year round – not just in autumn
• Less structured training, but you’ll have an induction and learn on the job
• You apply for a specific role, not a rotation
• Common in smaller companies or niche industries

What is a graduate scheme?

Graduate schemes are structured programmes (usually one to three years) offered by larger employers. They’re designed to develop future leaders or specialists through training, mentoring, and often department rotations.

Quick facts:

• Applications usually open in autumn term, with early deadlines
• Structured training and rotations sometimes leading to a further qualification
• Mentoring and development plans
• Offered by large employers across sectors

Key differences at a glance

Salary

• Graduate job: Varies by role and sector and often competitive
• Graduate training scheme: Often higher starting salary due to structured nature

Recruitment process

• Graduate job: Shorter with  one to two stages - CV and interview
• Graduate training scheme: Longer (three to five stages including online tests and assessment centres

Availability

• Graduate job: More roles available overall
• Graduate training scheme: Fewer schemes with more competition

Competitiveness

• Graduate job: Competitive, but less intense
• Graduate training scheme: Highly competitive with thousands of applicants per scheme

Entry requirements

• Graduate job: Usually a degree or equivalent
• Graduate training scheme: Often require a 2:1 or above; some accept 2:2s

Start dates

• Graduate job: Flexible, year-round
• Graduate training scheme: Fixed start dates (usually summer or autumn)

Progression

• Graduate job: Depends on company structure
• Graduate training scheme: Clear progression path built into the scheme upon successful completion

Why some roles don’t say 'graduate' anymore

You might notice that not all roles aimed at recent graduates actually use the word “graduate” in the title. Here’s why:

• Inclusivity: Employers want to attract a wider range of applicants, including those who didn’t go to university or graduated a while ago.
• Global appeal: In some countries, 'graduate' means something different (like postgraduate), so companies use terms like 'early careers' or 'entry-level' instead.
• Wider talent pool: Removing the label helps attract apprentices, career changers, and people with non-traditional backgrounds.

Top tip: When job hunting, try searching for terms like entry-level, junior, trainee, or early careers to find more opportunities that might be perfect for you—even if they don’t say graduate.

Final thoughts: Keep your options open!

Whether it’s a graduate job or a scheme, what matters most is the role, the organisation, and how it aligns with your goals. Don’t rule something out just because it doesn’t have 'scheme' or 'graduate' in the title!

Explore both. Apply widely. Find out more about graduate roles, entry routes, sources of vacancies on our website.

And remember— we're here to help you every step of the way.