EY Early Careers Guide

Programmes and routes

EY offers several ways to join, depending on your stage of education. Check the EY UK students site for current programmes and locations.

Graduate programmes

Structured routes for final-year students and graduates. You apply to a specific business area and location. The main areas are Assurance (audit), Tax, Consulting, and Strategy and Transactions (EY-Parthenon). In Assurance and Tax, you will usually study for a professional qualification such as the ACA or CTA while working. Most graduate and apprenticeship programmes start in August or September.

Apprenticeships

EY runs apprenticeships for school and college leavers, including Business Apprenticeships and Degree Apprenticeships. You work at an EY office, study alongside your job, and earn a salary throughout, with no tuition fees.

Summer internships and industrial placements

Four-week summer internships (starting in late June) are for penultimate-year students. One-year industrial placements are for students whose degree includes a placement year. Both can lead to an offer for a graduate programme.

Insight programmes

Discover EY is an insight programme for first-year undergraduates (or second-year students on a four-year course), usually held in April. Career Starters is for Year 12 (S5 in Scotland) students. Separately, the EY Foundation's Smart Futures programme offers paid work experience, skills training, and mentoring to Year 12 students from lower-income backgrounds.

How EY assesses you

EY's selection process focuses on the skills and behaviours that it says help people succeed at the firm, describing the people it wants as "Shapers of the future". The key skills it lists are:

• Being proactive
• Doing the right thing
• Being curious
• Building relationships
• Showing agility
• Thinking critically
• Embracing technology
• Being motivated

EY has long been known for a strengths-based approach, which focuses on what you enjoy and what energises you as well as what you can do. That means you cannot easily prepare scripted answers. The best preparation is to research the business area you are applying to, understand what the day-to-day work involves, and be honest about how you like to work. For more on this interview style, see our guide on strengths-based vs competency interviews.

Entry requirements

According to EY's FAQs, to be eligible for most programmes you need at least a grade 4 (C) at GCSE in English Language and Maths, and the equivalent of three A-levels or five Scottish Highers. Some roles have extra requirements, so check each programme description.

Graduate programmes

Most are open to graduates with an honours degree in any subject; only a few require a specific degree. All parts of your degree must be completed before your start date.

Apprenticeships

You need to be on track for (or already have) three A-levels, five Scottish Highers, or equivalent. Apprenticeship offers are conditional on achieving the grades you predicted on your application form, so give accurate predictions. EY cannot sponsor visas for apprenticeships.

EY does not simply ignore grades. It says it considers your A-level (or equivalent) results alongside your online assessment scores, because its research shows these together predict success in the role and in professional exams. It also uses Rare's contextual recruitment system, so your achievements are assessed in the context of your background if you choose to share that information. For more on how employers weigh grades, see our guide on whether you need a 2:1.

The application process

Step 1: Application form

Choose your programme and location carefully, as you can only apply for one programme every six months. Enter your personal details and qualifications, and tell EY about any adjustments you need before you start any assessments, as it cannot let you resit an assessment if you request adjustments afterwards.

Step 2: Online assessments

EY's online stage includes a "Realistic Job Preview", which assesses things like teamwork and how you learn, and a behavioural skills test measuring whether you have the skills the role needs. EY provides a preparation hub with practice assessments inside its assessment portal. Our guides to psychometric tests and situational judgement tests explain the common formats.

Step 3: EY Experience Day

The final stage is an EY Experience Day, where you showcase your skills, meet current employees, and ask questions. For the 2027 intake, Experience Days begin from mid-October 2026. See our guide to assessment centres for how to prepare for this kind of day.

Step 4: Joining

If you are successful, you receive an offer, followed by induction and onboarding. EY sometimes offers strong candidates a place on a reserve list when roles are full, which can turn into a formal offer if a place becomes available.

Salary and culture

Salary

EY does not discuss salaries before making an offer, and pay depends on your programme and location. As a guide, Big 4 graduate salaries in audit and tax typically start at around £30,000 to £35,000, with London and strategy roles at the higher end. Pay rises as you progress and pass professional exams, with a significant increase once you qualify.

Trainee experience and culture

• Training is highly structured. Support for professional exams, including study leave and tuition, is a major part of the programme.
• The cohort is a big part of the experience. You start and train alongside a large group of other graduates and apprentices.
• Busy seasons are demanding. In Assurance, the period from January to April is often intense, as many clients have December year-ends.
• Inclusion networks are active. EY runs a range of employee networks, and its careers site highlights support for neurodivergent candidates and those with disabilities or long-term health conditions.

Application windows

EY recruits on a rolling basis. Applications for 2027 programmes opened in the autumn of 2026, starting with graduate programmes in September, with apprenticeship, internship, and insight programmes following shortly after.

Roles close once they are filled or when EY receives a high volume of applications, sometimes well before any published deadline. Some roles reopen later in the season, so if your preferred role is closed, keep checking back. Apply as early as you can.

If you need visa sponsorship for a graduate programme, check the individual vacancy page, as only some roles can sponsor, and EY sets cut-off dates for applications from candidates who need a work permit.

FAQ

• Do I need an accounting degree to join EY Assurance or Tax?↓

  Do I need an accounting degree to join EY Assurance or Tax?

  No. Most EY graduate programmes are open to graduates of any honours degree subject. EY teaches you the technical knowledge you need and supports you through your professional exams.

• Can I apply to more than one EY programme?↓

  Can I apply to more than one EY programme?

  No. EY asks you to apply only to the programme that interests you most. If you want to switch programme part-way through, you have to withdraw and start again from the beginning.

• What is the reapplication rule if I get rejected?↓

  What is the reapplication rule if I get rejected?

  If you are rejected at any stage, you must wait six months before applying to another EY graduate or undergraduate vacancy, or three months for an apprenticeship or Career Starters vacancy. Choose your programme and location carefully the first time.

• What happens if I fail my professional exams?↓

  What happens if I fail my professional exams?

  You will usually have the opportunity to resit. Repeated failures can affect your progression, so use the study support available and speak to your manager early if you are struggling.

• Can I defer my start date?↓

  Can I defer my start date?

  Possibly. You need to request it in writing as early as you can, and it has to be approved by the business area you are joining.

Ready to apply?

If you want to secure a role at EY or one of the other Big 4 firms, see our side-by-side Big 4 early careers comparison or read our individual guides to Deloitte, KPMG, and PwC.

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