Network Rail Graduate Scheme 2027: Schemes, Pay and How to Apply

“learn as much about the railway as possible throughout the graduate scheme”
Adedayo Akeredolu, Network Rail graduate, describing the role after starting in 2018. This is one person’s account, taken from the undergraduate schemes page on Network Rail’s early careers site.

The Network Rail graduate scheme is a set of 11 two-year (one 18-month) graduate programmes run by the organisation that owns and maintains Britain’s rail infrastructure, and its September 2027 intake is currently at the register-your-interest stage. Network Rail’s own early careers site lists four engineering schemes and seven business schemes, and says the 2026 intake is closed. This page sets out only what the official pages state, and flags clearly what has not been published.

Network Rail graduate scheme at a glance

Sources: graduate schemes page and each scheme page linked below.

Schemes on the Network Rail graduate programme

The Network Rail graduate programme is listed in two groups on the official site. Each scheme page says “Our 2026 … Graduate Scheme is now closed for applications. You can register your interest for our 2027 programme”, with a September 2027 start.

Engineering

• Civil Engineering: at least a 2:2 in an ICE-accredited degree. Disciplines include Track, Structures and Geotechnics. Network Rail covers Institution of Civil Engineers registration, aimed at IEng or CEng.
• Electrical Power and Distribution: 2:2 in an IET-accredited degree. Covers 25kV AC overhead electrification, 750V DC third rail and power distribution.
• Electronic and Communication: 2:2 in an IET-accredited degree. Covers signalling, telecoms and SCADA power distribution.
• Mechanical Engineering: 2:2 in an IMechE-accredited degree. Covers Track, Signalling, Electrification and Plant.

Business functions

• Finance: at least a 2:1 in any subject; A-level Maths desirable, not essential. CIMA route to ACMA and CGMA.
• IT and Business Services: 2:2 in any subject.
• Network Strategy, Planning and Analysis: 2:2 in any subject; chartership in transport planning and strategic planning is available.
• Project Management: 2:2 in any subject; APM PMQ qualification.
• Property Management: 2:2 in a Commercial Real Estate or Planning and Development degree accredited for the RICS commercial property route; leads to MRICS.
• Operations Management (18 months): 2:2 in any subject, plus willingness to take on safety-critical work, shifts and weekends.
• Supply Chain Operations: 2:2 in any subject; Network Rail says it cannot guarantee a permanent post at the end.

A Commercial and Procurement graduate scheme appears as a sector filter on the official site, and Higherin reports a 20-month 2027 listing, but no official scheme page for it appears on the graduate schemes list, so it is not counted in the 11.

Who can apply

Entry grades are per scheme (above). Common rules from the official How to Apply page:

• You must be at least 18 at the scheme start, with no upper age limit.
• International candidates are welcome, but you need the right to work full time in the UK at the start date. Network Rail says it is “unlikely to progress applications where sponsorship is needed”.
• Offers are conditional until qualifications and right to work are verified.
• Remote or hybrid working cannot be offered contractually and is at scheme managers’ discretion.
• Network Rail is a Disability Confident Leader, and the form asks about reasonable adjustments.

Many routes accept any degree subject at 2:2 level. If that is your situation, see graduate jobs you can still get with a 2:2.

The Network Rail application process, stage by stage

The official page lists five steps, applying to all early careers schemes:

1. Application form. Checks minimum criteria such as travel distance, educational attainment and right to live and work in the UK.
2. Online assessment. Scenario-based assessment of how you work, including a video interview. The official PDF guide says assessments always include an ability element (numerical or logical reasoning) and behavioural questions, and points to Aon’s assessment preparation site.
3. Engagement. Events and webinars you are asked to attend or watch during the process.
4. Assessment. Virtual or in person depending on scheme, described on the web page as an interview. The PDF says to expect an interview, a presentation and at least one work-related exercise, and that some schemes run it in two stages.
5. Outcome. Decisions come once all assessment centres for your scheme finish. Successful candidates move to onboarding, with a second qualifications check and a medical including drug and alcohol testing.

The web page also states applications close at different times and that Network Rail “reserve[s] the right” to close a scheme once expected numbers are reached.

How to prepare

• Gather certificates, ID, proof of address and right-to-work documents before you start; the PDF says certificates are checked.
• Take online tests on a laptop in a quiet room, and do every practice question first.
• For the video interview, prepare your motivation for the scheme and examples of core behaviours.
• Plan your travel early for in-person centres; the PDF warns that no-shows are treated as withdrawn.
• Read our graduate assessment centre guide and guide to surviving an assessment centre, and write a clean form using our ATS-friendly resume guide and cover letter guide.

Salary and benefits

Seven scheme pages (Civil, Mechanical, Finance, IT and Business Services, Network Strategy, Project Management, Operations Management) state £32,000 plus a £2,000 welcome bonus. The Electrical Power, Electronic and Communication, Property and Supply Chain pages do not state a salary, so do not assume it. Gradcracker reports the same £32,000 for Operations Management. Finance graduates finishing the scheme are eligible for Finance Business Partner roles stated at £43,588 to £51,719. Check take-home pay with our paycheck calculator.

Benefits listed on the official graduate page: 28 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays, 5 volunteer days, an employee assistance programme, up to 75% off leisure travel for you and your family, a 75% subsidy on rail and underground season tickets, cycle to work, pension and insurance schemes, and two weeks’ paid reserve leave for Armed Forces community members.

When does the Network Rail graduate scheme open?

Network Rail has not published 2027 application opening or closing dates. Its How to Apply page says graduate opportunities “will invite registrations of interest from October 2026”, and every scheme page now carries a Register Interest button for a September 2027 start. Register through any scheme page, and track other opening windows on our graduate scheme hub and in when to apply for graduate jobs.

Locations

Network Rail says applicants see the available locations when applying, must live within reasonable commuting distance, and cannot change location at the point of offer. Some detail is scheme-specific: the Finance page names Milton Keynes and Manchester in year one, then regional offices in Glasgow, Manchester, York, Birmingham, Cardiff, London and Milton Keynes. Gradcracker reports Operations Management locations including Derby, York, London, Rugby, Wigan, Manchester, Chester, Basingstoke, Reading, Bristol and Cardiff. If London is an option, see our guide to getting around London.

Network Rail vs other engineering and public-sector graduate schemes

Network Rail mixes engineering and business routes under one process, whereas Siemens and Airbus are engineering-led employers (see Siemens vs Airbus), and the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme is a public-sector management route. Network Rail’s distinctive points, from its own pages, are professional-body routes (ICE, IET, IMechE, RICS, CIMA, APM) and safety-critical medical checks. Compare each employer’s dates and entry grades on its own page before deciding.

For other engineering routes, see the Rolls-Royce graduate scheme and the Jaguar Land Rover graduate scheme. Compare each employer’s dates and entry grades on its own page before deciding.

FAQ

Next steps

Register your interest through the official early careers site, then compare other windows on the Debut graduate scheme hub.