M&S Graduate Scheme 2027: Programmes, Pay, Eligibility and How to Apply

“Absolutely go for it – you won’t regret it!”

Gregor Munro, Retail Leaders Graduate at M&S, in his M&S Careers profile. This is one graduate’s account, published by M&S, not a guarantee of your experience.

The M&S graduate scheme is open now for September 2027 entry. Marks and Spencer’s early careers pages list six graduate programmes across Retail, Food, and Fashion, Home & Beauty, all paying £34,000, plus a separate Food Technology industrial placement. Closing dates are 1 November and 8 November 2026, and M&S warns that vacancies close on a rolling basis, so the dates can move. This page covers what each M&S graduate programme involves, who can apply, the assessment stages and how to get ready. It is based on the official M&S pages as of 16 October 2026.

M&S graduate scheme at a glance

Which M&S graduate programmes are open?

M&S organises early careers into three teams: Retail, Food and Fashion, Home & Beauty. The early careers pages do not list a separate technology or finance graduate scheme, so this page covers only what is published.

Store route

• Retail Graduate Programme. You start with a Customer Assistant immersion across every department, move into a Team Manager role, and around nine months in learn to run a whole store as Deputy Store Manager or Store Manager. M&S says you will be a Store Manager by the end. Closes 8 November 2026.

Food (office-based and logistics)

• Food Product Development. A two-year programme beginning with a four-month store placement, then product development work on trends, suppliers and launches. You finish in a permanent role in M&S Food. Closes 8 November 2026.
• Food Commercial. Four months in store, then rotations in Supply Chain, Space, Range and Display, and Buying. M&S says you need to be comfortable with numbers. Closes 1 November 2026.
• Food Logistics. Delivered by Gist, M&S Food’s logistics partner. You choose a pathway when you apply: Logistics Management, Project Management, Safety, Sustainability or Fleet Engineering. Closes 8 November 2026.

Fashion, Home & Beauty

• Online. Two years: four months in store, then rotations on how products are presented, promoted and traded online. You finish in a permanent role in the online teams. Closes 8 November 2026.
• Supply Chain & Logistics. Four months in store, then experience of how products move through the network. You finish in a permanent role in one of the logistics teams. Closes 8 November 2026.

There is also a Food Technology Industrial Placement: a 12-month placement paying £28,743, closing 1 November 2026, aimed at students in at least their second year of a Food Science, Nutrition or food-related degree. It is not a graduate role, though M&S says you may be able to return on a graduate programme after finishing your studies.

Who can apply?

M&S states two eligibility criteria for the graduate programmes:

• You must have the right to work in the UK for the full duration of the programme.
• You will have graduated from any degree by the time the programme starts in September 2027.

No minimum degree classification is stated on the pages we reviewed, and M&S says “it’s not about having a specific degree”. If you are weighing up a 2:2, read our guide to graduate jobs you can still get with a 2:2. The industrial placement has its own rule: at least your second year of a food-related degree.

How to apply: every stage of the M&S graduate programme process

1. Online application form. You apply through the M&S Early Careers Application Portal. You can apply to only one programme per annual recruitment cycle, so pick the best fit.
2. Two-stage online assessment. M&S describes this as a way to “find out more about M&S whilst we find out more about you”.
3. In-person Assessment Centre. Invitations go to candidates who pass the online assessment.
4. Final store interview (store-based roles). The process for store-based roles includes a final interview in one of the stores.

M&S says detailed assessment information sits on its Life@M&S platform, where you can also contact M&S Buddies. That platform needs a login, so we could not review its contents and do not describe the assessment tasks. M&S also offers reasonable adjustments if you tell them you need one. Its How we hire page adds that M&S behaviours are built into every stage and that it assesses you against them.

How to prepare for the M&S assessment centre

• Apply early. M&S closes vacancies on a rolling basis, and its Food Product Development page calls that programme “very competitive” and says applications may close earlier than advertised.
• Match your CV to the form. Use our ATS-friendly CV guide and, if your form asks for one, our cover letter guide.
• Visit a store. M&S’s own hiring advice recommends it, so you can reference what you saw in an interview.
• Prepare behaviour examples. M&S asks for examples of how you made a difference, worked in a team and delivered for customers, focused on your actions and the outcome.
• Practise group and in-person formats. Read our graduate assessment centre guide and the survival guide.

Salary and benefits

M&S publishes £34,000 for the Retail, Food Product Development, Food Commercial, Food Logistics and both Fashion, Home & Beauty programmes, and £28,743 for the Food Technology placement. TARGETjobs lists the same £34,000 figure. Use our paycheck calculator to estimate take-home pay.

The benefits listed on the programme pages include:

• 20% colleague discount on M&S products and many third-party brands, for you and a member of your household, after probation
• a wellbeing hub with a free virtual GP service
• life assurance of twice your salary up to age 70
• a pension savings plan, plus Share Buy and Sharesave schemes
• competitive holiday with the option to buy extra days
• Cycle to Work, My Choices discounts and interest-free tech financing from your salary

When does the M&S graduate scheme open?

As of 16 October 2026, the 2027 M&S graduate programmes are already open, and the official pages show closing dates of 1 and 8 November 2026. M&S does not publish an opening date for the next cycle, so join the M&S talent community and check our graduate scheme hub for updates. For general timing, see our when to apply guide.

M&S vs other retail graduate schemes

The Marks and Spencer graduate scheme differs from the discounters in structure. M&S runs six separate programmes, each starting with time in store, and you choose one when you apply. Our Aldi graduate scheme and Lidl graduate scheme pages cover store-to-regional-management routes, and you can read the Aldi vs Lidl comparison before deciding. For a consumer-goods head-office route rather than a retailer, see the Unilever graduate scheme. The right choice depends on whether you want to lead a store, work in buying and product development, or run supply chain operations.

Where are the M&S graduate programmes based?

The Retail programme lets you choose a preferred store region when you apply. M&S lists stores across the North (Gemini, Manchester, Meadowhall, Metro Centre, Pudsey), East (Fosse Park, Norwich, Stratford), West (Cheshire Oaks, Cribbs Causeway, Longbridge, Wolstanton Stoke, Worcester), South (Bromley, Camberley, London Colney, Purley Way), Scotland (Aberdeen, Braehead, Gyle), Wales (Culverhouse Cross) and Northern Ireland (Lisburn).

For the other programmes, the official pages do not state a base. The application links for Food Product Development, Food Commercial and the Fashion, Home & Beauty Online programme are labelled London, and Food Logistics is labelled UK. TARGETjobs lists the Supply Chain & Logistics programme at Castle Donington, Derby. M&S also says its support teams are in the office three days a week.

M&S graduate scheme FAQs