Santander Graduate Scheme 2027: How to Apply

The Santander graduate scheme is a 27-month programme at Santander UK, based in Milton Keynes and paying a starting salary of £38,000 on the 2026 intake. Santander’s graduate programmes page lists two tracks, Global Retail and Data & AI, and says applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so the window can close early. Both buttons currently read “Now Closed”, so check the live status before you plan around any date.

This guide covers what each programme involves, who can apply, how the assessment works and how to prepare.

Santander graduate scheme at a glance

• Length: 27 months on both programmes
• Salary: £38,000 (2026 intake, per Santander)
• Location: Milton Keynes
• Programmes in 2026: Global Retail Graduate Programme and Data & AI Graduate Programme
• Entry requirement: a degree plus 112 UCAS points (top three A-level grades or equivalent, excluding General Studies and Extended Project)
• Applications: reviewed on a rolling basis, and Santander may close early
• Visa: internship, graduate and apprenticeship roles are not eligible for sponsorship, so you need an existing right to work in the UK

Santander graduate scheme: the two programmes

Global Retail Graduate Programme. Santander describes this as a route for people whose STEM skills meet real-world impact. You spend 27 months in a structured programme, starting with a three-week bootcamp in digital product management, agile methods, user experience and data-driven decision making. You also spend time in the branch network to understand customer pain points, then complete four rotations across UK Retail, and may take part in an innovation hackathon in Madrid. It also includes accelerated study towards becoming an AI Transformation Specialist. Santander asks for a recent STEM graduate or a degree aligned to product design, business analytics, business studies or economics.

Data & AI Graduate Programme. Over 27 months you rotate across teams, with the first nine months giving you a grounding in data and product management. Topics include data fundamentals, product development, AI and analytics, and agentic AI and automation, where you help design, test and deploy AI agents for internal teams. Santander says you do not need to be a coding expert. It accepts a bachelor’s degree in any discipline, plus 112 UCAS points.

Emily Bater joined Santander’s retail graduate scheme two months after graduating from Exeter in 2024. In her University of Exeter alumni profile she describes rotations in Customer Interactions, Pricing and Savings, and Customer Research and Analytics. She says each placement showed her another side of the retail bank. She also says people were willing to share their experience and give her exposure to major projects. That is one graduate’s view, not Santander’s official position.

Santander says its assessments are typically virtual, though some hiring areas may assess in person.

Santander graduate scheme application process

Santander’s application guide describes the current process as an online interview and three short assessment games. If you pass, you are invited to a final assessment experience. Assessments are typically virtual, but some hiring areas may assess in person. If you attend in person, Santander says you can expense up to £100 in travel.

1. Online application. Complete the form and confirm your right to work in the UK.
2. Online interview and three assessment games. This is the first screen.
3. Final assessment experience. Santander sends detailed information about the day beforehand. Read it carefully.
4. Offer and pre-employment checks. Santander runs checks on your education, work and credit history, and you must provide the information within the set timeframe.

A few rules worth knowing before you apply:

• Santander says it cannot always give feedback at every stage, but aims to give it to everyone who reaches an interview or assessment centre.
• If you are unsuccessful, you normally wait at least six months before reapplying for the same scheme.
• You may be able to apply to more than one scheme in certain cases, but Santander asks you to check with the recruitment team first.
• If you are successful, you will need to open a Santander account, which is where your salary is paid.
• For questions or adjustments, Santander lists [email protected].

How to prepare for the Santander graduate scheme

Treat the online interview as the real first round. It comes before the assessment games, so prepare answers on why Santander, why banking and why this programme. For Global Retail, link your answer to customer needs and digital products. For Data & AI, talk about a time you used data to make a decision, even in a university project.

Practise the games before you start. Santander does not publish what the three games measure, so do not rely on a fixed format. Do a few timed practice sessions of the kinds of tests used in graduate recruitment, so that nothing about the format surprises you.

Prepare for a group stage. Our assessment centre guide covers the typical exercises, and this survival guide covers the day itself.

Apply early. Santander reviews applications on a rolling basis and says it may close the window early because of high volumes.

Santander graduate scheme salary and benefits

Santander’s graduate programmes page lists a salary of £38,000 on the 2026 intake. Use our paycheck calculator to see what that is after tax and National Insurance. Graduate and apprenticeship roles are offered on a permanent basis, on the condition that you complete the required qualifications for your role. Benefits vary by route, and Santander says the full list is on each programme page.

Santander internship: the other way in

Santander also runs a 10-week summer internship in London or Milton Keynes. It is for penultimate-year students with a predicted bachelor’s degree and 112 UCAS points. Santander says performance on the internship can earn you a place on its 2027 Graduate Programme. Finance interns have written about the experience, for example Robbie Bailey at the University of Sheffield, who worked in the Provisions team in Milton Keynes, though his post dates from 2016 so details will have changed.

Santander vs other banking graduate schemes

Compare the entry routes at Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds and J.P. Morgan, or the NatWest graduate scheme. The full list is in our graduate schemes hub.

Santander graduate scheme FAQ