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The stone vaulted Cloisters of the University of Glasgow

Your UK job-hunt plan, dated

The Cloisters, University of Glasgow. Photograph: Atreides83, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped

Tell the plan your course, when it ends and the sector you want. It dates each step, from this month's applications to the end of your Graduate visa.

By the Get a job in the UK desk

Updated

Checked against gov.uk on

2 minute read

A plan with dates on it is easier to keep than a resolution. This tool, part of Start here, turns your course and its end month into a month-by-month list, from this autumn’s applications to your last Graduate visa month.

Make your plan

When your course ends
How long your course is

Asked only for one-year master's courses and MBAs.

Example plan: one-year master's ending September 2027, banking and finance

  1. October 2026

  2. November 2026

  3. January 2027

  4. February 2027

  5. March 2027

  6. April 2027

  7. September 2027

  8. October 2027

Your Graduate visa window
OpensWhen your course ends, September 2027
ClosesWhen your Student visa ends, usually 4 months later, around January 2028
Apply in September 2027Usually 18 months Scheduled from 1 January 2027, to about March 2029

Check the end date on your own visa. The exact end date depends on when the visa is granted.

Tower Bridge lit before sunrise, with the river still and dark
Tower Bridge before dawn, SeptemberPhotograph: Fuzzypiggy, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped

A one-year master's plan, read from the top down

The plan reads like a calendar: each month in order, each line a short action linked to the page that explains it. Until you enter your course, it shows a labelled example.

The example is a one-year master’s ending in September 2027, aimed at banking and finance. Its first months are the hiring season itself.

The Season

I graduate in
  1. Graduate scheme applications From August 2026 to January 2027 Most open September or October, banks from August; many deadlines fall in November and December.
  2. Spring weeks and insight programmes September 2026 to January 2027 For first-years, and second-years on four-year courses; most applications fall in autumn, programmes run around Easter.
  3. Summer internship applications (summer 2027) From August 2026 to January 2027 For penultimate-year students; many review applications as they arrive and close early.
  4. Assessment centre season November 2026 to April 2027 First rounds follow deadlines; final assessment days run from November into spring.
  5. Graduate visa lengths A Graduate visa applied for on or before 31 December 2026 usually lasts 2 years. For applications made on or after 1 January 2027, it is scheduled to last 18 months.
Today, 9 October

Full calendar

The months follow the UK calendar, as targetjobs sets it out for employers that close in November and December:

Round When
First rounds January and February
Assessment centres March and April
Offers April to June
Most employers offering formal graduate programmes open for applications in September/October, with a view to graduates starting work the following September/October.
targetjobs, when to apply for graduate jobs

The graduate scheme calendar gives each programme’s own dates, read from the employer’s page.

More on the example's monthsLess on the example's months

The example starts by sending the strongest applications before the first rounds close, then practising recorded video interviews before the invitations arrive. It moves on to internship deadlines in January, assessment centres in February, offers in March, and a wider search in April for anyone still looking. A banking calendar runs a little ahead of the general pattern in the table.

On a one-year course these months fall inside your teaching terms. On a one-year master’s looks at how to carry both, term by term.

The stone roofs and spires of Edinburgh Old Town under a grey sky
Edinburgh Old Town from abovePhotograph: Ronnie Macdonald from Chelmsford, United Kingdom, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, cropped

The Graduate visa window opens when your course ends

The last part of the plan is your Graduate visa window, the months in which you may apply. For a Graduate visa, you apply from inside the UK before your Student visa ends, once your university has told the Home Office you have finished your course.

4 months on a Student visa after a course of 12 months or longer

Source: gov.uk, Immigration Rules, Appendix Student
More on how the plan dates itLess on how the plan dates it

The window opens in the month your course ends and closes when your Student visa ends. For a course of 12 months or longer, the plan dates that close from the figure above. For a shorter course, check the end date on your visa. The plan then dates the window from your course end only, and says so beside it. The month your course ends is the earliest your university can report that you have finished, which is what opens the window.

The curving, colourful shopfronts of Victoria Street in Edinburgh in early light
Victoria Street, Edinburgh, early morningPhotograph: Daniel Kraft, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped

A Graduate visa applied for on or before 31 December 2026 usually lasts 2 years. For applications made on or after 1 January 2027, it is scheduled to last 18 months. After a PhD it lasts 3 years.

If your window spans the new year, the plan shows both outcomes and recommends neither. Job hunting on a Graduate visa plans the months after.

The stone vaulted Cloisters of the University of Glasgow
The Cloisters, University of GlasgowPhotograph: Atreides83, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped

Change the inputs and keep the link

Change your course, end month or sector, and the plan recomputes.

The sector changes the application lines: choose law, and the autumn line becomes vacation schemes and training contracts.

More on other inputsLess on other inputs

Without JavaScript, the form reloads the page with your plan in place of the example. Choose an undergraduate degree, and spring weeks and penultimate-year internships appear earlier in the list. Send the link to a careers adviser, or pin the printed plan on the wall and take it to a careers appointment: your university’s careers service can add its own fairs, employer events and application workshops to the months you already have. A parent can read it from the same link.

A tall stone office building on Park Row in Leeds
Park Row, LeedsPhotograph: Tim Green, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, cropped

The plan lives in its page address, so “Copy link” and “Print this plan” keep it. Nothing you enter is stored.

The curved roofs of Coal Drops Yard at King's Cross seen from the north
Coal Drops Yard, King's Cross, from the northPhotograph: Andy Li, Wikimedia Commons, CC0, cropped

If your course ended long ago, the plan sends you to the Graduate visa page; if it ends years away, start with the graduate job hunt in twelve steps.

This week

  1. Make your plan with your own course end month and sector
  2. Copy the link and keep it with your course documents
  3. Check the end date printed on your Student visa
  4. Pick the first three applications from your plan and diary their deadlines

Filed in September

Sources

  1. GOV.UK: When to apply for a Graduate visa You must apply before your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa expires. Checked
  2. GOV.UK: Extra time on a Student visa after a course of 12 months or longer A course of 12 months or longer 1 Month 4 Months Checked
  3. GOV.UK: Graduate visa length (applications on or before 31 December 2026) 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026 Checked
  4. GOV.UK: Graduate visa length (applications on or after 1 January 2027) 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027 Checked
  5. GOV.UK: Graduate visa length after a PhD or other doctorate If you have a PhD or other doctoral qualification, it will last for 3 years. Checked
  6. GOV.UK: Extra time on a Student visa after a course of 6 months or longer but shorter than 12 months A course of 6 months or longer but shorter than 12 months 1 Month 2 Months Checked
  7. LSE Careers: Graduate job market Graduate schemes are competitive, and employers typically recruit up to one-year ahead, starting early in Autumn Term, and sometimes over the summer, so it’s important to check their deadlines and processes. Read
  8. targetjobs: When to apply for graduate jobs Most employers offering formal graduate programmes open for applications in September/October, with a view to graduates starting work the following September/October. ... Applications for graduate schemes in investment banking often open in August and close as early as October.Those recruiters who set deadlines in November and December typically hold first-round interviews and assessments in January and February. Assessment centres are usually held in March and April and job offers made in April, May and June.Many employers set application deadlines in November and December. ... Some employers do not set a deadline and keep their graduate programmes ‘open’ all year or have ‘ongoing recruitment’, but they still expect to receive most of their applications by Christmas. Read
  9. LSE Department of Finance: Careers advice (MSc Finance and Economics offer holders) Prepare early: most schemes open as early as August and close in October or November (your course begins in early September). Read
  10. LSE Careers: Graduate scheme applications Recruitment Timeframes August to January Graduate schemes open, some fixed date, some rolling Formal internship schemes open including parliamentary internships October to April Assessments & offers Traineeship applications June to September Internships, grad schemes begin Smaller organisations in public and private sector hire throughout the year Read
  11. Lancaster University Management School Careers: Spring weeks and insight programmes They generally take place during the Easter break in your first spring term. They, therefore, require applications in September and October in your first year at university! Note: Only first-year students can apply unless you are on a four-year course, where second-year students can also apply. ... Some schemes will open in July and August! Read
  12. Piper Sandler: Spring weeks and insight programmes For those that are successful on the Spring Week programme, you may receive an offer to be fast-tracked for a 2028 summer internship. Applicants should be either in the first year of a three-year degree or the second year of a four-year degree, graduating in 2029. ... Applications open from midday on Tuesday 1 December 2026. ... The confirmed dates for Spring Week are April 2027. Read
  13. LSE Department of Finance: Summer internship applications (summer 2027) They are paid positions, and in many cases can lead to an offer of a full-time position by the employer. These are offered by most investment banks, strategy consulting firms, and other financial and tech institutions. The application process is similar to that for full time positions, although deadlines are usually later in the autumn or January Read
  14. Goldman Sachs: Summer internship applications (summer 2027) The Summer Analyst role is for candidates currently pursuing a Bachelors or Masters university degree and in their penultimate or final year of study. We review applications on a rolling basis and encourage you to apply as soon as you are ready. Read
  15. Barclays: Summer internship applications (summer 2027) The closing date for applications is 31 October 2026. Please note that this vacancy may close ahead of the advertised date due to application volumes, and we therefore recommend submitting your application as early as possible. ... To be considered for this opportunity, you must be in your penultimate year of university. You must be graduating in 2028. ... Please also note that, during your summer internship, you will be considered for a place on our 2028 graduate programme. Read
  16. KPMG UK: Assessment centre season The dates of our Launch Pad events can be found below: Tuesday 17th November 2026: London Oval ... Wednesday 5th May 2027: Leeds New Dock Hall ... If successful you will have your job offer within 2 working days! Read
  17. University of Warwick: Degree results Postgraduate Taught Students (awards only), Friday 26th June 2026 ... Undergraduate Finalist students, Thursday 9th July 2026 Read
  18. University of Kent: Degree results Exam results for finalists and Year In students will be published throughout the day on KentVision, Monday 20 July. Read
  19. White & Case: Law vacation scheme applications We recruit the majority of our London trainees (on average 80 percent) from our vacation schemes, with up to 25 participants in each intake. ... Spring vacation scheme 5 to 16 April 2027 Who can apply? penultimate-year and final-year law students, final-year non-law students, and graduates from any discipline. When can I apply 24 September 2026 to 6 December 2026 Summer vacation scheme 28 June to 9 July 2027 Read
  20. Linklaters: Law vacation scheme applications Our Spring and Summer Vacation Schemes are the best route to securing a Training Contract with us. ... Final Training Contract interview: At the end of the scheme, you’ll have a guaranteed interview for a Training Contract with a Partner and Managing Associate. ... Closing Date 03/12/2026 Read
  21. Greenberg Traurig: Training contract applications (direct) Apply: September to November 2026 ... Applications for our 2029 training contract are now open. To apply, please click here. Applications will close on Monday 30th November 2026 at 23:59. ... We do not run vacation schemes. Applications for our training contracts are direct only. Read

This page is about the UK job hunt and is not immigration advice. For your own situation, speak to a regulated immigration adviser or an immigration solicitor, and check the current rules on gov.uk.

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