A week in the life: engineering degree apprentice vs engineering student

A case can be made which should make anyone who thinks that the apprenticeship route is clearly the more satisfactory one question that view. The 2026 Student Academic Experience Survey shows that students on degree apprenticeship programmes were considerably less satisfied than other students with their choice of study, 18% of them saying that they had preferred to have taken a job or chosen an alternative outside higher education.^[1] Overall satisfaction among students reached a peak during the decade.

One might not conclude that apprenticeships are inferior; on the contrary, they have certain features which are not covered by the marketing, and a considerable number of people have different expectations.

Rather than setting out the advantages and disadvantages, we have developed two scenarios: one involving a second-year Level 6 engineering degree apprentice working at a large manufacturer and the other involving a second-year engineering undergraduate at a university in the UK. These scenarios are composite, having been constructed using the published funding rules, the current salaries being offered by their employers, and the 2026 survey data on how students actually allocate their time. We then work out how much each individual will have in their bank account by the time they enter their third year, thereby responding to the questions which no one asks at a careers fair.

The apprentice week

You work at the site from Monday to Thursday. The contracted hours are usually 37 per week, which is the figure that BAE Systems states for the majority of its degree apprenticeships. You must clock in and are considered to be an employee with a line manager, a team, a payroll number, and a probationary period, not simply as a student who only visits the factory.

It is on Friday, or on a similar day, that people make a mistake. The ‘20%’ which is so often mentioned is not 20% of your week as one might assume. Under the apprenticeship funding rules applicable to the 2026 to 2027 period, the minimum amount of off-the-job training is no longer a fixed six hours a week or a percentage of the contract: it is set by each apprenticeship standard as a number of hours. From August 2026 that figure will appear on the front of each standard on the Skills England website.^[2] You should look at your standard before you apply. Two employers who are providing ‘the same’ apprenticeship can in fact be different.

It will depend on the particular situation; in some instances employers choose day release, that is to say you attend university on one day each week, while in others they adopt block release, which involves you being away from your desk and on campus for two weeks before returning to your usual place of work. Siemens carries out its BEng in Control and Automation in association with the University of Salford on a block release basis, linking the academic modules with PLC certification and a work-based project. Block release is extremely demanding during the two weeks in question and quite calm at all other times, whereas day release brings about a continuous, light level of pressure throughout the year. You should find out what system you will be assigned.

On evenings and weekends, I should make it clear that the off-the-job hours your employer must give you are not sufficient on their own to enable you to obtain your degree. You’ll also have to do assignments, revision and prepare for exams during your own time, and you can’t just stay in bed on a Thursday to take a break. Even though the rules allow off-the-job training to be carried out outside of working hours, this is only possible if you agree to it and are given either payment or time off in return^[3], and most of your training will still have to take place in another way. If an employer casually says that “everyone does their study at home”, that should be a warning sign and something you should mention during the interview.

The holiday allowance is 5.6 weeks, which amounts to 28 days when bank holidays are included, assuming a five-day week.^[4] Prospects states that the standard for apprentices is at least 20 days plus bank holidays^[5], and your university days are not impacted by this because training is regarded as paid working time.

The student week

The amount of teaching time scheduled is 15.5 hours each week^[6]; this is the average for all full-time undergraduates in 2026, slightly down from 16.1 in 2024 (it was 12.4 in 2021).^[6] Engineering tends to be above this average because it includes lab and studio sessions.

The amount of time allocated to independent study is 11.1 hours each week; it has been falling and has now attained historically low figures.^[6][7] The survey’s authors say that this is directly due to the pressure being exerted on students’ time.

Individuals who have paid jobs: at the moment, 65 per cent of full-time undergraduates work during the term, the average being just under 14 hours per week.^[8] When these hours are added together, a working student ends up with a weekly commitment of 44.2 hours, which is considerably higher than the 36.6 hours that the Office for National Statistics states is the average for a full-time employee.^[9] Take that figure again, since it contradicts the notion that students are lazy while apprentices work. Although most students also work, their earnings are lower and there are no career prospects linked to it.

The aspect which is flexible is that students have the freedom to make their own choices. It doesn’t matter whether you move the Wednesday reading to Sunday; you could join a society, take up a sport, work for the student newspaper, take part in a Formula Student team, spend a year in industry, or spend a semester in Delft. There are roughly 30 weeks of teaching each year and the longer holidays can be made use of for an internship, a summer job, or for a complete break.

Side by side

What is in the bank by year three

This is the question everybody really wishes to have answered, so I’ll provide the actual figures for 2026 instead of giving general statements.

Level 6 engineering apprentice salaries advertised for 2026, from the Prospects engineering apprenticeships guide:^{[11][12][13][14][15]}

The minimum wage required by law is below the standard rate. Since 1 April 2026, the minimum wage for apprentices has been £8.00 per hour, up from £7.55.^[17] This new rate applies to apprentices who are under 19 and to those in their first year. Once an apprentice reaches the age of 19 or has completed their first year, they are entitled to the normal minimum wage according to their age. Although engineering employers typically pay more, a small company may not, so it is necessary to look at the figure advertised rather than assume it.

An apprentice beginning at £22,000 with small annual rises will have a take-home pay of approximately £63,000 after three years when the 2026/27 rates of tax and National Insurance are applied, before any allowances are made for pension contributions or for living expenses. There is no tuition debt.

The case of the student is this: in England the tuition fee for the 2026/27 academic year is £9,790^[18], bringing the total to £29,370 over three years. The maximum maintenance loan for 2026/27 ranges from £9,118 (living with parents) to £14,135 (living away from home in London) and is based on the household income as well as on the person’s place of residence.^[19] The Department for Education forecasts an average debt of about £45,800 on entering repayment for students starting in 2025/26.^[20]

Although the figure on paper exceeds £100,000, in fact it is not very impressive. Under Plan 5, repayments are 9 per cent of any income above £25,000^[21] and cease when the balance has been paid off or after 40 years, many graduates never paying off the full amount. It functions more as a graduate contribution than as a mortgage and does not prevent you from renting a flat. Each month, real money is deducted from your pay slip for decades and the apprentice is not required to make the payment.

Placements abroad, societies and the social question

Can apprentices study or work abroad? In principle, the answer is yes since they are covered by the Turing Scheme and apprenticeship training providers can apply for funding during the 2026 to 2027 funding round.^[22][23] The issue, however, is structural in that it is not possible for the apprentice to apply themselves but only the provider can do so, and your employer must release you; nevertheless, many employers will not agree to this. For these reasons, you should regard an overseas placement as something that has to be negotiated rather than something that can be expected.

Regarding societies and student life, degree apprentices are usually enrolled students at their affiliated university and have the same rights as other students, such as the right to join a union, access to the library, use of the support services, and in some cases accommodation during the nights around teaching times. The thing you give up is not access but rather your physical presence; if you turn up on a Friday it becomes hard to take part in the badminton club which meets on Tuesdays. Some apprentices prefer to have a social life at work, whereas others feel lonely in their second year and this point should be something you take into account before agreeing to a four-year contract.

Formula Student and Greenpower do make a real difference since the university teams stay active on the campus all during the year, whereas apprentices can take part through their employer’s STEM outreach programme, which provides a different and usually smaller experience.

What has changed recently

There are two points which it would be worthwhile for you to know before you apply.

In 2026 the government stopped providing funding for Level 7 apprenticeships for most people who were 22 years of age or over; the only people who are still eligible are those who are 21 or under, care leavers and individuals who have an Education, Health and Care Plan.^[24] The Level 6 engineering apprenticeships, which are the focus of this article, are exempt from this change. If a careers adviser mentions a master’s level apprenticeship, it is important to check the apprenticeship’s present funding status rather than depending on an older leaflet.

The locations of the apprenticeship standards have also been altered. The content of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education is now with Skills England^[25], and a specific group of standards will be withdrawn in September 2026. Even though the basic engineering standards are not on that list, it is still necessary to check that the standard is active before preparing an application based on it.

What to actually do

In the autumn, you should finish both applications. There is no rule which prevents you from having both a UCAS offer and an apprenticeship offer at the same time, and the timeline allows for this. BAE Systems says its main recruitment window starts at the beginning of January and runs for six weeks^[26], so the apprenticeship deadline generally occurs before you have to confirm your UCAS choice. You can view the available positions at gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship. You should be aware of the eligibility rule which catches people out: when the apprenticeship starts, you must be 16 years of age or older, live in England and not be in full-time education.^[27]

In the spring, at each open day ask three questions regarding an apprenticeship and keep a record of the answers. Whether the programme is day-based or on a block basis? What is the off-the-job minimum rate for this particular standard? What proportion of the previous cohort completed the programme and how much did they receive at the end? Vague answers are just as informative as specific ones.

In the autumn term, you must arrange your grades since entry is competitive and generally entails certain requirements; for example, Jaguar Land Rover requires an A-level maths grade of B together with another A-level at grade C or above, as well as GCSE English and maths at grade 5.^[28] You should regard the apprenticeship as at least as hard to get into as a degree because, with well-known employers, it usually is.

Before you decide, sit down and honestly evaluate your learning method and your ambitions for your early twenties. If you do need a structured approach, financial security and a job by the end of the period, then an apprenticeship is a suitable choice. However, if you would like the opportunity to explore, to change your field of specialisation, to spend a year abroad, or if you simply aren’t ready to be someone else’s employee at eighteen, then that too is a good reason to opt for a degree. Neither of these options is more courageous than the other.

If you would like to know more about the different routes and the qualifications involved in each option, please see our article on vocational qualifications in engineering and our article on the opportunities available for your child if you are a parent reading this over a shoulder.