Graduate jobs · 5 min read
Can I get a graduate job with a 2:2?
Whether a 2:2 stops you getting a graduate job in the UK: which big employers dropped the 2:1, where filters remain, and how to build a case that beats it.
The short answer
Yes. A 2:2 closes some doors at the most selective schemes but far fewer than it did ten years ago. PwC, EY, Deloitte, KPMG, Grant Thornton, the Civil Service Fast Stream and many engineering, retail and public sector recruiters no longer require a 2:1. Most small and mid-sized employers, which do most graduate hiring, never asked. Where a 2:1 filter remains, usually in law, banking and some consultancies, you need either a route around it or a different target.
Key takeaways
- The Big Four accountancy firms, the Fast Stream and many others have removed the 2:1 requirement; check each scheme's eligibility line.
- Grade filters persist most in commercial law training contracts, investment banking and some strategy consulting.
- Employers that dropped the filter use tests and strengths interviews instead, so practise those.
- Put the 2:2 on your CV plainly and let placements, a strong dissertation mark or work history carry the argument.
On this pageWhy the filters came down
Why the filters came down
Large employers dropped the 2:1 for two reasons. The first was evidence: their own hiring data showed classification predicted performance poorly once someone was in the job. The second was reach: a 2:1 filter screened out disproportionately many students from poorer backgrounds and lower-tariff universities, and firms with social mobility targets couldn't justify it. Grant Thornton moved first in 2013; the Big Four followed; the Fast Stream removed its 2:2 minimum altogether. The Institute of Student Employers reports that a majority of its members now recruit without a classification requirement.
Where a 2:1 still matters
| Sector | Typical position | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Accountancy and professional services | Most accept a 2:2 | Apply; practise the tests |
| Civil Service and public sector | Fast Stream has no minimum; most schemes 2:2 | Apply |
| Engineering, construction, retail, logistics | Mostly 2:2 or no requirement | Apply |
| Commercial law training contracts | Many still ask for a 2:1 | Target firms that don't; consider paralegal entry |
| Investment banking, strategy consulting | 2:1 common, often informally | Use smaller firms or adjacent roles as a route in |
| Small and mid-sized employers | Rarely ask | Where most jobs are |
Building the case that beats the number
- A dissertation or final-year project mark above 60: put it on the CV with the grade.
- A placement year or internship in the field: the strongest single piece of evidence you can have.
- Part-time work written as results, especially anything with responsibility or numbers.
- A relevant certificate you finished this year: it shows the trajectory, not the average.
- Practice on the tests and strengths interviews that replaced the grade filter.
Routes around a filter
If the firm you want still asks for a 2:1, there are three ways in that don't involve lying. Apply for an experienced hire role in two years, when nobody checks. Join a smaller firm in the same field and move across. Or take the entry route below graduate level, such as paralegal, analyst assistant or apprentice, and convert; several law firms now take solicitor apprentices and paralegals onto training contracts without re-screening on degree.
Illustrative example: the grade that stopped mattering
An economics graduate with a 2:2 wants to work in audit. Two of the Big Four accept the grade; he passes their numerical tests after three weeks of practice and gets an offer. A friend with a first applies to the same firms, skips the test practice and fails at the online stage. The filter the friend had been relying on had already gone, and the one that remained was the test.
What happens to the gaps
Applying shows you what employers want that you can't show yet: a must-have your CV doesn't mention, or a question you couldn't answer well. Hand the job from OffLadder CV to Laddie, our AI coach, and it turns each one into three steps:
- Learn the skill: a short lesson on what the post asks for, starting from the basics.
- Try the work: a 15-minute task taken from the job itself, so you have a real example to talk about.
- Practise the interview: a five-question mock interview for that role, weighted to the parts you're least sure of.
The conversation stays in your OffLadder account. Once you've done the work, add it to your CV in your own words, and the next post you tailor for can point to it.
Questions people ask
- Which graduate schemes accept a 2:2?
- A long and growing list: the Big Four and most other accountancy firms, the Civil Service Fast Stream, many NHS and local government schemes, large retailers, most engineering and construction groups, Teach First (with a 2:2 in some subjects), and most public sector and charity programmes. Prospects and targetjobs let you filter by minimum degree.
- Should I explain my 2:2 in an application?
- Only if asked, or if there was a specific reason such as illness or bereavement that the employer's extenuating circumstances process covers. Otherwise don't draw attention to it. State the grade, then give the reader something better to look at.
- Does a master's cancel out a 2:2?
- Partly. Some employers that ask for a 2:1 will accept a merit or distinction at master's level instead, and a master's gives you a new, higher grade to lead with. It's an expensive way to fix a filter, though. Check whether your target employers actually accept it before paying for it.
- Do employers care about degree classification after your first job?
- Rarely. Once you have two or three years of relevant work, almost no employer asks. The classification matters for the first application and fades fast; it's a problem for this year, not your career.
Exercises are practice, not evidence of career fit or a qualification. How to read our guides and report a correction.
Sources
- Student Recruitment Survey 2025 · Institute of Student Employers
- Civil Service Fast Stream: how to apply · Civil Service, GOV.UK
- Graduate schemes · Prospects
How this page is written
Sources support the factual background, not a guarantee that an exercise predicts career fit. Fictional practice material is labelled. Dates record content updates; no independent expert review is implied. More about OffLadder.