Frequently asked questions
Short, straight answers. Where a question deserves a full guide, it links to one.
Do you pay tuition fees on the DTS degree apprenticeship?
No. The training is funded by your employer and the government through the apprenticeship levy (the funding band for this standard is £27,000), and you earn a salary throughout. You're not eligible for student finance at all — there is simply nothing to borrow for. You graduate with a BSc (Hons) and no student debt.
What degree do you actually get?
A full bachelor's degree — typically titled BSc (Hons) Digital and Technology Solutions — awarded by the university delivering your programme. It's an integrated degree: the degree and the apprenticeship are one award, and the degree can only be completed by passing the end-point assessment. It is not a "lesser" degree; it's the same academic framework and marking as any other BSc at that university.
What are the entry requirements?
Each employer sets its own bar — the standard itself only sets the baseline. Typical asks are three A-levels or equivalent (commonly around 96–120 UCAS points, sometimes with a preference for maths, computing or STEM subjects), plus GCSE English and maths. In practice the grades get you past the sift; assessment centres decide who gets the offer.
How long does it take?
Typically 48 months (about 4 years) of combined work and study, followed by an end-point assessment period of about 3 months. Some employers run it slightly faster or slower, but four years is the standard shape.
How much do DTS apprentices earn?
It varies widely by employer and city. Most starting salaries sit in the low-to-mid twenty-thousands, with larger employers paying more and reviewing pay as you progress through the programme — by the final year you're usually on meaningfully more than you started on, and you've been earning (not borrowing) the whole time. The employers page on this site collects dated, sourced salary figures — advertised and self-reported — for specific schemes.
Do you get study time, or is it evenings and weekends?
Study time is a legal part of the apprenticeship, not a favour. The funding rules require off-the-job training — a minimum of 1,022 hours across this standard — which employers typically deliver as roughly a day a week, block weeks on campus, or a mix. The honest caveat: coursework deadlines don't care that you also have a job, so evenings get used too, especially around hand-ins.
Which of the six specialisms should I pick?
Often the employer has effectively picked for you — vacancies are usually hired into a specific team. Where you do have the choice, pick by the day-to-day work rather than the job title, and don't over-weight it: all six options share a large common core and lead to the same degree and certificate.
Can you fail? What happens if you do?
Yes — it's a real degree with real assessment. Failed modules have resit processes like any university course, and a failed end-point assessment can be re-sat (typically within 3 months) or re-taken with further training (typically within 6), with your employer's agreement. Failing a single module mid-programme is more common and less dramatic — universities run normal resit processes for that. The quiet risk to manage is different: falling behind at work and at university simultaneously. Ask for help early on whichever side is slipping.
Is the degree respected by employers afterwards?
The degree plus four years of experience is the package, and it's a strong one: you finish as someone with a BSc and a track record, not a graduate looking for a first role. The standard also carries professional recognition from the British Computer Society (Registered IT Technician (RITTech)). Where a full-time degree still wins is specialised depth — if you want research or a PhD-track path, a traditional route fits better.
Can you do a master's afterwards?
Yes. A BSc (Hons) qualifies you for master's study like any other bachelor's degree. There's also a dedicated Level 7 DTS specialist apprenticeship (ST0482) if you want the funded, in-employment version later in your career.
When and where do I apply?
Mostly on employer careers sites, September to January for the following September start — plus the government's Find an apprenticeship service, where smaller employers advertise. Applications are direct to employers, not through UCAS (you can run UCAS applications in parallel as a fallback; many people do).
Is it worth it compared with going to university full-time?
For the right person, emphatically yes: degree, salary, experience, no debt. But it's not the easy option — you trade the campus years for a compressed, demanding four years of doing both at once, with short holidays and coursework on weeknights. The main site has a full honest comparison written after doing it. Read the full comparison.
Figures reflect the ST0119 standard and funding rules as of the build date of this site (2026-07-24); rules move — verify anything load-bearing on gov.uk before relying on it.