Finance Graduate Schemes: Application Deadlines

Final year is here! As you begin the countdown to graduation you need to be on the ball with your graduate scheme applications. The application deadlines for graduate schemes in banking, finance and professional services will come round a lot sooner than you may expect!

Banking & finance application deadlines

Banking probably has the strictest application deadlines in finance careers when it comes to their graduate schemes. The majority of graduate vacancies in banking and asset management have deadlines before Christmas in the academic year – usually around November or December. Banks such as JP Morgan and Deutsche Bank for instance have their graduate application dates around this period. The dates may vary slightly according to the areas the positions are in.

There are a few investment banks and finance firms such as Nomura that have slightly wider varying application deadlines for their analyst positions depending on the area of the company they’re in; but these deadlines are still usually between December and March in the academic year.

The key is to apply as early into the academic year as possible! Within banking and asset management in particular, a large number of the positions are filled by candidates who have already completed a summer internship with the firm, so if you haven’t done this then an early application is a must!

Professional services application deadlines

Professional services firms tend to be a little more flexible in their deadlines; many exercise a ‘rolling recruitment’ approach for their graduate schemes.

This doesn’t however mean that you can afford to be casual about the process and leave your application until the last minute when you’re graduating in the summer. Positions are very popular and there’s a lot of competition, which means can fill up quickly! So you’ll still need to get in there early with your online application. There may be certain roles that still have a fixed deadline each year too – and if so then this will usually be in either November or December.

As a few examples: Mazars have rolling recruitment, but recommend earlier applications as their positions will fill up fast. It’s on a first come, first served basis. PwC has either rolling recruitment or deadlines that occur very early on into the academic year – either November or December – depending on the role area. For example, actuarial, and some specialist areas in consulting and deals have fixed deadlines.

Deloitte work on a first come, first served basis; so although there’s no official deadline as such, the earlier you get your application the better chance you’ll have of gaining your place. It’s the same for KPMG, and EY (EY will highlight the schemes available to apply for at that point in time on their graduate recruitment page).

Be aware that if you require a work permit, there may be a fixed deadline for your application. For example, KPMG state that all applicants who need work permits should submit their application before April.

Make sure you visit the websites of each of your prospective employers you’re considering during the summer before you start your final year and during the very first few weeks of the new term, and make sure you’re aware of any fixed deadlines out there. Hop to it!