Apprenticeship levels explained

Every apprenticeship in England has a level. It tells you roughly how advanced the qualification is, so you can compare it with things you already know, like GCSEs and A levels.

The official levels

Here’s how GOV.UK sets them out:

Name	Level	Equivalent to
Foundation and intermediate	2	GCSEs
Advanced	3	A levels
Higher	4, 5, 6 and 7	Foundation degree and above
Degree	6 and 7	Bachelor’s or master’s degree

Spot the overlap: “higher” and “degree” both include Levels 6 and 7. A Level 6 apprenticeship might get you a bachelor’s degree, or it might get you a different qualification at the same level. Always check which.

How we group levels on this site

To keep filtering simple, we use four groups everywhere on Apprentice Insider:

• Intermediate: Level 2
• Advanced: Level 3
• Higher: Levels 4 and 5
• Degree: Levels 6 and 7

We put every Level 6 and 7 programme in the degree group, even when there’s no actual degree, and we say so on the profile when we know.

How many people start at each level?

Higher-level apprenticeships have taken off. Here are the Department for Education’s figures for England in 2024/25:

Level	Starts	Share of all starts
Level 2	–	18.6%
Higher (Levels 4–7)	140,730	39.8%
of which Level 6	26,780	–
of which Level 7	33,560	–
Degree level (6–7) in total	60,350	17.1%

Higher apprenticeship starts went up 15.1% on the year before, and degree-level starts went up 20.4%. Meanwhile Level 2 starts fell by 7.3%. The takeaway: more programmes now ask for A levels or something equivalent, so it’s worth knowing which level you’re aiming for.

Employers use different names

Employers don’t always stick to the official names, so read the detail, not just the label. For example:

• The BBC calls its Level 2 programmes foundation apprenticeships, and says not all of its Level 6 apprenticeships include a degree.
• Rolls-Royce calls its Level 3 route advanced / modern apprenticeships.
• BAE Systems puts Levels 4 and 5 together as higher apprenticeships.

Which level is right for you?

There’s no single right answer. It depends on the qualifications you’ve got (or are expecting), the job you want and what employers offer. A few things worth knowing:

• Entry requirements are set for each programme, and are usually based on GCSE or A level results.
• Qualifications or experience you already have can sometimes make an apprenticeship shorter. GOV.UK says this is agreed with your employer and training provider when you start.
• You don’t have to start at the top. Lots of people move up one level at a time, and several employers we’ve researched, like Balfour Beatty, accept a finished lower-level apprenticeship instead of grades for the next level up.

Outside England

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use different names, and Scotland uses a different system of levels altogether (SCQF). Our guide to apprenticeships across the UK explains it all.