DWG M1 Apprenticeship vs university
The money gap, year by year
Pick a trade and put it next to a three-year degree. The apprentice is paid from day one; the student borrows. Every fixed figure here is an official 2026/27 rate — the graduate salary is your call.
Owes nothing. Training paid for.
Still owes £83,381 after repaying £4,938.
On total earnings, before tax.
Read this fairly. Graduate pay depends enormously on subject — medicine, law, engineering and economics graduates out-earn most trades over a career, which is why the salary above is yours to set. Plan 5 student loans are not like a mortgage: you repay 9% of earnings over £25,000 and anything left is written off after 40 years, so many graduates never repay in full. Apprentice pay uses the legal minimum while training; most employers pay more. Figures are gross (before tax) and ignore part-time work while studying.
M2 Where every number comes from
Apprentice pay
£8.00/hr apprentice rate, £10.85 for 18–20s, £12.71 at 21+, from April 2026. 37.5-hour week.
GOV.UKStudent borrowing
Tuition up to £9,790 a year, plus the maintenance loan you chose, for 2026 to 2027.
GOV.UKRepayment
Plan 5: 9% of income over £25,000, interest currently 4.1%, written off after 40 years.
GOV.UKGraduate salary
Set above, then rising 3% a year. Qualified trade pay uses this site's indicative range, then the same 3%.
DfE statisticsAn illustration, not financial advice. Rules for courses starting from January 2027 are changing — check GOV.UK for the latest.