padgrad is a free career platform for UK graduates. It matches jobs to your degree, generates AI-powered CV checks and cover letters, and sends daily personalised job digests matched to your field of study.

Yes. You get 10 free credits on sign-up to use on AI CV checks and cover letters. All other tools — job matching, budgeting, application tracking, rejection logging — are free with no credit card required.

How does the AI CV Checker work?

Upload your CV and paste a job description. The AI analyses your CV against the role requirements, gives you an ATS compatibility score out of 100, and tells you exactly what keywords and formatting changes to make — helping you pass automated screening systems used by UK graduate recruiters.

How many jobs should I apply for as a graduate?

UK graduates typically need to send between 20 and 50 applications to land a role, with top graduate schemes receiving an average of 58 applications per vacancy. Focus on quality over quantity — tailor each CV and cover letter to the role rather than spamming the same application everywhere.

How long does it take to get a graduate job in the UK?

Most UK graduates take between 3 and 6 months to land their first graduate role, though it varies by sector. Consulting, tech, and investment banking tend to have faster hiring cycles. The civil service fast stream and larger graduate schemes can take 4-6 months from application to offer.

What is the average graduate salary in the UK for 2026?

The median graduate salary in the UK for 2026 is around £28,000-£32,000 depending on sector. Investment banking, law, and tech pay the highest (£35,000+), while public sector and charity roles typically start lower (£24,000-£27,000). Regional salaries average 10-20% lower outside London.

How do I write a graduate CV with no work experience?

Focus on transferable skills from your degree — research projects, group assignments, presentations, and coursework. Include volunteering, society memberships, part-time jobs, and any placements or internships. Use Padgrad's CV Builder to structure your CV for ATS systems, then run it through the AI CV Checker to see how it scores.

How are jobs matched to my degree on padgrad?

We scrape thousands of UK graduate jobs daily and match them to over 300 specific degree fields. Whether you studied Biology, Law, Engineering, Psychology, or History — we only show you roles that fit your subject area and send them straight to your daily digest.

Do graduate schemes pay well?

Graduate schemes in the UK typically pay between £25,000 and £35,000 in the first year, with some industries paying significantly more. Law firms and investment banks often start at £45,000-£55,000. Most schemes also offer benefits like bonuses, pension contributions, and professional qualification sponsorship.

How many applications does it take to get a graduate job?

Research from High Fliers shows the UK's top employers receive an average of 58 applications per graduate vacancy. Most successful graduates send 20-40 tailored applications before receiving an offer. Track every application using Padgrad's Application Tracker to spot which types of roles you progress furthest in.

Can I apply for graduate jobs before I graduate?

Yes — most large graduate schemes open applications in September and October for roles starting the following September, so you should apply in your final year. Smaller companies and direct-entry roles tend to hire closer to the start date. Padgrad's daily job digest includes both graduate schemes and entry-level roles you can apply for straight away.

What should a graduate CV include?

A strong graduate CV should include: your degree with predicted or achieved grade, relevant modules and dissertation topic, transferable skills (research, teamwork, communication), part-time work or volunteering, technical skills and software proficiency, and a personal profile. Most recruiters spend under 10 seconds scanning a CV — use Padgrad's AI CV Checker to make sure yours passes the six-second test.

Find the best graduate job websites UK in 2026, ranked. Compare Milkround, Gradcracker, Prospects and LinkedIn. Start your free search with Padgrad today.

Best Graduate Job Websites UK 2026: 9 Sites to Find Work

TL;DR

Graduate vacancies fell 34.9% in a year, so every edge counts.
Milkround, Prospects and targetjobs are built for graduates.
Gradcracker is the go-to site for STEM degrees.
Track every application so nothing slips through the cracks.

The best graduate job websites UK can cut your search time in half. Adzuna data, reported by The Times in May 2026, shows graduate vacancies fell 34.9% in a year. High Fliers Research adds that the UK's top 100 graduate employers cut hiring by 5.1% in 2025, after a 14.6% fall the year before. You cannot waste days scrolling the wrong boards. This guide ranks the sites that actually work for UK graduates in 2026.

Why Your Job Site Choice Matters

Most graduates use the same few sites. That means the best roles get buried fast. The Financial Times reported that the share of final-year students with a job secured by February dropped from 33% the year before. Competition is real, so where you search matters as much as how you search.

Think of job sites as three layers:

Graduate-only sites list roles made for you, with no years of experience needed.
General boards have volume, but you must filter hard to find entry-level roles.
Employer pages host the hidden roles that never reach job boards.

Use all three layers and you cover the full market.

The Best Graduate Job Websites UK, Ranked

1. Milkround — Best Overall

Milkround is the UK's most widely used graduate job site. It lists graduate jobs, schemes and internships from top employers. Set up alerts and apply on the day roles go live. It also has useful employer guides for research.

2. Prospects — Best Free Resource

Prospects.ac.uk is run by Jisc for the UK careers sector and describes itself as the UK's busiest graduate careers website. It lists graduate jobs and schemes, plus CV advice and career quizzes. Its graduate jobs search is free and trusted by universities.

3. targetjobs — Best for Schemes

targetjobs is owned by the same group as Milkround and focuses on graduate schemes. If you want a structured scheme at a big firm, start here. The site also runs events and employer insight days.

4. Gradcracker — Best for STEM

Gradcracker is the UK's careers website for STEM students. Engineers, scientists and tech grads will find placements, internships and graduate jobs matched to their degree. If you study STEM, make this your homepage.

5. LinkedIn — Best for Networking

LinkedIn is where recruiters post roles first. Build a profile that sells you, follow target employers, and set job alerts. Many graduate roles are filled through recruiter searches before they are advertised anywhere else.

6. Indeed — Best for Volume

Indeed has the most listings, including small firms that never run formal graduate schemes. Use filters for "entry level" and "graduate". Beware of fake posts and always check the employer's own site before applying.

7. Adzuna — Best for Salary Data

Adzuna aggregates jobs from across the web and publishes salary data for each role. It is a good second stop after the big boards, and its market reports tell you where hiring is growing.

8. Bright Network — Best for Community

Bright Network is a free platform for graduates and students. It sends hand-picked roles by email and runs networking events with top firms. Good for insight into industries you know little about.

9. Guardian Jobs — Best for Public Sector

Guardian Jobs lists public sector, charity and education roles. If you want to work in the civil service, NHS or a charity, this is one of the strongest boards. Many of these roles are also on the public sector graduate jobs guide.

How to Use These Sites to Get Hired

Finding the sites is step one. Using them well is step two. Here is a simple system:

Pick 3 sites max. Too many tabs just splits your focus.
Set alerts for your target roles and check email twice a day.
Apply within 24 hours of a role going live.
Log every application in a tracker so you follow up on time.

Speed matters. Most graduate schemes close when they hit a target number of applications, not on the advertised deadline. If you wait a week, the role may be gone. For more on timing, read our guide on graduate scheme deadlines.

When you apply, tailor each CV and cover letter to the role. A generic application gets filtered out fast. Our AI CV Checker can show you where your CV falls short, and our application tracker keeps every deadline in one place.

Common Job Site Mistakes Graduates Make

Using one site only. You miss the hidden market. Spread across three layers.
Applying everywhere. Quality beats quantity. 20 tailored applications beat 100 generic ones.
Ignoring employer career pages. Some of the best roles never reach job boards.
Forgetting to follow up. A polite email can move you to the top of the pile. See our follow-up guide for templates.
No tracker. Missed deadlines cost you interviews. Track everything.

The Bottom Line

The market is tough, but the right sites change the odds. Start with Milkround, Prospects and targetjobs. Add Gradcracker if you are STEM, LinkedIn for networking, and Guardian Jobs for public sector roles. Then apply fast, tailor everything, and track every move.

Padgrad helps you do the admin. Use the Application Tracker to manage your search, and the AI CV Checker to fix your CV before you hit send. Sign up free today and turn a scattered search into a system that gets you hired.

By Ori