By Andre Atallah, CEO of EP Advisory
Six graduate programmes · UK · September 2027 start
Most close 8 NovClosed this cycle · Food Commercial 1 Nov
Short answer: Apply now. Five M&S graduate programmes close on 8 November 2026.Five M&S graduate programmes have closed this cycle. Their date was set for 8 November 2026. Food Commercial closes earlier, on 1 November 2026.Food Commercial has closed. Its date was set for 1 November 2026. M&S says “closing dates can change”. You get one application per hiring year, so choose your programme first. Then come a two-stage online assessment and an in-person assessment centre. Store-based roles add a final interview in a store. Every programme pays £34,000.
Where are you now?
Independent guide. EP Advisory is not affiliated with Marks & Spencer.
M&S runs six graduate programmes for a September 2027 start, across Retail, Food and Fashion, Home & Beauty. Many students search for an M&S graduate scheme, but M&S calls them programmes.
This playbook helps you pick one programme, then prepare for each stage. For nearly 10 years, we’ve helped more than 5,000 professionals get hired. Want to know if your CV will pass screening in the UK? Check your CV for free: a score in 30 seconds, then a fix for each problem.
01/10
Your route to an offer
Pick your stage and tick each step when done. Stages and dates are M&S’s, checked 17 October 2026. Prep times are ours.
1. Apply: most close 8 November 2026closed this cycle
One application per hiring year, so choose with care. Prep 2 to 3 days.
2. Online assessment: two stages, by invite
A behavioural assessment, then a job simulation. About 30 to 40 minutes, then 45 to 60. Prep about 1 week.
3. Assessment centre: in person
An in-person day of assessed exercises. Prep 1 to 2 weeks.
4. Final interview: store roles, in a store
Store-based roles add a final interview in one of M&S’s stores. Prep about 1 week.
Your ticks save on this device.
02/10
The six programmes at a glance
Six programmes, one shared process and one salary. Your real choice is the programme, because you can apply to only one.
8 Nov 2026Closed
Five programmes closeFive programmes, set for 8 Nov
1 Nov 2026Closed
Food Commercial closesFood Commercial, set for 1 Nov
£34,000
Salary, all six programmes
1
Application per hiring year
Sep 2027
Start date
2 years
Most programmes
| Programme | Where | Length | Closing date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food Commercial | London | 2 years | 1 Nov 2026 (closed) |
| Retail Leaders | UK stores, by region | Ends as a Store Manager | 8 Nov 2026 (closed) |
| Food Business (Product Development) | London | 2 years | 8 Nov 2026 (closed) |
| Food Logistics, “Delivered by Gist” | National | 2 years | 8 Nov 2026 (closed) |
| Fashion, Home & Beauty: Online | London | 2 years | 8 Nov 2026 (closed) |
| Fashion, Home & Beauty: Supply Chain & Logistics | Derby/Leicestershire | 2 years | 8 Nov 2026 (closed) |
From each programme page and the ad titles on M&S’s apply portal, checked 17 October 2026. All six ads were live that day. Every page says “Salary: £34,000”. M&S says “closing dates can change”. Compare salaries in the UK.
What each programme involves
- Retail Leaders. You start as a Team Manager. “Around 9 months in”, you learn to run a whole store. “By the end of the programme, you’ll be a Store Manager.” You “choose your preferred location when you apply”, and the Team Manager role “could be in any store within your allocated region.”
- Food Logistics. “Delivered by Gist, M&S Food’s Logistics partner”. “This is a national graduate programme and flexibility around location is important.” You choose a pathway when you apply: Logistics Management, or “Project Management, Safety, Sustainability or Fleet Engineering”. “Relocation support will be available for eligible placements”.
- Food Business, Food Commercial and both Fashion, Home & Beauty programmes. Each starts with “a four-month placement in one of our stores”.
- Start. The programmes start in September 2027.This cycle’s programmes started in September 2027. Each page says you must graduate “by the time the programme starts”.
03/10
What M&S looks for
Pick the programme whose “thrive” list sounds most like you. Each programme page lists what “you’ll thrive if you can” do. One line from each:
Retail Leaders
“keep calm under pressure and juggle multiple demands”. Show it by: a busy shift or event you kept running.
Food Business (Product Development)
“use insight and data to make informed decisions”. Show it by: a choice you made from evidence.
Food Commercial
“build strong relationships and clearly communicate across teams”. Show it by: a plan you agreed across groups.
Food Logistics
“adapt to changing environments”. Show it by: a plan you changed fast when things shifted.
Fashion, Home & Beauty: Online
“work with data to identify trends”. Show it by: a pattern you spotted in numbers.
Fashion, Home & Beauty: Supply Chain
“find smarter, more efficient ways of working”. Show it by: a task you made quicker.
No set degree: “It’s not about having a specific degree.” No page or ad states a degree class. M&S’s values, from Life at M&S: “We work with pace and purpose, lead with quality and innovation, and make sustainability part of every decision.”
More in M&S’s words
- Food Commercial. “This is a commercial role, so you’ll need to be comfortable with numbers and able to look at data”.
- Fashion, Home & Beauty. The ads say what matters most is a “give it your all” mindset and “a motivation to learn”.
- Values, in full. M&S adds: “we do it together, building an inclusive culture where everyone has a voice, everyone takes accountability and every detail matters.”
- A graduate’s advice. Xavier, a Food Business graduate, says to “understand what drives you and how it connects to M&S values. Do your research, ask questions” (his story, September 2025).
04/10Stage 1 · Apply
How to apply
Apply now: five programmes close on 8 November 2026.Five programmes have closed this cycle. Their date was set for 8 November 2026. Food Commercial closes earlier, on 1 November 2026.Food Commercial has closed. Its date was set for 1 November 2026. M&S says “closing dates can change. We recommend submitting your application as soon as possible.”
1
Choose one programme
One per hiring year
2
Fill in the form
On M&S’s apply portal
3
Ask for support
Any adjustment you need
4
Online assessment
Two stages, by invite
Dates to watch
Food Commercial closes first, on 1 November 2026.Food Commercial has closed. Its date was set for 1 November 2026.
Food Business (Product Development) may close early. Its page says “we may close applications earlier than advertised”.Food Business (Product Development) warned it could close early. Its page said “we may close applications earlier than advertised”.
All programmes close “on a rolling basis”. Treat every date as the latest you can apply.M&S closes “on a rolling basis”. Next cycle, apply early.
The one-application rule, eligibility and support
- One application. Each programme page says “You can only apply to one programme per annual recruitment cycle, and we’d encourage you to choose the one that feels like the best fit for you.” The portal adds “we can only consider one application per candidate per hiring year.”
- Degree. No subject or class is stated. You need to have finished your degree by the time the programme starts.
- Right to work. “You must have the right to work in the UK for the full duration of the programme”. See Visa sponsorship.
- Support. “If you need a reasonable adjustment, just let us know and we’ll do everything we can to support you.”
- High demand. M&S’s profile says “Some programmes close early due to high demand.”
Your form and CV: do and don’t
Do
“I chose Food Commercial after running my society’s food stall budget and tracking which lines sold”
Tie your reason to one programme and one real moment.
Don’t
“I want to join a leading British retailer”
It could fit any retailer, and any of the six programmes.
We did not open the form past the login, so we cannot say whether it asks for a CV. Have one ready anyway. Our CV achievement examples show how to give each role a result. Getting ready to apply for jobs in the UK? Check your CV for free: see it the way a recruiter does, then fix each problem.
Save M&S and over 2,000 other UK schemes to one free calendar. See what closes next and what you have applied to.
Track my schemes freeFree account, no card.
Missed a deadline? Your options
- Another programme. If Food Commercial has closed and you have not applied yet, five programmes close on 8 November 2026. The one-application rule still applies, so you cannot apply twice.
- Still a student? The Food Technology Industrial Placement closes on 1 November 2026.This cycle’s Food Technology Industrial Placement has closed. Its date was set for 1 November 2026. It is for students “in at least your second year of studying for a Food Science, Nutrition or Food-related degree”. M&S says “Once you graduate, you can re-join M&S on a graduate programme.”
- Next year. The 2028 cycle has no published dates yet.M&S has news on the 2028 cycle. Check its early careers pages for the dates.The 2028 cycle is open. Check M&S’s early careers pages.The 2028 cycle has closed. Watch M&S’s early careers pages for the next one.
- No other routes listed. M&S’s early careers pages listed no internships or insight events on 17 October 2026.
05/10Stage 2 · Online assessment
The two-stage online assessment
M&S invites you to “a two-stage online assessment”. It is where “you can find out more about M&S whilst we find out more about you”.
Behavioural assessmentAbout 30 to 40 min
What drives you · How you approach situations · Fit with M&S
Job simulationAbout 45 to 60 min
Realistic scenarios · How you think and lead · Values
“Online Assessment: A behavioural assessment (approx. 30-40 minutes) that helps us get to know you” and how this “aligns with M&S”. Then “Job Simulation: A mix of realistic scenario-based questions to give you the opportunity to step into the world of M&S, and to show us how you think, lead and bring our values to life (approx. 45–60 minutes).” From M&S’s profile on TARGETjobs, checked 17 October 2026.
How to prepare: our advice
Both stages look at you, not at facts you memorise. Our advice follows from M&S’s own description.
Know what drives you
The first stage asks “what drives you”. Write three things that matter to you at work, each with an example.
Learn the values first
The simulation asks you to “bring our values to life”. Read them before you start.
Answer as yourself
Prospects advises you to be honest in personality tests. Guessing the ideal answer tends to read as inconsistent.
Think like a manager
The simulation shows “how you think, lead”. Picture yourself running a team in your chosen programme.
M&S does not say whether either stage has a time limit per question, a numerical or verbal reasoning test, or a video stage. It names no test provider. Your invite is the best guide. If you need an adjustment, ask before you start.
Go further: the best outside help
Our own picks, checked on 17 October 2026. We are not linked to any of these sites and earn nothing from them.
From the employer
- M&S’s guide to its online stagesM&S profile on TARGETjobs · no account neededM&S’s own words on the 30 to 40 minute behavioural assessment and the 45 to 60 minute job simulation.Free
- M&S values, in M&S’s wordsM&S careers site · no account neededThe job simulation asks you to bring M&S values to life. Learn them here first.Free
- Pick your one programmeM&S careers site · no account neededM&S takes one application per cycle. Each programme page lists the traits it wants.Free
From Prospects
- How personality and judgement tests workProspects (Jisc) · 2025 · no account neededExplains personality tests and scenario questions, with typical timings and advice to answer honestly.Free
Skip paid “M&S test” packs. Prep sites guess which tests M&S uses, but M&S names no provider. It says the behavioural stage helps it “get to know you”.
Next: see how employers use personality and scenario tests in our guide to psychometric and logic tests.
06/10Stage 3 · Assessment centre
The in-person assessment centre
If your online assessment goes well, M&S invites you to “an in-person Assessment Centre”. M&S does not describe the exercises.
“This is your opportunity to meet us in-person and show us your potential through a few different assessed exercises. It’s also a chance for you to get an insight into what it’s like to work for M&S, to meet our people and to have some fun!” (M&S’s profile). Which exercises, the day’s length and the place are not published. Elliot, an M&S graduate, recalls “interviews, assessment centres, and various tasks”.
How to prepare: our advice
Prepare for what M&S says it wants: its values, its business and its stores. This is our advice, not M&S’s format.
Visit the stores
M&S’s hiring FAQ says “Spend time researching our business and, most importantly, visiting our stores.” It is written for Support Centre roles, but it costs nothing. Walk round an M&S store and a competitor’s. Then say out loud, in two minutes, one thing you would change and why.
Learn the plan
M&S’s plan, “Reshaping M&S for Growth”, aims at “protecting the magic of M&S and modernising the rest”. Link one part of it to your programme.
Bring two stories per value
Use the story bank below. The same stories serve a group task, an interview and the store interview.
Be ready for the usual mix
Prospects describes the usual assessment centre tasks: a group exercise, a role play, an in-tray task and a presentation. M&S has not said which it uses.
How to answer: the STAR method
The National Careers Service suggests STAR for telling one example well. Spend most of your time on what you did.
S
Situation
Set the scene in one line
T
Task
What you had to do
A
Action
Your steps, not the team’s
R
Result
What changed, with a number
Follow-ups to rehearse
What exactly did you do?What would you do differently?Why this programme?Which store did you visit?
The follow-ups are our own. See also our guides on how to pass a job interview and the toughest interview questions.
Practise: prompts built from M&S’s own words
Why M&S
M&S publishes no interview questions. We built these prompts from its pages. Answer each out loud in two minutes.
Motivation
What drives you, and how does it connect to M&S’s values?
What they’re testing: the behavioural stage asks “what drives you”. A graduate’s advice is to know “how it connects to M&S values”.
Show a strong answer
- Name one driver in a few words.
- Give one moment that proves it.
- Link it to one value, in M&S’s words.
- End with what you want to do on the programme.
Your programme
Why this programme, and not another?
What they’re testing: M&S asks you to “choose the one that feels like the best fit for you”.
Show a strong answer
- Pick two lines from your programme’s “thrive” list.
- Give one example for each.
- Say where the programme leads and why you want that.
- Keep it about this programme, not M&S in general.
In store
What would you change in an M&S store you visited, and why?
What they’re testing: whether you did what M&S advises, “visiting our stores”.
Show a strong answer
- Name the store and when you went.
- Say one thing that works well.
- Give one change, who it helps and how you would measure it.
The business
What do you know about M&S’s plan for growth?
What they’re testing: “researching our business”, in M&S’s words.
Show a strong answer
- Name “Reshaping M&S for Growth” and sum it up in one line.
- Pick one part that touches your programme.
- Say how a graduate in that team could help.
Your strengths
Each prompt turns one programme’s “thrive” line into a question. Use STAR for each.
Pressure
Tell us about a time you kept calm under pressure and juggled several demands.
What they’re testing: Retail Leaders asks you to “keep calm under pressure and juggle multiple demands”.
Show a strong answer
- List the demands in one line.
- Say how you chose what came first.
- Give the result, with a number if you can.
Data
Tell us about a time you used data to make a decision.
What they’re testing: Food Business asks you to “use insight and data to make informed decisions”.
Show a strong answer
- Name the question you had to answer.
- Say what data you used and what it showed.
- Give the decision and what happened next.
Teams
Tell us about a time you built a working relationship across teams.
What they’re testing: Food Commercial asks you to “build strong relationships and clearly communicate across teams”.
Show a strong answer
- Say who the other group was and what they needed.
- Show how you kept them informed.
- Give what you achieved together.
Change
Tell us about a time you had to adapt when plans changed.
What they’re testing: Food Logistics asks you to “adapt to changing environments”.
Show a strong answer
- Say what changed and how fast.
- Show what you did first, and why.
- Give the result and what you would repeat.
Your story bank: a worksheet to print or copy
Two STAR stories for each part of M&S’s values.
| Value | Story 1 | Story 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Pace and purpose | ||
| Quality and innovation | ||
| Sustainability | ||
| Everyone has a voice | ||
| Accountability | ||
| Every detail matters |
Go further: the best outside help
Our own picks, checked on 17 October 2026. We are not linked to any of these sites and earn nothing from them.
From the employer
- Reshaping M&S for GrowthM&S corporate site · no account neededM&S’s own summary of its plan since 2022. Use it for why M&S and business questions.Free
- A Food Business graduate’s adviceM&S careers site · Sep 2025 · no account neededXavier says to know what drives you and how it links to M&S values.Free
- Visit the stores before you goM&S hiring FAQs · Support Centre sectionM&S’s prep advice is to research the business and visit its stores. Written for office roles.Free
From Prospects
- What happens at an assessment centreProspects (Jisc) · 2025 · no account neededM&S gives no detail on its exercises. This shows the usual mix and a sample day.Free
From the National Careers Service
- Answer with the STAR methodGOV.UK service · no account neededA plain guide to telling one example well, with a worked answer.Free
07/10Stage 4 · Final
The store final interview and your offer
Store-based roles add a final interview “in one of our stores”. For the other programmes, the assessment centre is the last stage M&S names.
Who has it
“The recruitment process for store-based roles will also include an opportunity to attend your final interview in one of our stores.” Our reading: Retail Leaders is the store-based programme. Most others start with a store placement, but M&S does not say whether they have this interview.
How to prepare
Our advice: visit stores in the region you chose. Bring one change you would make, and why. Rehearse why Retail Leaders, and why M&S.
Your offer
M&S does not publish when offers go out, its feedback policy, or whether you can reapply after a rejection.
Key dates: September 2027 start
17 Oct 2026
Six graduate ads live on M&S’s apply portal
17 Oct 2026
Six graduate ads live on M&S’s apply portal
1 Nov 2026
Food Commercial closesFood Commercial applications were due by this date
1 Nov 2026
The Food Technology placement closesFood Technology placement applications were due by this date
8 Nov 2026
The other five graduate programmes closeApplications for the other five programmes were due by this date
Sep 2027
The programmes startThe programmes started
M&S says “closing dates can change”. It publishes no dates for its assessment stages.
08/10
Visa sponsorship
M&S says nothing about visa sponsorship. Its pages ask for the right to work for the whole programme.
“You must have the right to work in the UK for the full duration of the programme” (each programme page, checked 17 October 2026).
Our reading: M&S asks for the right to work for the whole programme. Most programmes run two years. A Graduate visa applied for from 1 January 2027 lasts 18 months. So if you would rely on one, ask M&S before you apply.
The Graduate visa and right to work
- Graduate visa. It lasts “2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026” and “18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027” (GOV.UK).
- Right to work. See how to prove your right to work.
Need sponsorship? See our guides to UK companies that sponsor visas and staying in the UK after studying. This is general information, so check GOV.UK.
09/10
Key takeaways
Before you apply
- Apply now: five programmes close on 8 November 2026.Five programmes have closed this cycle. Their date was set for 8 November 2026. Food Commercial closes earlier, on 1 November 2026.Food Commercial has closed. Its date was set for 1 November 2026. Dates can change.
- You get one application per hiring year, so choose your programme first.
- Every programme pays £34,000, and most run for two years from September 2027.
- The online assessment has two stages: a behavioural assessment, then a job simulation.
- The assessment centre is in person. Store-based roles add a final interview in a store.
- M&S asks for the right to work for the whole programme and says nothing on sponsorship.
When a scheme gives a close date, we email you a few days before it closes. Save M&S once and the reminder is set.
Set my reminders freeFree account, no card.
10/10
Frequently asked questions
When do M&S graduate applications close?
Five M&S graduate programmes close on 8 November 2026.Five M&S graduate programmes have closed this cycle. Their date was set for 8 November 2026. Food Commercial closes earlier, on 1 November 2026.Food Commercial has closed. Its date was set for 1 November 2026. M&S closes vacancies on a rolling basis and says closing dates can change, so apply as soon as you can, so apply early next cycle.
How many M&S graduate programmes can I apply for?
One. M&S says it can only consider one application per candidate per hiring year. So read all six programme pages and pick the one that fits you best before you apply.
What is the M&S graduate salary?
Each of the six 2027 graduate programme pages says the salary is £34,000. We checked them on 17 October 2026.
Do I need a 2:1 for the M&S graduate programme?
M&S states no degree class on its programme pages or ads. It says it is not about having a specific degree. You need to have finished your degree by the time the programme starts.
What are the M&S online assessments?
There are two stages. First, a behavioural assessment of about 30 to 40 minutes about what drives you and how you approach situations. Then a job simulation of about 45 to 60 minutes, with realistic scenario questions. M&S names no test provider.
What happens at the M&S assessment centre?
It is in person. M&S says you show your potential through a few different assessed exercises, and meet its people. It does not publish which exercises. Store-based roles also have a final interview in one of its stores.
Does M&S sponsor visas for graduates?
M&S says nothing about visa sponsorship. Its pages say you must have the right to work in the UK for the full duration of the programme. If you would rely on a Graduate visa, ask M&S before you apply.
