By Andre Atallah, CEO of EP Advisory
Graduate programmes · UK · Five business areas
Not open yet · checked 18 October 2026Open · checked 18 October 2026This year’s roles have closedNot open yet? Your optionsOther bp routesMissed it? Your options
Short answer: Not open yet. When we checked on 18 October 2026, bp’s UK page said “There are currently no roles available in your location”. bp gives no UK opening date. Sign up for bp’s free job alerts and get ready now.Not open yet. bp has published a UK opening date on its graduates page. Sign up for bp’s free job alerts and get ready now.Open. bp had UK graduate roles live when we checked on 18 October 2026. Check the ad for its closing date, and apply early.This year’s UK graduate roles have closed. Sign up for bp’s free job alerts to hear when the next ones go live. You get one bp early careers application a year, worldwide, so pick your stream first. Then come a three-part online test, a video interview, a technical interview and an assessment centre.
Where are you now?
Independent guide. EP Advisory is not affiliated with bp.
bp runs one UK graduate route, which it calls “Graduate programmes”. It splits into five areas: Business, Digital, Engineering, Science, and Supply, trading & shipping. You apply to one role in one area. This guide uses bp’s own pages and videos for every rule and date.
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.
01/11
Your route to an offer
Where things stand
Not open when we checked on 18 October 2026. bp gives no UK opening date.Not open yet. bp has published a UK opening date on its graduates page.Open when we checked on 18 October 2026. Check the ad for its closing date.This year’s UK graduate roles have closed. Use this page to get ready for next time.
Last cycle (2025-26): we found no UK graduate dates on bp’s own pages.
Your move: sign up for bp’s free job alerts, then get ready.run the candidate matching tool, then apply to one role.sign up for bp’s free job alerts, then get ready for next time.
bp’s graduates page on 18 October 2026: “There are currently no roles available in your location, but you can still complete the candidate matching tool to check your eligibility and sign up for job alerts to be notified when opportunities go live.”
Source: bp’s graduates page and its job board.
Pick your stage and tick each step when done. Stages are bp’s. Prep times are our suggestions.
1. Get ready: not open yetopen nowclosed this year
One application a year, so choose with care. Start now; give it 1 to 2 weeks.
2. Online stages: a test, then a video interview
A three-part online test, then an on-demand video interview. Prep about 1 week.
3. Technical interview: a case study
A scenario case study set in energy, with people from your discipline. Prep 1 to 2 weeks.
4. Exploration day: half a day
bp’s half-day assessment centre, with individual and group challenges. Then the offer.
Your ticks save on this device.
02/11
Get ready now
One application a year, worldwide: pick your stream before you apply. bp says “You can only apply to one bp early careers opportunity globally per academic year”.
Within that year, “we will only process the first application you make”. That line is in bp’s UK internship ad, posted 16 October 2026. A bp recruiter says the same in bp’s 2025 video: “You can only apply to one program each year.”
Sign up for job alerts
“Register for job alerts to be the first to know when new opportunities go live.”
Run the matching tool
Roles “will only appear if your answers show you’re eligible”.
Pick one area and stream
Read the streams below. Your first application is the one bp processes.
Ready your CV
bp’s step 1 is “an online questionnaire” and your CV.
Learn bp’s three values
The video interview and the exploration day both use them.
Practise the test types
Situational judgement, behavioural questions and logic puzzles.
What the matching tool asks, and the talent community
- The tool. It asks your country, degree level, subjects, year of study, grades, any mitigating circumstances and up to two business areas. The UK is one of 25 countries in its list.
- Grades. The tool checks them. bp does not print the cut-off. A low score shows “your grades don’t meet the minimum requirements”.
- Talent community. bp’s early careers talent community promises you’ll “be the first to hear about opportunities that match your interests”.
- Apply early. bp’s internship ad says “We recruit on a rolling basis”. Its graduate pages do not repeat that line. Our reading: apply soon after roles appear.
All 29 streams, by area
- Business. Commercial; Core finance; Human resources; Procurement; Technology intelligence, security and crisis management.
- Digital. Software; Data and analytics; Data engineering; Data science; Enterprise technology engineering; Product and project; Robotics.
- Engineering. Aviation; Chemical and process; Electrical; Instrument and control; Mechanical; Petroleum and reservoir; Project controls; Wells.
- Science. Applied sciences; Geology; Geophysics; Health, safety, security and environment; Petrophysics.
- Supply, trading & shipping. Analytics; Commercial; Finance and risk; Trading.
From bp’s UK early careers brochure 2026, pages 12 to 16.
03/11
The programmes at a glance
Pay and money are published; some basics are not. Where bp is silent, we say so.
Not openOpenClosed
UK graduate roles, checked 18 October 2026UK graduate roles, checked 18 October 2026UK graduate roles this year
£37k to £50k
Starting salary, by business area
£3k to £5k
One-off settling in allowance
20%
Flexible allowance, of base salary
5 areas
29 streams in the 2026 brochure
7 sites
UK locations in the brochure
bp does not state the degree class or the start month for UK graduates.
Where these facts come from
- Salary. bp’s UK graduates page, 18 October 2026: “£37k to £50k starting salary (depending on business area)”. The brochure calls it “for indicative reference purposes only”. In November 2025 the page gave a lower top figure, £48,000. Compare salaries in the UK.
- Other money. “One-off settling in allowance (£3k to £5k)”, “Flexible allowance (20% of base salary)”, a “Share plan” and a “Wellbeing allowance (up to £1,500 for products and services supporting wellbeing)”.
- Locations. Aberdeen, Canary Wharf, London (Supply, trading & shipping), Milton Keynes, Pangbourne, Sunbury-on-Thames, and Timber Square in London, the “New global headquarters from 2028”. Brochure page 19.
- Training. “specialist training, mentoring and a dedicated buddy”. Engineering adds “Achieve professional accreditation”.
04/11
What bp looks for
bp assesses you against its three values. A bp recruiter says the video interview questions are “predominantly linked to the BP values”.
Live our purpose
Safety comes first. Make a positive impact. Do the right thing. Show it by: a time you spoke up or chose the harder, right option.
Play to win
Know the competition. Keep improving. Be accountable. Show it by: a result you improved, with a number, and a mistake you owned.
Care for others
Be kind. Prioritise the team. Put yourself in other people’s shoes. Show it by: a time you put the team’s goal ahead of your own.
Values from bp’s 2026 brochure, page 4. “Show it by” lines are ours. bp adds: “Your degree matters but so do the interests, experiences and ideas that make you unique.”
05/11Stage 1 · Apply
How to apply
You start with bp’s candidate matching tool. “These opportunities will only appear if your answers show you’re eligible.”
1
Matching tool
Degree, grades, areas
2
Pick one role
One application a year
3
Questionnaire and CV
bp’s step 1
4
Ask for adjustments
On the first form
The rules, in bp’s words
- Tool first. “To view and apply for graduate or internship roles, you’ll need to complete the candidate matching tool first.”
- One application. “You can only apply to one bp early careers opportunity globally per academic year”. bp processes the first one you make.
- Adjustments. “If you require any adjustments/accommodations, to any stage of the recruitment process, please mention this in the allocated section on your initial application form.” bp’s contact page has an adjustments route too.
- Written questions. bp does not publish the questionnaire’s questions or word limits.
Your CV: do and don’t
Do
“Cut lab energy use by 15% by redesigning the test schedule”
Give each role a result with a number.
Don’t
“Responsible for lab tests”
A duty with no result tells bp little.
Our examples, not bp’s. Our CV achievement examples show how to turn duties into results, and our guide to writing a strong CV covers the rest. 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 bp 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.
Not open yet? Your optionsOther bp routesMissed it? Your options
- The rule first. Every route below is a bp early careers opportunity. Each uses your one application for that academic year.
- A year in industry. bp posted a One Year Internship in Supply, Trading & Shipping, London, on 16 October 2026. It was open when we checked on 18 October 2026. It runs “Monday 21st June 2027 to Friday 30th June 2028”. You “must be taking a placement year/year in industry, due to graduate in 2029, and be on track for a 2:1”.Check the ad to see if it is still open.That ad has closed. Watch bp’s job board for the next one.
- Internships. “Whether you join us for an entire year or 11 weeks over the summer”. bp says one “could even lead to a graduate job offer the following year”. UK pay: “£33,400 to £45,000 per annum pro rata” (internships page).
- Earlier in your degree. Three Future leaders programmes and the Future talent scholarship are “Open to pre-penultimate year” students. Each gives “a fast-track to a technical interview” for an internship the next year. The scholarship adds “£3,000” (early engagement page).
- Discovery weeks. For “first and second year students”. bp publishes no UK dates.
06/11Stage 2 · Online stages
The online test and video interview
bp’s stage 2 is “a three-part online test”. A bp recruiter names the three parts in bp’s video of August 2025.
Situational judgement
Work scenarios where you judge the best response.
Behavioural
How you tend to work. Answer as you are.
The bp Switch Challenge
bp says it is “used to measure logical reasoning through a set of interactive tasks”.
bp invites you “subject to criteria”, after your CV. The explanations of the first two parts are ours. bp names no test supplier, so we show no screens. Its pages publish no allowed or banned rules for the tests. Our psychometric test tips cover the basics.
Stage 3: the on-demand video interview
You record answers on your own, so we group it with the online test. bp asks about “personal competencies such as teamwork, communication, and leadership”.
“We’ll also want to hear more about your motivations to join BP” (bp, August 2025). bp’s December 2025 tips: know the three values and have examples, “speak using the word I, not we”, and “practice, practice, practice”.
S
Situation
One line of context
T
Task
What you had to do
A
Action
What you did: “I”, not “we”
R
Result
A number, then what you learned
STAR is a common shape for competency answers. bp does not name it. See the National Careers Service guide in the interview kit below.
Practise: values questions for the video interview
bp publishes no question list. We wrote these from bp’s own words: its values, “teamwork, communication, and leadership”, and your “motivations to join BP”.
Live our purpose
Tell us about a time you did the right thing when it was hard.
What they’re testing: “Safety comes first”, “Make a positive impact” and “Do the right thing”.
Show a strong answer
- Set the scene in one line, then the choice you faced.
- Say what you did and why, using “I”.
- End with the result and what you would repeat.
Play to win
Describe a time you kept improving something that already worked.
What they’re testing: “Keep improving” and “Be accountable”.
Show a strong answer
- Give the starting point as a number.
- Name the change you made and the setback you owned.
- Give the new number and what it meant.
Care for others
Tell us about a time you put the team ahead of yourself.
What they’re testing: “Prioritise the team” and “Put yourself in other people’s shoes”.
Show a strong answer
- Pick a moment with a real cost to you.
- Show you understood the other person’s view first.
- Close on what the team achieved.
Leadership
Give an example of when you led a group to a result.
What they’re testing: “teamwork, communication, and leadership”.
Show a strong answer
- Leading need not mean a title. Pick a time you set direction.
- Show how you kept people informed and on track.
- Give the result and one thing you would change.
Motivation
Why do you want to join bp, and why this stream?
What they’re testing: your “motivations to join BP”.
Show a strong answer
- One specific reason about bp, from its own pages.
- Link the stream to your degree or a project you did.
- Say what you want to learn in the first year.
Go further: the best outside help
Our own picks, checked on 18 October 2026. We are not linked to any of these sites and earn nothing from them.
From the employer
- What to expect from bp’s recruitment processbp on YouTube · Aug 2025 · under 3 minbp names its three online tests: situational judgement, behavioural and the Switch Challenge for logical reasoning.Free
- How to prepare for bp’s video interviewbp on YouTube · Dec 2025 · about 1 minbp says its questions follow its three values. Prepare one personal example for each.Free
- bp’s three valuesbp UK early careers brochure 2026 · page 4 · no account neededLive our purpose, Play to win and Care for others, with nine behaviours. Map your stories to these.Free
Free advice
- Situational judgement and logic tests explainedProspects · updated Sep 2026 · no account neededCovers the two test types bp names, and how to practise and review your mistakes.Free
- Video interview tipsNational Careers Service · no account neededSet-up and practice for recorded answers, bp’s third stage.Free
Skip paid bp test packs. Sellers guess which company runs the Switch Challenge, and bp does not say. Use bp’s own video and free practice instead.
Next: build your speed with reasoning questions in our guide to psychometric and logic tests.
07/11Stage 3 · Technical interview
The technical interview
bp’s stage 4 is a technical interview: a case study for your discipline. bp says it is “discipline specific” and “conducted in person or virtually”.
“The format usually includes a scenario- based case study set within the energy industry” (bp, August 2025). Your interviewers come “from the area of business you are applying to”. bp’s two videos give different panel sizes, so expect a panel and do not count on a number.
How to answer: bp’s tips
bp says: “You don’t need to have spent hours researching the energy industry. Instead, read the job description and make sure you really understand it.”
Read
“There may also be some timed elements”. Use reading time to plan.
Think out loud
“speak your thought process out loud”.
Recommend
Give a clear view and your reason.
Ask
“don’t forget to interview the interviewer.”
Steps 1, 2 and 4 quote bp’s videos from August 2025. Step 3 is ours. bp also says to tell your recruiter early about any adjustments. See our guides on how to pass a job interview and the toughest interview questions.
Practise: questions built on bp’s advice
bp publishes no technical questions. We wrote these from the advice in bp’s two technical interview videos.
The job
What does this role involve, and which part suits you best?
What they’re testing: that you “really understand” the job description.
Show a strong answer
- Name two or three duties from the job description.
- Link each to something you have done.
- Name one thing you want to learn in the role.
Scenario
Here is a short brief. You have a few minutes to read it. What would you recommend?
What they’re testing: “time allocated to read through some information and prepare a response”.
Show a strong answer
- Restate the question in your own words.
- Say what you know, and what you would need to find out.
- Give two options, pick one and name its main risk.
- Talk through each step out loud.
Your discipline
Talk us through a project from your degree that relates to this role.
What they’re testing: the “discipline specific” knowledge for your stream.
Show a strong answer
- The problem, in one line.
- Your method and why you chose it.
- The result, and what you would do differently.
Your questions
What would you like to ask us?
What they’re testing: bp says “interview the interviewer”.
Show a strong answer
- Ask two questions about the team’s current work.
- Ask one about training or the first year.
- Skip anything the careers pages already answer.
Your story bank: a worksheet to print or copy
Two stories for each of bp’s nine behaviours, plus your motivation. They serve the video interview and the exploration day.
| Behaviour | Story 1 | Story 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Safety comes first | ||
| Make a positive impact | ||
| Do the right thing | ||
| Know the competition | ||
| Keep improving | ||
| Be accountable | ||
| Be kind | ||
| Prioritise the team | ||
| Put yourself in other people’s shoes | ||
| Why bp, and why this stream |
Go further: the best outside help
Our own picks, checked on 18 October 2026. We are not linked to any of these sites and earn nothing from them.
From the employer
- How to prepare for bp’s technical interviewbp on YouTube · Aug 2025 · about 2 minA scenario case study set in energy. bp says read the job description closely and bring questions.Free
- Top tips for the technical interviewbp on YouTube · Aug 2025 · under 2 minExpect timed reading. Talk through your thinking out loud. Interview the interviewer.Free
- How to prepare for bp’s exploration daybp on YouTube · Dec 2025 · under 2 minFor stage 5: a half day of individual and group challenges. Work with the others, not against them.Free
- bp’s three valuesbp UK early careers brochure 2026 · page 4 · no account neededbp assesses the exploration day against its values. Know the nine behaviours.Free
Free advice
- The STAR methodNational Careers Service · no account neededA simple shape for personal examples. bp asks you to say “I”, not “we”.Free
- What happens at an assessment centreProspects · updated Sep 2026 · no account neededGroup exercises and a sample day. bp’s version is a shorter half day.Free
08/11Stage 4 · Final
The exploration day and your offer
bp’s stage 5 is an assessment centre, which bp calls an “exploration day”. It is “a half day where you complete a combination of individual and group challenges.”
Assessed on bp’s values
“we are assessing you in line with our values”.
Work with the others
“Try not to be in competition with other candidates.”
No advanced preparation
bp says “you don’t need to do any advanced preparation”. Review your values stories.
If it is virtual
“a couple of group exercises”. Test the software, find good Wi-Fi and check your video feed.
The offer
“You will receive an official job offer from BP.”
From bp’s exploration day video and virtual assessment centre video, December 2025. bp’s 2026 brochure adds: “No assessment centre for intern applicants”.
09/11
Visa sponsorship
Our reading: bp’s UK pages make no promise of visa sponsorship. They say nothing about sponsorship or right to work for graduates. Check before you rely on it.
If you need a visa, ask bp before you apply, through its contact page. Your one application a year is too precious to spend on a role you cannot take.
The Graduate visa
- Graduate visa. It lasts “2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026”. It lasts “18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027” (GOV.UK).
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.
10/11
Key takeaways
Before bp opensWhile bp is openBefore bp opens again
- bp’s UK graduate roles were not open when we checked on 18 October 2026. bp gives no UK date.bp’s UK graduate roles are not open yet. bp has published a UK opening date.bp’s UK graduate roles were open when we checked on 18 October 2026. Each ad gives its closing date.This year’s UK graduate roles have closed. Get ready for the next round.
- Sign up for bp’s free job alerts through its candidate matching tool.Run bp’s candidate matching tool to see the roles you can apply for.
- You get one bp early careers application a year, worldwide, so pick your stream first.
- Pay starts at £37k to £50k, by business area, plus a £3k to £5k settling in allowance.
- The online test has three parts: situational judgement, behavioural and the bp Switch Challenge.
- The video interview and the exploration day both test bp’s three values.
When a scheme gives a close date, we email you a few days before it closes. Save bp once and the reminder is set.
Set my reminders freeFree account, no card.
11/11
Frequently asked questions
Is the bp graduate programme open now?
Not yet. When we checked on 18 October 2026, bp’s UK graduates page said “There are currently no roles available in your location”. bp suggests its candidate matching tool and job alerts, so you hear when roles go live.Not yet. bp has published a UK opening date on its graduates page. Sign up for job alerts through bp’s candidate matching tool, so you hear when roles go live.Yes. bp had UK graduate roles live when we checked on 18 October 2026. Run bp’s candidate matching tool to see them, and check each ad for its closing date.Not now. This year’s UK graduate roles have closed. Sign up for job alerts through bp’s candidate matching tool to hear when the next ones go live.
When do bp graduate applications open in the UK?
bp has not published a UK opening date. We found no UK dates from last cycle on bp’s own pages either. Sign up for job alerts through bp’s candidate matching tool to hear when roles go live.bp has published a UK opening date. Check bp’s graduates page for it, and sign up for job alerts through bp’s candidate matching tool.They are open. bp had UK graduate roles live when we checked on 18 October 2026. Check the ad for its closing date, and apply early.This year’s UK graduate roles have closed. Sign up for job alerts through bp’s candidate matching tool to hear when the next ones go live.
How much does the bp graduate programme pay?
bp’s UK graduates page gives a £37k to £50k starting salary, depending on business area. It adds a one-off settling in allowance of £3k to £5k and a flexible allowance of 20% of base salary. Checked 18 October 2026.
How many bp graduate programmes can I apply for?
One. bp says you can only apply to one bp early careers opportunity globally per academic year. It only processes the first application you make, so pick your area and stream first.
What are the stages of the bp graduate application process?
Five, in bp’s order: an online questionnaire and your CV, online assessments, an on-demand video interview, a technical interview, then an assessment centre. bp calls the assessment centre an exploration day.
What tests does bp use for graduates?
A three-part online test: situational judgement, behavioural, and the bp Switch Challenge, which measures logical reasoning through interactive tasks. bp described it in an August 2025 video. bp names no test supplier.
Does bp sponsor visas for UK graduates?
Our reading: bp’s UK pages make no promise of visa sponsorship. They say nothing about sponsorship or right to work for graduates. Ask bp before you apply, and check GOV.UK for your own visa.
