Graduate schemes and training contracts closing in November and December 2026 (with visa sponsorship status)

Between 10 November and 31 December 2026, at least 40 UK graduate schemes, training contracts and vacation schemes in our tracker close, led by Slaughter and May's training contract on 13 November and Clifford Chance's on 18 November. The tables below give each deadline, the programme and what the employer publishes about visa sponsorship. Deadlines checked on 7 October 2026; employers can close early when places fill.

How we built this list

Every row comes from our own programme tracker, which records each employer's published dates and sponsorship statements with a source link and the date we last checked. We took every programme with a closing date between 10 November and 31 December 2026. On 7 October 2026 we rechecked the biggest deadlines on the employers' own pages: Slaughter and May, Clifford Chance, Linklaters, Lazard, Latham & Watkins, Greenberg Traurig and Lewis Silkin. Those rows say "employer site, 7 Oct". The rest say "our data" with the date we last verified them.

Where the employer prints a date with no year, or its pages contradict each other, we list it under "rolling / check" instead of guessing.

The sponsorship column uses our verdicts:

• Sponsors: the employer says in writing that it sponsors this programme.
• Some roles or offices: sponsorship depends on the office, role or route.
• No: the employer says it cannot sponsor this programme.
• No public position: we found no statement either way.

Click an employer for our page with the quote and source.

Training contracts, vacation schemes and graduate schemes closing 10 November to 31 December 2026

Two points from this table. First, our tracker held 18 December for the Linklaters vacation schemes when we last checked in September, but the firm's page showed 3 December on 7 October. Dates move, so open the employer's page before you plan around any deadline. Second, our law sector page shows the full sponsorship picture for law firms, including training contracts that close later.

Spring weeks, internships and placements closing in the same window

Lazard says its programmes run on a rolling basis, so places may go before 15 November. For the full list of insight weeks, including those closing in January, see our spring weeks tracker.

Rolling / check: dates we could not confirm

• Point72 Academy Spring Insight: some trackers list 15 November. The Point72 careers site showed no 2027 date when we checked on 7 October.
• Optiver FutureFocus: Quants: trackers list 6 December, but Optiver's careers site lists the 2027 programme in Amsterdam only, with no deadline shown.
• Skadden vacation scheme: the firm says applications run "1 September to 1 December" each year with no year printed.
• Simpson Thacher vacation schemes: "closing 20 December", no year printed.
• Lambert Smith Hampton graduate scheme: "1 October to 15 November", no year printed.
• Aurora Energy Research graduate software engineering: the posting gives both 28 and 29 November. Our verdict is "some roles": it says the role is usually not eligible for sponsorship.
• GE Vernova and Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains: both say 31 December but print no 2026 date. Both say they do not sponsor.
• Aluna Partners spring internship: the page shows 23 October while the description says 31 December.

Why 31 December 2026 matters if you are on a Student visa

Separate from employer deadlines, there is a visa cut-off at the end of the year. Gov.uk says a Graduate visa lasts 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026, and 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027 (checked 7 October 2026). Doctoral graduates still get 3 years. The application date decides it, not your graduation date.

This affects how you plan. A training contract signed this autumn usually starts in 2029, well after any Graduate visa ends, so the firm's sponsorship policy matters more than your current visa. Our post on what the 18-month Graduate visa means for sponsorship covers the timing.

How to use this list

1. Shortlist by sponsorship first. If you will need a visa, put "Sponsors" rows first, then "Some roles or offices", then read the source for "No public position" rows.
2. Check the vacation scheme and the training contract separately. Several firms here, including Latham & Watkins, Norton Rose Fulbright and Slaughter and May, sponsor trainees but not people attending a short scheme.
3. Apply early. Rolling reviews mean the stated deadline is the latest date, not the best one.
4. Recheck the date on the employer's site the week you apply.

Our guide to which UK graduate schemes sponsor visas explains how to read an employer's sponsorship wording.

Frequently asked questions

Which training contracts close in November 2026? In our tracker: Slaughter and May (13 November), Freshfields (13 November), Clifford Chance (18 November), Greenberg Traurig (30 November) and Davis Polk (30 November). Dates were checked on 7 October 2026 and employers can close early.

Does "no public position" mean the employer will not sponsor me? No. It means we found no statement on sponsorship on the employer's pages. Some of these employers hold a sponsor licence. Ask the graduate recruitment team directly before you apply.

Do law firms sponsor visas for vacation schemes? Mostly not. Several firms in this list say they sponsor trainees but not vacation scheme attendees, so you may need existing permission to work in the UK to attend the scheme.

Is it too late to apply for graduate schemes in December? No. Our tracker still has programmes closing on 31 December 2026, including Dechert, Orrick, Sulzer and MHB Consultants, and many others close in January. Rolling reviews mean earlier is better.

Should I apply for my Graduate visa before 31 December 2026? If you are eligible and want the longer visa, the application date is what counts: on or before 31 December 2026 gives 2 years, and on or after 1 January 2027 gives 18 months. You can only apply once your university has reported that you completed your course.