GoRizzume

Police Now National Graduate Leadership Programme 2027

Pays £32,256 to £43,689 a year depending on role.

NoNational Graduate Leadership Programme (completes the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship, PCDA)

No. Police Now does not sponsor its national graduate leadership programme for international students who need a visa. Police Now's own eligibility page states applicants of any nationality can apply provided they hold indefinite leave to remain or settled status, and must have resided in the UK continuously for at least the past three years (with narrow exceptions for UK Armed Forces or government postings abroad, or short trips such as university study or holidays under a year). This effectively excludes anyone on a Student or Graduate visa who has not already secured settled status.

Sponsors grads?
No
Pay vs threshold
Below the threshold
Opportunity
apprenticeship
Pay
Starting salary of £31,164 to £42,210 depending on force, rising to £50,256 to £59,964 within seven years
2027 cycle
Closed: applications for the March 2027 National Graduate Programme have closed; the next intake starts March 2028 and applications open early next year
Confidence
high

Police Now National Graduate Leadership Programme: at a glance

Police Now's National Graduate Programme is a salaried two-year programme that recruits and trains graduates to become frontline police officers and detectives. Participants start at the partly residential Police Now Academy, lasting eight to thirteen weeks, then join their force for on-the-job training as fully warranted officers. The programme offers four specialisms: Neighbourhood, Detective, Economic Crime and Counter Terrorism, and each participant has a performance and development coach throughout. Source

Duration
Two years“Start your career on the programme with a salaried two-year leadership programme.”Source
Start date
March 2028 (next intake; applications open early 2027)Source
Who can apply
Graduates (or final-year students) of any nationality who hold indefinite leave to remain or settled status, have lived in the UK continuously for at least three years and are over 17 at application; some forces have stricter status rules“You can be of any nationality to apply, providing you have the status of indefinite leave to remain and work in the UK, or settled status.”Source
Starting pay
£32,256 - £43,689 starting salary, depending on locationSource
Degree requirement
First, 2:1 or 2:2 undergraduate degree in any subject (or non-UK equivalent) by the programme start date; Professional Policing in Practice degrees are not eligible“You will need to already have, or be expecting to receive, a First, 2:1 or 2.2 undergraduate degree in any subject from a UK university, or equivalent from a non-UK university, by the programme start date.”Source

How Police Now recruits

2027 National Graduate Programme, March 2027 start. 5 stages, from Police Now's own careers pages, checked 2026-10-03. Test providers are named only where Police Now names them.

  1. Submit your application form

    Application form

    Account, eligibility check, choice of specialism and force, personal details; no CV, cover letter or essays, about 30 minutes on desktop or mobile.

    • about 30 minutes
    “No CV, cover letter or written essays – just clear, direct questions. You can apply on desktop or mobile in around 30 minutes.”
    Source

  2. Immersive assessment

    Immersive assessment

    Untimed online assessment of about 45 minutes on realistic policing scenarios with video, covering cognitive, motivational and personality components; 10-minute practice; feedback report for all.

    • about 45 minutes
    “Our immersive assessment has been designed to measure some of the key attributes that are important for success when on the programme. It is split into several components: cognitive, motivational and personality.”
    Source

  3. Assessment centre

    Assessment centre

    Virtual assessment centre (neighbourhood version set in a virtual community): one-to-one interview, written incident summary, community engagement role plays, team meeting and debrief.

    “Join a virtual assessment with group activities, interviews and role plays.”
    Source

  4. Conditional offer

    Offer

    Conditional offer and introduction to the chosen force; as little as 2 to 3 weeks from application.

    “If successful, we’ll make you a conditional offer and introduce you to next steps with your chosen police force.”
    Source

  5. Onboarding

    Other stage

    Vetting (typically 2 to 4 months) and medical checks before the training Academy.

    “Vetting, medical checks, support from your dedicated recruitment officer, and getting ready for the Academy.”
    Source

Every programme and stage at Police Now

“You can be of any nationality to apply, providing you have the status of indefinite leave to remain and work in the UK, or settled status.”
Police Now, from its own careers pages
The catch: The requirement is settled/indefinite leave to remain, not just current right to work, so a valid Student or Skilled Worker visa alone does not qualify; short periods abroad (under a year, e.g. for university) are allowed within the three-year residency clock, but longer absences are not.
Police Now early careersVerify on gov.ukSee the licence record

Applying to Police Now? Check your CV first.

Most graduate applications are filtered by an ATS before a human ever sees them. GoRizzume Pro scores your CV against the job description and shows you what to fix.

Try Pro free for 7 days

£0 today, then Pro is £14.99/month from day 8Card needed.We email you the day before you pay.Cancel anytime in Settings, Billing.

What Police Now publishes about this programme

Checked against Police Now's own careers pages on 2026-10-24. Anything not published is worth asking the early careers team before you apply.

  • Visa sponsorship policy: published
  • Application dates: published
  • Programme description: published
  • Duration and start date: published
  • Who can apply: published
  • Pay: published
  • Locations: not published
  • Degree requirement: published
  • Recruitment stages: published

More early careers programmes at Police Now

Sources

Verdict last checked 2026-09-21. Application dates last checked 2026-10-24. How we check programme verdicts

Common questions

Does Police Now sponsor visas for its national graduate leadership programme?

No. Police Now does not sponsor its national graduate leadership programme for international students who need a visa. Police Now's own eligibility page states applicants of any nationality can apply provided they hold indefinite leave to remain or settled status, and must have resided in the UK continuously for at least the past three years (with narrow exceptions for UK Armed Forces or government postings abroad, or short trips such as university study or holidays under a year). This effectively excludes anyone on a Student or Graduate visa who has not already secured settled status.

What is the Police Now national graduate leadership programme?

Police Now's National Graduate Programme is a salaried two-year programme that recruits and trains graduates to become frontline police officers and detectives. Participants start at the partly residential Police Now Academy, lasting eight to thirteen weeks, then join their force for on-the-job training as fully warranted officers. The programme offers four specialisms: Neighbourhood, Detective, Economic Crime and Counter Terrorism, and each participant has a performance and development coach throughout.

Does the pay clear the UK Skilled Worker salary threshold?

The pay for this scheme sits below the Skilled Worker salary threshold, which is itself a reason sponsorship is not possible.

What is the catch international students miss with Police Now?

The requirement is settled/indefinite leave to remain, not just current right to work, so a valid Student or Skilled Worker visa alone does not qualify; short periods abroad (under a year, e.g. for university) are allowed within the three-year residency clock, but longer absences are not.

When do applications open for the Police Now national graduate leadership programme?

Closed: applications for the March 2027 National Graduate Programme have closed; the next intake starts March 2028 and applications open early next year. Checked on 2026-10-24 against Police Now's own site.

How long is the Police Now national graduate leadership programme?

Two years, according to Police Now's own careers information.

When does the Police Now national graduate leadership programme start?

March 2028 (next intake; applications open early 2027), according to Police Now's own careers information.

Who can apply for the Police Now national graduate leadership programme?

Graduates (or final-year students) of any nationality who hold indefinite leave to remain or settled status, have lived in the UK continuously for at least three years and are over 17 at application; some forces have stricter status rules, according to Police Now's own careers information.

What does the Police Now national graduate leadership programme pay?

£32,256 - £43,689 starting salary, depending on location, according to Police Now's own careers information.

What degree do you need for the Police Now national graduate leadership programme?

First, 2:1 or 2:2 undergraduate degree in any subject (or non-UK equivalent) by the programme start date; Professional Policing in Practice degrees are not eligible, according to Police Now's own careers information.

How should I confirm Police Now's sponsorship before applying?

Read the specific vacancy on Police Now's careers site, ask its early-careers team directly, and check the employer on the gov.uk Register of Licensed Sponsors. Policies and thresholds change, so treat this page as a starting point and confirm for the exact role and cycle.

Related guides

All visa and sponsorship guides

Other public sector schemes

Before you apply

Check your CV against UK applicant tracking systems, then tailor it to the schemes that can actually sponsor you. GoRizzume Pro and Premium start with a 7-day free trial on monthly billing.

Try Pro free for 7 days
See what each plan includesSee all graduate schemes

Pro: £0 today, then £14.99/month. Card needed, we email you the day before, cancel anytime.

Other public sector schemes we track

Sponsorship data: Home Office register + job ad wording. Not immigration advice, verify on gov.uk. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. How we check this data.