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QinetiQ Year in Industry Placement 2027

NoYear in Industry Placement

No. QinetiQ does not sponsor its year in industry placement for international students who need a visa. QinetiQ states that all of its positions require security clearance to be completed before starting, and that to gain clearance an applicant will normally need to have been resident in the UK for a minimum of five years, regardless of nationality. That residency bar, not nationality itself, is what rules most international students out, since a typical three or four year UK degree does not clear it.

Sponsors grads?
No
Pay vs threshold
Below the threshold
Opportunity
placement
2027 cycle
No published date as of 1 October 2026
Confidence
high

QinetiQ Year in Industry Placement: at a glance

QinetiQ's Year in Industry placement is a year-long programme in which students are assigned to a Skill Group based on their expertise and rotate through their department to see how their degree applies across the company's work, with activities and locations across the UK. Placement students are supported by a buddy and regular reviews with their manager, and may be offered a graduate role. Source

Duration
One year“As a Year in Industry Placement Student you will be enrolled into QinetiQ’s year-long placement programme.”Source
Degree requirement
studying Maths, Physics, or any discipline within Engineering“If you are studying Maths, Physics, or any discipline within Engineering apply for one of our positions.”Source
“To gain clearance you will normally have had to have been a resident in the UK for a minimum of 5 years, regardless of nationality.”
QinetiQ, from its own careers pages
The catch: The bar is residency, not passport, so a UK national who has lived abroad recently can be blocked too, while a non-UK national with five continuous UK years could in principle pass. It is framed as the normal case, not an absolute rule, so exceptions are not ruled out.
QinetiQ early careersVerify on gov.ukSee the licence record

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What QinetiQ publishes about this programme

Checked against QinetiQ's own careers pages on 2026-10-01. Anything not published is worth asking the early careers team before you apply.

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

More early careers programmes at QinetiQ

Sources

Verdict last checked 2026-09-21. Application dates last checked 2026-10-01. How we check programme verdicts

Common questions

Does QinetiQ sponsor visas for its year in industry placement?

No. QinetiQ does not sponsor its year in industry placement for international students who need a visa. QinetiQ states that all of its positions require security clearance to be completed before starting, and that to gain clearance an applicant will normally need to have been resident in the UK for a minimum of five years, regardless of nationality. That residency bar, not nationality itself, is what rules most international students out, since a typical three or four year UK degree does not clear it.

What is the QinetiQ year in industry placement?

QinetiQ's Year in Industry placement is a year-long programme in which students are assigned to a Skill Group based on their expertise and rotate through their department to see how their degree applies across the company's work, with activities and locations across the UK. Placement students are supported by a buddy and regular reviews with their manager, and may be offered a graduate role.

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 QinetiQ?

The bar is residency, not passport, so a UK national who has lived abroad recently can be blocked too, while a non-UK national with five continuous UK years could in principle pass. It is framed as the normal case, not an absolute rule, so exceptions are not ruled out.

When do applications open for the QinetiQ year in industry placement?

No published date as of 1 October 2026. Checked on 2026-10-01 against QinetiQ's own site.

How long is the QinetiQ year in industry placement?

One year, according to QinetiQ's own careers information.

What degree do you need for the QinetiQ year in industry placement?

studying Maths, Physics, or any discipline within Engineering, according to QinetiQ's own careers information.

How should I confirm QinetiQ's sponsorship before applying?

Read the specific vacancy on QinetiQ'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

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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.