The UK business of Spanish banking giant Santander, which employs some 25,000 people in the country, has announced that it will no longer require applicants to its graduate scheme to have achieved a 2:1 grade (upper second-class honours) or higher at university, and will consider candidates with lower marks. The aim of this change of policy, announced by Santander on 3 January, is to attract a broader pool of candidates in terms of their socio-economic background.
Santander says its decision to remove the requirement for graduate scheme applicants to achieve a 2:1 degree level or above – as has already been done by consulting giants PwC and EY – means an additional 64,000 graduates will be able to apply for the programme each year.
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