Yes. There is no upper age limit at Level 6 and no rule against changing field — an unrelated background is usually the cleanest case for funding, because the new learning is obvious. The genuine barrier is financial: apprentice salaries are set for school leavers, and that is what makes this hard for people with commitments.
The rules are not the problem
Three quick clearances, because these are what people assume will stop them:
- Age. No upper limit at Level 6. The one exception is Level 7, where funding was withdrawn for applicants aged 22 and over from January 2026 — details here.
- An existing degree. Not disqualifying, and changing field makes it straightforward — covered here.
- Old qualifications. A-levels from fifteen years ago still count. Some employers ask for recent study if your Level 3 is very old, but it is not a general rule.
The salary, honestly
This is the part worth being blunt about. Degree apprenticeships typically advertise £18,000 to £28,000 in the first year, because they are priced for people living at home at eighteen. If you are supporting yourself, that is a serious cut, and it lasts three to five years with only incremental rises during the programme.
What makes it work for the people who do it: no tuition cost, no new debt, a funded degree and frequently a professional qualification, plus a substantial step up at completion. It is an investment with a real payback period — but it is a payback period, not an immediate improvement, and anyone telling you otherwise is selling something.
Run the actual numbers before committing. The cost calculator and rent affordability calculator both help, and salary after a degree apprenticeship covers the other end of it.
The route most people miss
Doing it with your current employer. If you already work somewhere that pays the Apprenticeship Levy, you may be able to move into a different role internally and have the apprenticeship fund the qualification — often on better terms than an external apprentice salary, because you are an existing employee rather than a new entry-level hire.
This is genuinely under-used. It sidesteps the competition entirely, it sidesteps most of the pay problem, and the conversation to start is with your manager or HR rather than with a recruitment process. Ask whether the organisation has a levy pot and what it currently funds.
Reading which programmes want you
Look at how the advert is written before investing time in it.
- Aimed at school leavers: language about UCAS, sixth form, results day, or “starting your career”; requirements stated in predicted grades; a September-only intake tied to the academic year.
- Open to career changers: explicit mention of career changers or returners; requirements phrased as “or equivalent experience”; multiple intakes a year; the employer running Level 4 and 6 programmes side by side.
You are entitled to apply to either. You will do better in the second, and the cohort will not be entirely eighteen-year-olds — which matters more than people expect for how the three years feel.
Positioning the change
- Lead with the move towards, not the escape from. Why this occupation, framed positively. “I want out of hospitality” is not a reason to hire you.
- Translate your experience into their competencies. Managing a shift is managing people and priorities under pressure. Say it in their language.
- Show you have already started. A course, a certification, a personal project. It is the single strongest signal that the change is considered rather than impulsive.
- Address the salary directly if asked. Employers worry a career changer will leave when a better-paid offer appears. Having a clear answer about why the trade makes sense for you removes that doubt.
- Be honest on the skills scan. Overstating existing ability is how experienced applicants become ineligible for funding.
Next: is there an age limit, or browse live roles.