A2i for Postgraduate Taught Students - Frequently Asked Questions
Please see the FAQs for the A2i scheme for Postgraduate students below.
Please note that there are some eligibility differences between the A2i scheme for undergraduates, and the A2i scheme for postgraduates. If you are unsure if the opportunity you have secured is eligible, or which scheme you can apply for, please contact the A2i team on a2i@exeter.ac.uk.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) below are relevant for both potential and current interns.
The Access to Internships (A2i) scheme for Postgraduate Taught Students is for students who are from underrepresented backgrounds only.
If you are unsure if you meet this criteria, please contact the A2i team on a2i@exeter.ac.uk.
Yes, to be eligible for funding your internship will need to have a research focus. Your internship could include conducting market research, analysing impact of a charity/company, creating a policy brief, testing ideas for a new service or product, or be an independent piece of research etc.
Examples of research-focused internship activities include:
- Literature Review: Summarising existing research, identifying gaps, and shaping the direction of a study or product
- Data Collection: Conducting surveys, interviews, fieldwork, lab experiments, or archival research
- Data Analysis: Using tools like Excel, SPSS, R, or Python to clean, interpret, and visualise data
- Report Writing: Drafting sections of research papers, internal reports, or stakeholder summaries
- Research Design: Assisting in the development of experiments, questionnaires, or methodologies
- Policy or Impact Research: Exploring how findings apply to real-world challenges or influence policy
If you are struggling to find an relevant opportunity, the A2i team can provide a small list of employers who are open to being approached by you about the scheme. Please contact the A2i team via a2i@exeter.ac.uk for this list. You might also like to book an appointment with the Career Zone for advice about searching for opportunities.
Yes, if you are graduating in September 2025 or January 2026, and you meet the underrepresented eligibility you are welcome to apply for funding to take part in the scheme - you will just need to start your internship before the date of your graduation.
Unfortunately, no. The funding for this scheme has just been reserved for external internships with UK-based charities, small to medium sized companies, or statutory organisations only.
A2I PGT scheme is funded to support disadvantaged and under-represented home postgraduate students by providing paid internships to those meeting very specific criteria. The scheme is part of the University’s commitment to the higher education regulator, the Office for Students, to close gaps in graduate outcomes between home widening participation students and their peers.
These measures are outlined in our Access and Participation Plan which has been approved by the Office for Students.
You can apply for a maximum of one employer subsidy (funding for an employer) and one WP 'Help Getting to Work' bursary, per academic year.
If you would like to provide your employer with further information about the scheme, including eligibilities and terms and conditions, please direct them to the A2i PGT webpage, or they are welcome to contact the A2i team via a2i@exeter.ac.uk with any questions that they have.
Your internship should begin before you graduate from your Postgraduate Taught degree. For example, if you are graduating in January 2026, your internship should begin before this date.
If you have any questions at all, please contact the A2i team at a2i@exeter.ac.uk.
Once your application has been approved we will contact the organisation, via email, with details on how they can claim the funding. Your employer will need to invoice the University for the funding (we will provide guidance for this), and the funding will be paid 30 days after receipt of invoice.
No, A2I can only support internships that:
- are with a UK registered organisation
- are based in the UK
- do not include international travel for work
If you are interested in working abroad please visit the University’s Global Employability webpages.
No, A2I can only support an internship if it:
- is with an organisation registered and based in the UK. Therefore excludes 'working from home' in the UK for a non UK registered and/or based organisation.
- does not include international travel for work
If you are interested in working abroad please visit the University’s Global Employability webpages.
Yes, providing the start-up has suitable liability insurance, are able to employ you, offer a contract of employment and can pay you through their own payroll system.
However, please note that unfortunately A2I cannot provide funding for student start-up companies.
No, working from an employer’s home office is not permitted. If an organisation does not have a public office then you would be able to work remotely from your own home and communicate regularly via email, telephone and/or video call.
No, unfortunately we are unable to support self-employment. An example of self-employment is when you have to invoice for your wages, for further information about the differences between employment and self-employment please visit the HMRC website.
The short answer is yes, it is illegal for any employee to begin work without this documentation in place. At the University, any work undertaken before right to work (RTW) is verified will be treated as voluntary. We would therefore recommend following the below guidance before you begin any work.
Please meet your employer/line manager face-to-face before the internship begins:
- You will need to take your original RTW documents along with a photocopy to leave with your employer.
- Your employer will need to check your original documents face-to-face to confirm likeness and will need to check the documents are genuine and they have not been tampered with.
- Your employer will need to sign and date the photocopies to confirm that the originals have been verified. They will need to record on each page “I certify that this is a true copy of the original document”.
- Your employer will need to retain the signed and dated copy of the RTW documents for their own records.
You and your internship employer both have responsibilities in law for your health and safety at work, this includes when you are working remotely. Your internship employer may have their own paperwork and/or an alternative process to assess risk, but if not, you might also find it helpful to look at the following resources:
Almost all workers are legally entitled to paid holiday however this is dependent on how many hours you have worked overall. For further details and to work out your entitlement please see gov.uk/holiday-entitlement-rights.
For the A2i PGT scheme, you will be paid via the organisations own payroll system. We ask employers to pay you the agreed wage (normally the real living wage rate), on an agreed regular payday i.e. monthly or weekly and once you have begun work.
If you have applied for the 'Help with getting to work' bursary this will be paid directly to you via the University’s scholarship team just before your internship begins. You will need to ensure your bank details are correct on MyExeter.