The Level 6 Chartered Surveyor (Degree), and the 25 providers delivering it.

Roles after completion

Completing this apprenticeship leads directly to RICS-qualified status, opening roles such as Chartered Quantity Surveyor, Chartered Building Surveyor, Chartered Valuation Surveyor, Residential Surveyor, and Corporate Real Estate Surveyor. Those following the property pathway typically enter commercial or residential agency and management, while quantity surveying and project management graduates move into cost consultancy or client-side commercial roles. Building surveying completers often join consultancies or local authorities advising on defects, repairs, and specification work.

Progression paths

Within three to five years, most move into senior or associate-level positions, taking on larger project portfolios, managing junior staff, or leading client relationships independently. From there, the paths diverge. Those who favour technical depth can specialise as Senior Quantity Surveyors, Lead Valuers, or Senior Building Surveyors handling complex or high-value instructions. Those drawn to management progress toward Associate Director, Director, or Partner level, with responsibility for team performance and business development. Some move into client-side roles such as Head of Estates or Head of Property.

Where these roles sit

Employers span a wide range of sectors. Private practice firms, from sole practitioners to large multidisciplinary consultancies, are the most common destination. Housebuilders, commercial developers, and infrastructure contractors hire across all three pathways. Public sector employers include local authorities, NHS estates teams, central government, and housing associations. Retail and logistics businesses with large property portfolios also recruit directly, particularly for in-house surveying and asset management functions.

How the apprenticeship is assessed

Throughout the apprenticeship, the learner works in a surveying role while building the knowledge, skills and behaviours required by their chosen pathway, whether Building Surveying, Quantity Surveying and Project Management, or Property. Before moving to final assessment, the employer and training provider confirm that the apprentice has reached the required standard, a checkpoint commonly called the gateway. Final assessment then confirms the apprentice can perform competently and independently at chartered level. Because this standard leads to a regulated professional qualification with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, assessment reflects those professional standards. Assessment models for many degree apprenticeships are currently being updated; check the standard's gov.uk page for the current specification.

What learners need to prepare

Keeping records of real work from the outset makes the end of the apprenticeship considerably more manageable. Learners should document the projects they work on, the advice they give, and the decisions they support, covering the knowledge and skills relevant to their pathway. Regular reviews with the employer and training provider help identify gaps early, well before the gateway. Waiting until the final months to pull evidence together creates unnecessary pressure, so building that habit throughout is the most practical approach.

What good looks like

Look for providers with an achievement rate above 65% on their FATP profile, ideally above 75% given the five-year duration and the complexity of RICS Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) preparation. Strong providers will be able to show that their programme is structured around all three pathways (Building Surveying, Quantity Surveying and Project Management, and Property) or be transparent about which pathways they actually deliver. Employer satisfaction scores matter here: the APC requires genuine workplace experience, so providers who maintain close employer contact throughout are worth prioritising. Check that the degree element is delivered by a RICS-accredited university.

Red flags to watch for

Be cautious of providers with high enrolment volumes but falling achievement rates, particularly if they cannot explain how they support apprentices through the APC. A provider who gives vague answers about how off-the-job learning maps to specific RICS competencies is a concern. For this standard, check whether tutors and assessors hold current RICS membership, not just historic qualifications. Providers unable to demonstrate recent alumni who have passed their APC and moved into chartered roles should be questioned.

Questions to ask before you commit

• Which of the three pathways do you deliver, and do you have active cohorts on each?
• How do you structure APC preparation, and at what point in the programme does it begin?
• What is your achievement rate for this standard, and how many apprentices have gone on to pass their APC?
• Are your tutors and assessors currently RICS-qualified and working in, or closely connected to, practice?
• Which RICS-accredited university delivers the degree component, and how does the academic timetable align with workplace demands?
• How do you support apprentices whose employers cannot provide exposure to certain competency areas required for the APC?
• Which regions do you cover, and do you offer site visits or face-to-face sessions rather than fully remote delivery?