Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA)
Our Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) means you can learn as you earn, gaining a (BSc) Hons degree in professional policing practice. The Met covers all qualification fees so there's no cost to you, it's all fully funded.
It’s a three-year programme, which combines learning with policing London's streets. The three years count as your probation. On successful completion, you graduate from both the degree and probation.
The starting salary is over £42,210. On successful completion, you'll earn £47,465. All salaries include allowances.
Eligibility criteria
You must meet the eligibility criteria to be a police constable set out in 'Who we are looking for'. You will need a Level 2 qualification in English language at a GCSE grade C or above, or grades 4 to 9, and one of the following:
- Two A Levels at grade E or above in any subject or be working towards these
- Level 3 qualification or be working towards one, including an International Baccalaureate Diploma or NVQ. We will also consider the equivalent overseas qualification
- Training or work experience that’s equal to a Level 3 qualification
- To have served as a Police Community Support Officer, a Special Constable or Designated Detention Officer for 12 months
- To have been a member of the Met’s Volunteer Police Cadets for 24 months
- Service in the Armed Forces. You must have successfully completed the minimum term of service and have an exemplary reference. Service must have been a minimum of two years within the last five years
We will also consider an English Language equivalent overseas qualification in place of the Level 2 qualification.
Training and assessment
Your initial training will consist of 17 weeks at Hendon, including a 4 day introduction to the Met.
The initial learning at Hendon will include:
- policing, the law and police powers
- protection, vulnerability and public protection
- policing communities, response policing and investigating crime
- police leadership, coaching and mentoring
- officer safety training
- emergency life support
- safeguarding
- crime investigation and operational policing skills
The first four days you will work 08:00 – 16:00 shifts. From then on the shift pattern at Hendon during your training is alternating weeks of earlies and late shifts. It is Mon – Fri, 07:00 – 15:00 (early), and 14:00 – 22:00 (late).
The next ten weeks you will spend working in a police team, based on a London borough. This will be alongside dedicated experienced police officer’s acting as ‘tutor constables’. This is called street duties, and is where you can put into practice what you have been taught.
The remainder of your three years will be spent building on what you have learnt so far. You'll enhance your skills, experience and knowledge through a number of different policing roles, including working on teams that respond to emergency calls from the public, and as officers policing London’s neighbourhoods working with communities.
You’ll complete further learning in year two, twice for up to three weeks of learning. In your final year, you'll have the opportunity to undertake research into an area of policing you're particularly interested in. You'll then present your research by way of an academic poster and short briefing.
Throughout your training you will need to complete operational and academic assessments. Academic assessments include exams, essays and presentations.
Upon successfully completing your three year programme you’ll be a fully qualified police constable and will graduate from your degree.
Application and recruitment process
The following information will help you have the best chance of success with your application. It will tell you what you can expect from our recruitment process at each stage.
It can take around six months for people to complete our recruitment process. At each stage you will be contacted by and receive more information from our recruitment team who are there for you throughout.
If you have any questions or concerns you can:
- call our recruitment team on 01633 632500
- live chat with recruitment team, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
Thank you for your interest in the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA).
Due to receiving a high volume of completed applications, we are not currently accepting new applicants for this pathway. We anticipate reopening this entry route later in 2026, so please check this page for updates.
Please note that the Police Constable Entry Programme (PCEP) remains open, and we are actively accepting applications for this route If this is of interest to you, please visit the PCEP link page to find out more and apply.
When we receive your application we will conduct a basic security check, which takes around seven days.
If successful you will be asked to complete an online test, known as the “National Sift”. The test is made up of two exercises:
- the Situational Judgement Test (SJT)
- a Behavioural Styles Questionnaire (BSQ)
The exercises will assess if you have the key behaviours and values to join us as a police constable. No prior policing knowledge is required to complete the national sift exercises.
National sift candidate guidance is available on the College of Policing website.
You can expect this stage of the process to take about two weeks.
We will share more information with you about the online assessment before you sit it. It is made up of three exercises:
- Competency based interview: use examples from your work and personal life to answer a series of questions.
- Written assessment: assuming the role of a police constable, you need to complete an urgent written task.
- Briefing exercise: assuming the role of a police constable, you need to read material and answer questions on what you have read.
Before you complete your online assessment we will let you know what technology you need. You will be invited to talk to us if you need a reasonable adjustment or can’t access the right technology.
You’ll be invited to our Met recruitment centre in south London for an interview focused on our values.
If you pass the interview, you will then be invited to complete a medical and job related fitness test (JRFT).
You will need to undertake a medical health assessment, carried out by a registered nurse. This includes eyesight, hearing and blood pressure tests. This is carried out at Gilmour House, where our Occupational Health team are based, about a 15 minute walk from our Assessment Centre.
At our Assessment Centre we’ll take your biometrics and you’ll complete our fitness test. We will share all the information you need to prepare for your medical and fitness including advice on how to get ready for our fitness test.
Start preparing now watch our YouTube video for tips and download the Met's six week training programme.
You can expect your results within four to eight weeks of taking your assessment, although each person is different.
After you’ve passed your 'day two' we will carry out pre-employment and vetting checks. These checks are to make sure we are recruiting police officers who meet our standards of behaviour and share our values.
We will share all the information you need about when to submit your information, and explain what vetting is and what it means.
We will be in touch to offer you a final and formal offer of employment and talk to you about the best date for you to join your training intake. If you are offered a place you would need to start your training within three months.
We start PCDA intakes every month.