Student information

Year in Business is an opportunity for second year undergraduate students from the Business School to take a year out before beginning your final year to complete a paid placement in business.

There are numerous benefits of doing a placement year. 

1. You will have the opportunity to apply your knowledge and understanding of management theory from your first two years at Royal Holloway to practical workplace situations. This will improve and develop your skills and give you an understanding of the day to day running of a company and managerial skills needed in business.
2. A placement year gives you first-hand experience that is highly valued by graduate recruiters. A placement year can also help you decide which area you wish to enter when you graduate and gives you valuable understanding of the complexities and demands of the job application process. The Institute of Student Employers' Annual Survey (2022) based on data from employers suggests around 50% of former interns and placement students were recruited into graduate jobs in the same organisation.
3. The experience you gain during a placement year will be invaluable to you during your final year of studies, as research shows students who complete a placement year tend to get higher degree results. 47% of Undergraduate Year In Business students graduated with a 1st class degree in 2024-25 which is higher than the cohort average.

You need to apply for placements during your 2nd year at university but there is preparation which can be done as early as Year 1. Vacancies start to be released from the summer before you return for Year 2 and you have until July 15th of the 2nd year to secure a placement. 

If you are not already registered on the Year in Business programme and are interested in signing up you should contact the Placement team (MN-YIB@rhul.ac.uk) . This will allow you to access the online resources and workshops/ events which are organised to help you secure a placement and prepare you for your year out. 

If you do not secure a placement you will revert to the 3 year degree programme without a Year in Business.

In Year 1 you are encouraged to get actively involved in building your skills and experiences, whether through involvement in co-curricular clubs/ societies/ sports, volunteering, becoming a course rep/ student ambassador, taking on paid work or involvement in careers’ events/ networking.

You can put yourself in the strongest position for making placement applications in Year 2 by completing the stages of the Year in Business passport pathway in Year 1. This is a series of placement ready tasks, including a work simulation exercise, which is estimated to take 21 hours. You will be awarded a certificate on completion. Visit our Careers portal for more details.

skills including a list of job websites (Job hunting tab) and advice on making speculative applications (CV tab). 

Additionally, the Placement team (MN-YIB@rhul.ac.uk)  will regularly send you any opportunities we are aware of but you need to be proactive in finding the opportunities that interest you. Ultimately it is your responsibility to seek and apply for a placement but the Placement and Careers’ team will help you at every stage. 

If you want to work abroad, you will need to check local visa requirements to establish whether this will be possible. You might need to arrange your accommodation and/or travel and insurance, and you are responsible for costs of these. There is an international careers tab on the Careers’ Moodle page with further guidance.

Your ability to undertake a Placement Year depends on whether you can secure a placement (either on your own, via an opportunity we have advertised, or a combination of the two). Typically placements involve a competitive application process: stages can include application forms, psychometric tests, interviews and assessment centres. All placements must be approved by Royal Holloway.

If you are an international student registered on the Year in Business programme you have the right to work full time during your placement year as it is a mandatory part of your degree. 

The University will approve the placement where it meets the requirements of the Year in Business programme. 

A Work Place Agreement will need to be completed and signed by the Placement provider, Student and Placement officer and you must attend a pre placement briefing. If you have a confirmed placement offer or need advice about a self sourced application contact MN-YIB@rhul.ac.uk.

You can download the Placement criteria details from the Year in Business moodle page here: https://moodle.royalholloway.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=1236516

The assessment is determined by the Business school and will be marked by the Department. 

The placement itself is a pass or fail element - you must complete the number of days required to pass and reach a satisfactory performance level as required by the placement provider.

The percentage mark for your placement will be derived from two pieces of assessed work which are due to be submitted just before your 4th year back at University. These include a poster and personal development portfolio; they are assessed with your other final-year courses and accounts for 20% of your final-year grade.

You will be allocated an Academic Advisor while out on placement and invited to 2 Call Back afternoons which include workshops on the Academic Assessment MN3511

As it’s such an important part of your skills development and university experience, your Year in Business will be formally recognised on your degree transcript and will contribute to your overall degree. The placement is worth 20% of your final year degree.

If your year out does not go to plan and you have extenuating circumstances that are deemed to have significantly impacted your Year in Business, we will not include the mark in your final degree average.

Reduced rate fees are payable during the placement year during which you will be registered at the University and have full access to the campus, university facilities and student services. You will also receive support from the Placement Team/ Academic Advisors in addition to an invite to 2 call back afternoons during the course of the year.

Current fee rates are at the reduced rate of 20% of your usual full-time tuition fees. Royal Holloway's Money Matters team are available to discuss your financial plan with them: MoneyMatters@rhul.ac.uk 

Register your interest by contacting the Placement team on MN-YIB@rhul.ac.uk.

The placement team (Katharine Radford and Sonia Dhaliwal) are based in the Placement Place office, Moore 10.

If you want to study abroad you must apply to CeDAS for a place at one of Royal Holloway partner universities by the end of the autumn term of Year 2. (for further details regarding the process, please go to this Moodle page or contact CeDAS@royalholloway.ac.uk)

Students going into their final year can select a credit bearing placement module where they undertake 80-100 hours of unpaid, business related work. Students are responsible for sourcing their own placements though support is offered by the University.