Graduate and professional mortgages

A graduate mortgage is a home loan aimed at recent graduates, often first-time buyers early in their careers. Some lenders take a graduate's degree, profession or job offer into account when they assess borrowing, which can help buyers whose salary does not yet reflect likely earnings. The loan is a regulated mortgage (FCA Handbook MCOB, accessed 20 Oct 2026).

Graduate products are offered by a limited number of lenders, and their criteria change. Lenders usually need proof of the degree and a permanent job or a signed contract, and they still carry out the full affordability checks used on any home loan, including outgoings such as student loan repayments.

Professional mortgages are home loans for people in certain professions, such as doctors, dentists, solicitors, accountants, vets and architects. Some lenders lend more against income for these roles, or accept a newly qualified professional on a fixed-term contract, because they see the income as stable and likely to rise over a career.

Medical professionals, for example, may be on rotation contracts or work locum shifts, and specialist lenders understand those patterns. Each lender keeps its own list of qualifying professions and the evidence needed, such as registration with a professional body.

Lenders check the qualification or professional registration, the employment contract, income, outgoings and credit history. They look at how secure the job is, how long the contract runs and what the next career step pays. A student loan counts as an outgoing, though it is often treated differently from other debts.

A short credit history is common among graduates, so lenders look at what is there, such as a bank account, a credit card used and repaid, or rent paid on time. Being on the electoral roll and checking credit files with the main agencies before applying can help, because errors can be corrected and any old problems explained before a lender sees them. How lenders assess first-time buyers in general is covered in the first-time buyer mortgages guide.

Compare graduate and professional mortgages on the maximum loan, the rate, fees, the length of any fixed period and the evidence needed. A higher income multiple can help a buyer borrow more on the same salary, though it also means larger payments, so testing the payment at a higher rate shows whether it stays affordable

Only some lenders offer these products, and their lists of qualifying roles change, so a broker who knows the market can say which lenders accept a particular profession or contract and what evidence each one asks for, such as registration details. Current pricing across first-time buyer mortgages is shown on the first-time buyer mortgage rates page.