The Enterprise Placement Year is a 12-month placement opportunity to start or develop your business with some financial support and mentoring from DMU. You don't need any prior business knowledge; you just need an idea.

You’ll spend 12 months with us, developing the idea and learning new business and entrepreneurial skills. It's as much about personal development as it is about learning how to run your own business, and we encourage any student with ambition to take their business idea forward and apply.

Applications for the 2025/2026 Enterprise Placement Year (EPY) are now open.

Please apply here 

Eligibility

Applications are open to current, full-time, second year students from the UK or EU (not on a Study Visa route), subject to course exclusions below.

To check course eligibility, or for support with your application, please contact your faculty placement team:

  • Courses eligible - all UG courses except:

    • BA Architecture

    • BSc Architecture Technology

    • BSc Quantity Surveying and Construction

  • Business & Law: Call 0116 207 8210 or email businessplacements@dmu.ac.uk

    • Courses eligible = all UG courses

  • Computing, Engineering & Media: Call 0116 207 8345 or email CEMplacements@dmu.ac.uk

    • Courses eligible:

      • Animation

      • Applied Computing

      • Artificial Intelligence

      • Broadcast Journalism

      • Business Data Analytics

      • Business Information Systems

      • Computer Games Programming

      • Computer Networks and Security

      • Computer Science

      • Concept and Comic Art

      • Cyber Security

      • Digital Forensics

      • Game Art

      • Games Production*

      • Graphic Design

      • Graphic Design (Illustration)

      • Journalism

      • Mathematics

      • Media and Communications with Mandarin

      • Media Production

      • Software Engineering

      • Visual Effects (VFX)

      • Media and Communication*

      • Film Studies*

      • Music Technology*

      • Music Production*

    • Courses not eligible: 

      • Any courses within the School of Engineering

* Courses with are not currently accredited with the Enterprise Placement Year module but the CEM Placement Team are working with academic staff to enable this. Whilst we are happy to receive applications we cannot guarantee that if successful you will be able to take this up as an option until fully confirmed. If you have any questions surrounding this please contact CEMplacements@dmu.ac.uk. 

  • Health & Life Sciences: Call 0116 257 7716 or email hlsplacements@dmu.ac.uk

  • Only students on the following courses can apply for the EPY:

    • Education Studies

    • Education Studies with Languages

    • Education Studies with Psychology

    • Psycology

    • Foresenic Science

    • Pharmaceutical Cosmetic Science

Fine Art student Samira Boumecid is on the current Enterprise Placement Year. Ahead of joining, she said:

"I would like to create rugs for walls, accessories, clothes, furniture, and cars. I also want to be able to offer fully customisable rugs online that people or businesses can request through an online form. This opportunity will help me to develop my ideas further by providing me with the necessary guidance on how to set up and run a business."

She adds, "I want to be able to bring organic textures to people's homes. I believe that rugs are like sensory play for humans because we can touch them and feel the textures that the different pile heights and materials have created."

Now in it's sixth year, the programme offers workshops, 1-2-1s, business tools, site visits and guest speakers.

Please email: enterprise@dmu.ac.uk with an expression of interest and the application form will be sent in due course.