Applications to the Civil Service Fast Stream have soared this year to more than 70,000, the highest on record.
Newly-published data for the 2025 intake of the grad scheme shows there were 72,691 applicants – measured through applications by first preference – in 2025.
This is a 64% increase on the 44,362 applicants in 2024, and a 170% uptick on the 26,899 who applied in 2023.
There were 676 vacancies for this year’s Fast Stream, but the scheme ended up recommending 754 for appointment.
Unsurprisingly given the rising competition, the average success rate for applicants of 1% is the lowest ever.
This is the second year in a row that the number of applicants has risen significantly and comes after a period between 2020 and 2023 where applicant numbers tumbled from a then-record 64,697 to 26,899 – which was the lowest level since 2015.
This year’s most popular scheme was Government Policy which received 32,805 applications, but the Diplomatic and Development pathway had the most applications by first preference: 13,828.
Diplomatic and Development was also the most competitive, along with Cyber, with both having a 0.2% success rate – the number of applicants recommended for appointment as a proportion of applications by first preference.
A Cabinet Office spokesperson said the record-breaking application numbers reflects "the exceptional interest in our award-winning Fast Stream programme".
“Our primary focus remains to attract the right candidates who have the potential to become future leaders and managers of the civil service," they added.
Diversity: Ethnic minority representation continues to rise
The data shows that the share of applicants who are from an ethnic minority background is much higher than it’s ever been, with 56.7% of applicants white, and 43.3% from an ethnic minority – up from the previous high of 35.8% in 2024.
Ethnic minority applicants made up 28.2% of those recommended for appointment, compared to 71.8% for white applicants – a success rate of 0.7% versus 1.3%.
IfG analysis (as seen in the table below) shows that the Fast Stream has had a share of minority ethnic applicants consistently above the UK population and whole civil service benchmarks since 1998 and 2002 respectively. By 2024, over a third of applicants were from minority ethnic backgrounds (35.8%), over double the UK population benchmark (17.5%) and comfortably above the overall share of minority ethnic civil servants (16.6%).
Minority ethnic candidates have also made up an increasing share of recommendations for appointment, surpassing the population benchmark every year since 2005 and peaking at 30.4% in 2023. But the figure saw a marked drop in the 2024 intake to 22%, before climbing to 28.2% this year.
The success rate remains low for applicants from 'Black or Black British – Africa' background, who made up 15.3% of applicants – the second biggest ethnic group of applicants behind 'White – British' – but just 2.8% of those recommended for appointment – a success rate of 0.2%.
Women continue to make up a bigger proportion of applicants (52% compared to 47.6% men) but this year were a smaller proportion of those recommended for appointment (49.5% compared to 50.1% of men). This makes the success rate for women 1% and for men 1.1%.
Candidates declaring as disabled made up 15.4% of the total applicants this year, down from 16% in 2024, and 18.9% of those recommended for appointment, down from 20.4% in 2024. Their success rate of 1.3% remained higher than those without a disability (1%).
Overall, disabled representation has steadily risen over time, having been just 1.8% in 1998, and remains greater than the UK population benchmark, as it has been since 2020. However, it is now lower the 2025 civil service benchmark of 17.9%.
The proportion of applicants declaring as LGBO has also dipped a bit, from 17.9% to 16.4%. The proportion of LGBO applicants recommended for approval has gone up, meanwhile, from 27.6% to 28.5%. LBGO success rate is 1.7% in 2025 compared to 3.3% in 2024.
Lower socio-economic background representation – something the government is focused on improving – remains similar in terms of applicants: 21% are from ‘routine and manual’ backgrounds, compared to 20.8% in 2024.
There is an increase, however, in the proportion recommended for appointment – up from 11.6% in 2024 to 14.5% in 2025. This is a success rate of 0.7%, which is the same success rate as for ‘intermediate’ backgrounds. ‘Higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations’ continue to have by far the highest representation – making up 72.6% of those recommended for approval.
The class make-up of the scheme remains highly unreflective of the overall UK population. IfG analysis found that the proportion of lower socio-economic backrgound candidates recommended for appointment in 2024 was three times smaller than the share in the overall UK workforce.
All percentages in diversity characteristics exclude those who chose not to declare.
Oxbridge still key factor
Studying at Oxbridge remains the leading indicator of success. Those attending Oxbridge had a 4.7% success rate compared to the 1% average. This goes down to 1.9% for Russell Group (excluding Oxbridge) and 0.4% for other universities.
However, the Oxbridge effect has dwindled over time, with Oxbridge applicants making up 34.5% of those recommended for appointment in 1998. Oxbridge students are also less likely to apply, making up 3.8% of applicants compared to 9.9% in 1998.
Age, meanwhile, also remains a stronger indicator of success, with the success rate reducing at each age group from 1.8% for ‘20 and under’ to 0.2% for ‘40+’.
When it comes to location, the South East (England) had the highest success rate in 2025 (1.5%) while North West (England) had the lowest (0.6%). London-based candidates continue to make up the largest proportion of applicants (23.1%) and those recommended for approval (31.6%).
The Fast Stream last week regained the top spot in The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers ranking for 2025-26.
Cat Little, permanent secretary at the Cabinet Office and civil service chief operating officer, said the ranking “shows graduates recognise the real opportunities the Fast Stream provides.
“The programme develops participants’ skills, knowledge and networks so they become confident, inspiring leaders who help the government deliver its priorities and make a real difference to communities,” she said.
Cabinet Office minister and chief secretary to the prime minister Darren Jones said he was “delighted” with the ranking. He added: “We now need to go further and faster in reforming the way the state delivers, which is why we are placing more fast streamers in roles outside of London, so that brilliant minds from every corner of the country can help build the modern, effective civil service that Britain needs.”