What the Graduate Route actually gives you
The Graduate Route lets international students stay in the UK for two years after completing a bachelors or masters degree, and three years after a doctorate. It requires no job offer, no minimum salary and no employer sponsorship, which is what separates it from the Skilled Worker visa.
You can work in any job, at any level, change employers freely, or be self-employed. That flexibility is the point: it exists so graduates can find their footing rather than take the first sponsored role available.
Who qualifies
You must have held a Student visa, completed an eligible course at a UK institution with a track record of compliance, and still be inside the UK when you apply. Your university reports your completion to the Home Office; you cannot apply before that report lands.
Distance learning generally does not qualify, and neither do courses shorter than twelve months at degree level.
The three mistakes that disqualify students
First, leaving the UK before applying. The application must be made from inside the country, and students who fly home for a break between finishing and applying lose the route entirely.
Second, letting the Student visa expire. You must apply while your existing visa is still valid, not after it lapses.
Third, assuming the two years extend automatically. They do not. The Graduate Route cannot be extended, so the switch to a Skilled Worker visa needs to be underway well before it ends.
What it costs
Budget for the application fee plus the Immigration Health Surcharge for each year of the visa. The surcharge is the larger figure by some margin and is paid upfront for the full period, so plan for it alongside your final term of living costs.