UKFP 2027 timeline

How the 2027 Foundation Programme runs, stage by stage, with every date UKFPO has published so far under the stage it belongs to. UKFPO says the process takes eight to nine months and releases its dates incrementally; a stage with none yet says so.

The dates for applicants nominated by a UK medical school.

Stage 1: Nomination and eligibility

UK applicants and final year medical students are nominated to apply by their UK medical school.

    Stage 2: Registration and applications

    UK nominated applicants confirm their nomination and register on Oriel. All applicants complete and submit their Foundation Programme application form on Oriel by the national deadline.

    1. National application window opens on Oriel, including applications for pre-allocation.

    2. National application deadline, including pre-allocation.

    Stage 3: National pre-allocation review panels

    A series of national panels take place to review applications for pre-allocation to a foundation school. Applicants are informed of their application outcome.

    1. No dates published yet.

    Stage 4: Allocation to a foundation school

    All remaining eligible applicants are allocated to a foundation school. Oriel will use a preference informed allocation (PIA) algorithm. Every eligible applicant who remains in the process will be given a computer-generated rank by the Oriel system; the ranking will not be informed by performance at medical school.

    1. No dates published yet.

    Stage 5: Group preferencing

    Applicants preference groups in order of choice, and are matched to a group based on their PIA rank and preferences. As of 2025, all foundation schools in England now use groups, in addition to the Scotland and Wales Foundation Schools; the Northern Ireland Foundation School does not use groups.

    1. No dates published yet.

    Stage 6: Programme preferencing

    Once matched to a group, applicants preference the programmes in that group in order of choice, and are matched to a programme based on their PIA rank and preferences; the same computer-generated rank is used at all stages. Where a foundation school does not use groups, applicants preference all of the programmes in that foundation school.

    1. No dates published yet.

    Stage 7: Match to programme and employer

    Applicants are matched to a two year foundation training programme and employers. Employers carry out pre-employment checks and arrangements are made for applicants to start in post.

    1. Apply for provisional GMC registration at least three months before the programme starts; employers confirm induction and shadowing dates directly.

    2. Recommended latest date to apply for provisional GMC registration; you must hold it by your start date to take up the post.

    Stage 8: Shadowing and induction

    The mandatory shadowing and induction period takes place for all new foundation doctors at the end of July.

    1. No dates published yet.

    Source: UK Foundation Programme Office, UKFP 2027 Eligibility Applications, Timeline and Deadlines, read 10 September 2026; the stages are from UKFPO's Application process overview, Allocation to a Foundation School and Group and programme preferencing, read 11 September 2026, and which stage a date sits under is this page's placing. UKFPO's pages are the record and change as dates are released; check them before you act on a date here. Doctor Devify Ltd accepts no responsibility for a deadline missed on these dates.