UK Foundation Programme

UK Foundation Programme

Here you will find information about how to apply to the 2-year Foundation Programme and Stand-alone programmes.


News and Updates

Technical issue resolved

The UKFPO would like to apologise to applicants for the technical issue which appeared in the foundation programme application form for a short time on Oriel at the start of the application window on 20 September 2023.

The error appeared in part 2 of the FP application form in the professional registration section of the Eligibility tab.

Unfortunately, the error prevented UK nominated applicants from selecting the “yes” option to confirm that they have been nominated by a UK medical school.

We are pleased to confirm that after urgent investigation this issue has been resolved.

We are very sorry this happened and for any inconvenience this may have caused applicants. Please be reassured that this resolved issue will not have affected submitted applications and won’t affect allocation to a foundation programme.

Applicants who encountered this issue and are still logged into their application on Oriel, should refresh the page to update it, and then complete this section of the application form. If you have already saved your application progress and logged out, please log back in and complete this section of the form. Applicants who have already submitted their application do not need to action anything.


Eligible Applicants for UK Foundation Programme 2024 to be allocated a place

The UKFPO has today confirmed that all eligible applicants for the 2024 Foundation programme will be allocated a place on a 2-year programme to start in August 2024.

The new Preference Informed Allocation (PIA) process comes into effect for the 2024 allocation and a comprehensive guidance document explaining the new process has been published and is now available on our website.

The UKFPO will be hosting two webinars on 6 September 2023 and 13 September 2023 to help answer applicants’ questions about the Pre-allocation application and the new Preference Informed Allocation processes. Questions for both webinars must be submitted in advance.


UKFP 2024 Webinars

We are hosting two webinars for applicants in September 2023, ahead of the FP 2024 application window. Information and links for each webinar are on our Events page and via the direct links below.

6 September 2023 – FP2024 Pre-allocation application process, 18:00-19:00 (BST)

13 September 2023 – FP2024 Preference Informed Allocation (PIA), 18:00-19:00 (BST)


UKFP 2024 Applicant Handbook published

The applicant handbook for UKFP 2024 is now available on our UK Foundation Programme page.

UKFP 2024 Applicant Guide to the Pre-allocation Process and application forms published

The Pre-allocation application forms for UKFP 2024 and guidance is now available on our UK Foundation Programme page.

UKFP 2024 Applicant Guide to Allocation – Preference Informed Allocation published

See the applicant guide to UKFP 2024 Preference Informed Allocation for full information on our UK Foundation Programme page.


Eligibility applications for UKFP 2024 entry are now closed

The application window for eligibility for UKFP 2024 entry opened at 09:00 AM (BST) on 04 July 2023 and closed at 12:00 (midday, BST) on 25 July 2023. See our guidance for full information.


Foundation Programme Allocation Process Stakeholder Engagement Outcome

Use the following link to view the Stakeholder Engagement Outcome.


Over 14,000 have their say on possible change to 2024 allocation process

Over 14,000 people have completed the survey seeking views on a possible change to the allocation process for next year’s UK foundation programme.

The survey, launched last month by the four UK Statutory Bodies, formed part of an engagement process looking at whether the process for allocation should remain in its current format which sees applicants ranked according to their FP Score based on an Educational Performance Measure (EPM) and their Situational Judgement Test (SJT) mark or move to a new system that will see each applicant given a computer-generated ranking. 

Professor Elizabeth Hughes, HEE Medical Director and Chair of UK Foundation programme Allocation Group said:  

“We are very grateful to everyone who took time out to complete the survey and in such huge numbers.  

The feedback we have received is invaluable. We will discuss what it tells us and use this information to help shape our decision on how to manage the 2024 Foundation allocation across the four nations”.  

We know that preparation for the Foundation Programme application can be stressful for many applicants, and that is why we have been keen to explore ways we can make the process as stress-free, transparent, and fair as possible. 

A final decision on the way forward will be made in May with a view to changing the allocation process for those applying for a Foundation Programme place starting in August 2024. 


UKFPO update on industrial action for doctors in England

Heath Education England have published information on how this affects the training of postgraduate doctors in England.


UKFPO Bulletin

Read the latest UKFPO bulletin (September 2023)


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