Local Matching Schemes

Schemes exist within individual nations, for the matching of eligible applicants from their own local medical schools to the local/linked Foundation School.

For the UKFP 2027 application year, local matching schemes exist in England, Scotland and Wales.

Each nation independently oversees and manages their local scheme, with information about each scheme available on nation specific websites. The UKFPO is not involved with any part of these processes as these sit outside of the national recruitment process.

Queries about policy, process and guidance, selection methods and decision making must therefore be directed to the appropriate contacts within each nation.

Contact details and website links for foundation schools are available below.

Applicants who decide that they no longer wish to take part in the local matching scheme must follow the withdrawal process below.

Non-urgent advice: Oriel application

All applicants for the Foundation Programme must still complete the main FP application form on Oriel, irrespective of whether they take part in the local matching scheme via their medical school, or not. Completion of the main FP application on Oriel includes preferencing all Foundation Schools in order of choice. Refer to the preferencing webpage of the How to Apply guidance.

The national FP application deadline on Oriel applies to all applicants. The main FP application form is a mandatory part of the process.

Students who are selected for their medical school / nation specific scheme, will have their record updated in the back end of the Oriel system.  This will inform Oriel which Foundation School to allocate them to when national allocation takes place in 2027.
Applicants will not be able to see that this action has been completed in their Oriel record and this is normal.

Medical schools and the linked Foundation Schools in England who are taking part in the England local allocation scheme will liaise directly with their eligible students. Information about the England scheme will be available soon.

Queries should be emailed to: TBC

The Scotland Foundation School are running the “Scotland First” process, working in partnership with medical schools in Scotland. Information can be found on the Scotland Foundation School website.

Queries should be emailed to: sfas@nes.scot.nhs.uk

The Wales Foundation School are running a “PMQ+ FP Pilot” scheme for medical school students in Wales. Information can be found on the Wales Foundation School website.

Queries should be emailed to: HEIW.FoundationSchool@wales.nhs.uk

Withdrawal process for Local Matching Schemes

If you have taken part in a local matching scheme via your medical school, your Oriel application record will get updated to inform the system which foundation school to allocate you to when the allocation process takes place in 2027.

If you decide that you no longer wish to take part in the local matching scheme, you can request to withdraw from your place in the scheme and from the foundation school you will be matched to, and instead be allocated to foundation school via the national Preference Informed Allocation (PIA) process.

If you wish to withdraw you must complete and submit the online withdrawal form by the published date in the application timeline. You must also inform your medical school and the foundation school to which you had been matched to via the local scheme. You should do this via email.

When the submitted withdrawal form is received, the UKFPO will update your Oriel record and remove the request for local matching from the system.

If the national withdrawal form is not submitted by the deadline and the UKFPO are not informed of your wish to withdraw from your matched place, you will remain matched to the foundation school via the local matching scheme (and you will not be able to be allocated to a foundation school via the national Preference Informed Allocation process).

The withdrawal form will be published in due course.

Link to withdrawal form