Allocation to the 2026 Foundation Programme
Will allocation still take place on 26 February 2026, or might this date now change?
Due to the timing of the introduction of the proposed Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill, allocation to a foundation school is delayed by 2 weeks and is now due to take place on 12 March 2026. This date is subject to change due to the passing of the proposed Bill.
This delay is because allocation to a foundation school can only occur once the prioritisation Bill receives Royal Assent and becomes an Act of Parliament. Applicants are advised to regularly review the application timeline.
For FP 2026 will all applicants be allocated to a foundation school when main allocation takes place?
Allocation to a foundation school for FP 2026 is due to take place on 12 March 2026 subject to the passing of the proposed Bill. The Preference Informed Allocation (PIA) method will be used, and all applicants will receive a computer-generated rank. This allocation method remains unchanged.
When allocation takes place in Oriel, there are different possible outcomes for applicants on the non-priority list, and these are dependent on the number of available programmes and the number of applicants that remain in the recruitment process at this point.
Scenario 1:
At the point that main allocation takes place, if there are more programmes available than applicants in the priority group, applicants in the priority group and some applicants in the non-prioritised group will be allocated. The number of non-priority applicants allocated at this point will depend on the number of available programmes.
The allocation system will use an applicant’s computer-generated rank to determine which applicants in the non-priority group are allocated at this stage.
The remaining non-priority applicants will not be allocated at this time and will remain on a national reserve list.
Example of scenario 1:
Priority group = 1000 applicants
Non-priority group = 500 applicants
Number of programmes = 1200
In this scenario the 1000 applicants in the priority group and 200 applicants in the non-priority group with the highest computer-generated rank will be allocated at main allocation. The 300 applicants in the non-priority group who were not allocated will remain on the national reserve list.
Scenario 2:
At the point that main allocation takes place, if there are more applicants than programmes available, for FP2026, only the prioritised applicants will be allocated to a foundation school at this time. Non-prioritised applicants will not be allocated and will all remain on a national reserve list. Further rounds of allocation will take place if vacancies arise.
Example of scenario 2:
Priority group = 1000 applicants
Non-priority group = 500 applicants
Number of programmes = 1000
In this scenario only the 1000 applicants in the priority group will be allocated in main allocation. The 500 applicants in the non-priority group who were not allocated will remain on the national reserve list.
When will allocation to a foundation school take place for non-priority applicants who weren’t allocated in main allocation? Will there be different allocation dates?
Further rounds of allocation to a foundation school will take place if vacancies arise. A timeline for this will be published in due course.