Eligibility Applications: Primary Medical Qualification FAQs

You are required to have a valid primary medical qualification (PMQ), recognised by the GMC by the start of the programme, in August. You do not need to have obtained the PMQ at the time of making the eligibility application.

Please refer to the PMQ guidance for more information about what you need to provide as proof of your PMQ.

If your primary medical qualification (PMQ) appears on the GMC’s list of overseas medical qualifications they may accept, you must submit evidence from the GMC that your PMQ meets the criteria for an acceptable overseas qualification, by the deadline specified in the timeline. This evidence must be an email from the GMC, with appropriate email signature(s)/email address(es) clearly displayed. This evidence will be assessed on a case-by-case basis by the UKFPO.

If your medical school /university appears on both the GMC’s list of medical qualifications they may accept, and the GMC’s list of medical qualifications they do not accept, you can submit an eligibility application and should follow the guidance provided above.

If your medical school /university appears only on the GMC’s list of medical qualifications they do not accept, you will remain ineligible to apply for the UK Foundation Programme.

You can still make an eligibility application if your PMQ certificate is not in English, but an official English translation of the PMQ certificate must also be provided as part of your application. Please refer to the PMQ guidance for more information.

The medical school/university stamp does not need to be in English, but the content of the letter must be completed in English.

The Dean’s/authorised official’s signature can be signed in ink or it can be an official digital signature. We will not accept a form if the signature is just the Dean’s/authorised officials name typed out.

The content of your form needs to be legible and in English. It can be either handwritten or typed.

You will need to contact your Medical School’s registrar’s office. They will know who the nominated representative is for your Dean. It cannot be an administrative member of staff.

Your completed form needs to be scanned and uploaded onto the Oriel system as part of your eligibility application.

The UKFPO does not accept forms via email or post. It must be uploaded with your application onto Oriel.

You may only provide either a copy of your PMQ certificate or a completed form to confirm your PMQ as evidence of your primary medical qualification. No other forms of evidence will be accepted (for example, transcripts).

A PMQ will only be accepted as evidence of English language proficiency if it was gained from a medical school / university in a country where English is the first and native language. The GMC maintains a list of countries where English is a first and native language. The UKFPO will refer to this list when making decisions about applications. For more information, please refer to the Eligibility Applicant Guide for more information.