📅 UK Specialty Training Recruitment Timeline 2026–2027 (CT1/ST1 & ST3/ST4) : All Key Dates Explained, Latest Changes, Prioritisation and Round 3 Updates
- examiner mla
- Jul 19, 2025
- 8 min read
Updated: Jul 16
For doctors hoping to enter UK specialty training, keeping up with national recruitment changes is more important than ever.
The 2026 recruitment cycle introduced major changes affecting eligibility, application limits, offer allocation and the availability of some February 2027 training posts. This guide explains the main recruitment rounds for CT1/ST1 and ST3/ST4 programmes, together with the latest information on UK graduate prioritisation, General Practice and Core Psychiatry recruitment.
⚠️ Major Changes to UK Specialty Training Recruitment
1. Medical Training Prioritisation Act 2026
The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 introduced a new system for prioritising certain applicants for UK specialty training posts.
For training posts starting in 2026, prioritisation was applied during the offer-matching stage. Applicants continued to be assessed and ranked according to their performance, but prioritised applicants were considered for offers before non-prioritised applicants.
A non-prioritised applicant could therefore receive an offer only after no suitable prioritised applicants remained for that post or geographical preference.
Who was prioritised for 2026 recruitment?
The priority groups included applicants who:
Obtained their primary medical qualification in the UK or Republic of Ireland.
Obtained their primary medical qualification in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland.
Completed, or were currently completing, the relevant recognised UK training programme—for example, the UK Foundation Programme when applying to core or ST1 training.
Completed the relevant UK core training programme when applying to linked higher specialty training.
Met specified immigration-status criteria, including British citizenship, Irish citizenship, right of abode, indefinite leave to remain or qualifying EU Settlement Scheme status.
Prioritisation applied to both core and higher specialty training. Public Health Medicine was excluded because its recruitment process is open to medical and non-medical applicants.
What does this mean for international medical graduates?
International medical graduates were not prohibited from applying. Applicants who did not meet one of the priority criteria could still complete the recruitment process, sit the required assessments and be found appointable.
However, during 2026 offer matching, non-prioritised applicants were considered only after the available prioritised applicants had been processed.
The effect was substantial. NHS England reported in June 2026 that:
98% of filled specialty training posts had been accepted by prioritised applicants.
Only 1.75% of accepted Round 1 offers had gone to non-prioritised applicants at that stage.
All filled General Practice training places had been accepted by UK graduates or applicants already working within the NHS and meeting the applicable criteria.
Further changes for 2027 recruitment
For posts starting from August 2027 onwards, prioritisation is expected to operate at both:
The shortlisting stage; and
The offer stage.
The government also intends to define “significant NHS experience” more precisely for future recruitment cycles. The exact criteria should therefore be checked before applications open in autumn 2026.
2. Full GMC Registration Required at Application
For Round 1 recruitment opening on 23 October 2025, applicants were required to hold full GMC registration at the time of application.
Applicants generally also needed to hold an appropriate licence to practise by the date on which the training post commenced. Applicants should always check the relevant 2026 person specification because eligibility requirements can vary between specialties.
This requirement also applied to relevant Academic Clinical Fellowship recruitment.
3. Maximum of Five Round 1 Applications
Applicants were permitted to submit a maximum of five applications in Round 1Â for CT1/ST1-level programmes.
There was no equivalent national five-application limit for Round 2 ST3/ST4 recruitment.
An “application” normally refers to an application to a nationally advertised specialty programme rather than every geographical preference selected within that programme.
4. Record Levels of Competition
Applications to specialty training have increased dramatically in recent years.
NHS England reported that approximately 37,689 applications met the appointable standard for around 9,520 specialty training posts during the 2026 process. Because individual doctors could submit up to five applications, application numbers should not be interpreted as the number of unique applicants.
Following prioritisation, the effective competition ratio among prioritised applicants was approximately two appointable applications per post.
Competition nevertheless varies considerably between specialties, regions and entry levels.
đź•’ All timings mentioned are in UK local time (GMT or BST).đź“Ť Each round indicates the start date of the training post.
🟢 Round 1: CT1/ST1 Recruitment
Posts starting between August and December 2026
Round 1 was the main recruitment round for most CT1 and ST1 programmes, including General Practice and Core Psychiatry.
Applications opened: Thursday, 23 October 2025 10:00 AM
Applications closed: Thursday, 20 November 2025 4:00 PM
Interview window:
Opened:Â Monday, 5 January 2026
Closed:Â Friday, 20 March 2026
Some specialties used the MSRA instead of, or alongside, interviews and portfolio-based selection.
Initial offers released by: Tuesday, 31 March 2026 5:00 PM
Hold deadline: Thursday, 2 April 2026 1:00 PM
Upgrade deadline: Wednesday, 8 April 2026 4:00 PM
Hierarchical deadline: Thursday, 9 April 2026 4:00 PM
These were the national recruitment deadlines. Individual specialties could publish additional assessment, preferencing or document-submission dates
🧠MSRA Arrangements for Round 1
Because of the large number of applications, the 2026 Round 1 MSRA was divided into two sittings.
First sitting: Open to applicants from all specialties using the MSRA.
Invitation expected by:Â 15 December 2025
Assessment window: 6–19 January 2026
Second sitting: Reserved for applicants who had applied only to:
General Practice; and/or
Core Psychiatry.
Invitation expected by:Â 29 December 2025
Assessment window: 12–25 February 2026
Applicants applying to another MSRA specialty in addition to GP or Core Psychiatry were generally expected to use the January sitting.
For the August 2026 Round 1 intake, applicants could not simply transfer an earlier Round 3 MSRA score. They were required to sit the MSRA within the applicable Round 1 assessment window.
đźź Round 2: ST3/ST4 Recruitment
Posts starting between August and December 2026
Round 2 primarily covered higher specialty training at ST3 or ST4 level.
Applications opened: Thursday, 20 November 2025 10:00 AM
Applications closed: Thursday, 11 December 2025 4:00 PM
Interview window
Opened:Â Monday, 5 January 2026
Closed:Â Friday, 10 April 2026
Initial offers released by: Tuesday, 14 April 2026 5:00 PM
Hold deadline: Wednesday, 22 April 2026 1:00 PM
Upgrade deadline: Thursday, 23 April 2026 4:00 PM
Hierarchical deadline: Thursday, 23 April 2026 5:00 PM
There was no national five-application limit for Round 2.
Applicants should check the individual specialty recruitment page to determine whether the MSRA, portfolio scoring, self-assessment verification or an interview is used.
🔄 Round 3 (For Posts Starting January–March 2027)
🚨 No Round 3 Recruitment for GP ST1 or Core Psychiatry CT1
Two of the largest MSRA-based specialties—General Practice ST1 and Core Psychiatry CT1—will not advertise new posts in Round 3 of the 2026 recruitment cycle.
This has been confirmed directly by the General Practice National Recruitment Office and the Psychiatry National Recruitment Office.
Both recruitment offices have stated that enough appointable candidates remain on their reserve lists from the previous recruitment round to fill the anticipated vacancies. A further application round is therefore not required.
This means that there will be:
No new Round 3 application for GP ST1.
No new Round 3 application for Core Psychiatry CT1.
No new Round 3 MSRA sitting specifically for these two specialties.
No opportunity for candidates who did not apply in Round 1 to submit a new application for the early-2027 intake.
The national Round 3 timetable still applies to other specialties that choose to advertise vacancies.
General Practice ST1: February and April 2027 Posts
The General Practice National Recruitment Office has confirmed that GP ST1 will not advertise posts in Round 3.
This decision was made because enough appointable candidates remain on the Round 1 reserve list to fill the available GP training posts.
Applicants who are already on the GP reserve list will be given an opportunity to preference the available posts for the February and April 2027 intakes.
Depending on their:
Reserve-list ranking.
Prioritisation status.
Geographical preferences.
Number and distribution of available posts.
they may receive an offer without submitting another application or sitting the MSRA again.
Further information will be provided once the February and April 2027 posts have been confirmed.
Core Psychiatry CT1: February 2027 Posts
The Psychiatry National Recruitment Office has also confirmed that Core Psychiatry CT1 will not advertise posts in Round 3.
As with GP recruitment, enough appointable candidates remain on the previous recruitment round’s reserve list to fill the expected vacancies. A fresh application round is therefore unnecessary.
Applicants currently on the Core Psychiatry reserve list will be allowed to preference the available February 2027 posts once they have been confirmed.
An offer may then be made according to:
The applicant’s reserve-list ranking.
Their prioritisation status.
The posts and regions they preference.
The number of vacancies available.
These applicants will not need to submit another Core Psychiatry application or complete a new Round 3 MSRA assessment.
The Psychiatry National Recruitment Office will provide further details once the February 2027 posts are confirmed.
What This Means for Applicants
Applicants already on the GP or Psychiatry reserve list
Reserve-list applicants remain under consideration.
They should:
Monitor their emails and Oriel account closely.
Review their current preferences.
Add newly released February or April posts when preferencing opens.
Remove August 2026 posts they would no longer accept.
Make sure that their contact information and Oriel notifications are up to date.
Being on the reserve list does not guarantee an offer. Allocation will depend on rank, priority status, preferences and the number of posts available.
Applicants who did not apply in Round 1
Doctors who did not submit a Round 1 application will not be able to make a new GP ST1 or Core Psychiatry CT1 application during Round 3.
They will need to wait for a later recruitment cycle unless another eligible training or non-training opportunity becomes available.
Applicants who were found unappointable
The available early-2027 posts will be allocated from the existing list of appointable candidates.
Candidates who were not found appointable in the previous recruitment round will not be able to reapply for these posts through Round 3.
Applicants hoping to improve their MSRA score
There will not be a new Round 3 MSRA opportunity specifically for GP ST1 or Core Psychiatry CT1.
Applicants cannot use Round 3 to obtain a new score and replace their previous Round 1 ranking for these specialties.
Important Distinction: Round 3 Has Not Been Cancelled Nationally
The overall national Round 3 recruitment framework has not been cancelled.
The national timetable remains available for specialties that decide to advertise posts starting between January and March 2027.
However, a national timetable does not guarantee that every specialty will participate. Recruitment offices may decide not to open another round when enough appointable candidates remain from an earlier recruitment process.
For the 2026 cycle:
GP ST1 will not advertise in Round 3.
Core Psychiatry CT1 will not advertise in Round 3.
Other specialties may still advertise according to the national Round 3 timetable.
Higher Psychiatry ST4 recruitment is separate from Core Psychiatry CT1 and may still take place where vacancies are available.
Applicants should therefore check each specialty’s official recruitment page rather than assuming that all programmes will open on 28 July 2026.
âś… Tips to Stay Ahead
Set calendar reminders for opening and closing dates.
Prepare your application documents (portfolio, CREST, references) well in advance.
Stay updated with the official websites like Oriel and HEE Specialty Recruitment pages.
Practice mock interviews and keep track of specialty-specific requirements.
âś… Tips for MSRA Preparation
Register early for the MSRA once invited. Slots fill up quickly.
MSRA includes Professional Dilemmas (50%)Â and Clinical Problem Solving (50%).
Use practice resources like the GMC Good Medical Practice, MSRA question banks, and previous papers.
Consider dedicated prep platforms (e.g., TuringMedSchool’s MSRA AI flashcards and Question Bank).
đź“Ś Whether you're aiming for CT1, ST1, or ST3 level posts, preparation and awareness of these timelines can give you a strong head start. Share this blog with your colleagues, and best of luck in your applications!
For more information, please check out this official NHS recruitment webpage:
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