FOUNDATION SCHOOL GUIDE
Northern Ireland Foundation School hospitals
Northern Ireland Foundation School includes possible hospital locations across all five health and social care trust areas. Sites are distributed between Belfast and regional centres including Antrim, Derry, Newry and Enniskillen.
UKFP 2026 PRIMARY-ALLOCATION RATIO
0.79 first-choice applicants per programme- Programmes
- 387
- First choices
- 304
- After pre-allocation
- 0.78
A ratio above 1.00 means there were more first-choice applicants than programmes. It is a historical demand measure, not an individual probability of allocation.
Compare all 18 Foundation Schools across 2024–2026Possible hospital locations
The table lists the hospital sites currently shown for Northern Ireland. Availability can change between recruitment years, so confirm rotations in the live Oriel programme information before ranking.
| # | Hospital site | Town or area |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Victoria Hospital | Belfast |
| 2 | Belfast City Hospital | Belfast |
| 3 | Antrim Area Hospital | Antrim |
| 4 | Altnagelvin Area Hospital | Derry |
| 5 | Daisy Hill Hospital | Newry |
| 6 | South West Acute Hospital | Enniskillen |
| 7 | Ulster Hospital | Dundonald |
| 8 | Mater Hospital Belfast | Belfast |
| 9 | Causeway Hospital | Coleraine |
| 10 | Omagh Hospital | Omagh |
| 11 | Craigavon Area Hospital | Craigavon |
| 12 | Lagan Valley Hospital | Lisburn |
| 13 | Downe Hospital | Downpatrick |
SCHOOL-SPECIFIC ANALYSIS
What the mapped footprint shows
The largest repeated locality labels on the map are Belfast (3 sites). In total, 13 sites are distributed across 11 named towns or localities.
Northern Ireland recorded primary first-preference ratios of 0.66 in 2024, 0.85 in 2025 and 0.79 in 2026. The 2026 figure was higher than the 2024 figure. Across the three published cycles, the range was 0.66 to 0.85, illustrating why one year should not be treated as a forecast.
Questions to check for this school
- Which current programmes include the mapped sites, and in which training year?
- Are programmes divided into local groups that reduce travel across the full school footprint?
- Which locations would require a move, a car or travel outside normal public-transport hours?
- Have programme numbers or local allocation arrangements changed since the historic ratio was published?
How to use this information
This is an independent orientation resource. A mapped hospital is a possible location associated with the Foundation School, not a promise that a placement will be offered in every recruitment round. Use the official Foundation School and Oriel listings for final decisions.