Cardiology fellowship 2026: how to plan your application year
A practical timeline for applicants who want to start a cardiology subspecialty fellowship, built around checks you can verify with each programme.
Work backwards from the start date
Decide when you want training to begin, then count backwards. Many programmes recruit a year or more ahead, some through a national match and others by direct application or a society grant. The 2026 label on a search result can describe the cycle that has just closed, so always confirm which start year the programme is recruiting for.
Pick the subspecialty before the country
Interventional, electrophysiology, advanced heart failure, structural, imaging, adult congenital and other tracks have different entry requirements and different ways of counting experience. Choosing the subspecialty first narrows the programmes worth reading and shows you which prerequisites you still need.
Build a shortlist you can defend
Use the directory to collect six to ten profiles across more than one country, then open each official page. For every programme write down the base training required, the stated duration, the application route, the deadline and whether international applicants are mentioned. A field the source does not state is unknown, not waived.
Separate the application from the permission to train
Being accepted by a hospital does not by itself give you the right to practise there. Registration, licensing, visa and indemnity are usually separate processes with their own lead times. Start them as early as the programme or the regulator allows, and ask the programme who arranges what.
Keep funding questions in writing
A programme may be fully funded, partly funded, or open only to candidates with their own scholarship or sponsor. Ask for the current terms in writing and compare them with the cost of living in the destination city. A directory entry about a past cycle does not guarantee the same terms.
Re-check before you apply
Dates and eligibility change between cycles. Before submitting, reopen the official page, read the instructions again and note the deadline time zone. If anything differs from what this directory records, trust the official page and tell us so we can correct the profile.