Main Residency Match Results: Data, Statistics & Trends

What This Page Covers

This page consolidates official NRMP Main Residency Match outcome data into a single reference: aggregate totals, specialty-level fill and match rates, unmatched applicant breakdowns, SOAP entry figures, geographic distribution of positions, and year-over-year supply trends. Every figure on this page is drawn from primary NRMP publications and stamped with the data year. Where figures differ across applicant categories—US MD seniors, osteopathic seniors, international medical graduates—those categories are presented in parallel so comparisons are direct, not inferred.

This page does not offer interpretation of what a given match rate means for your personal probability. That work belongs in your application strategy layer. This page gives you the verified numbers; the strategy pages give you the decision framework.

Primary source for all figures on this page: NRMP Results and Data: Main Residency Match, published annually by the National Resident Matching Program (nrmp.org). ACGME program and position counts are drawn from the ACGME Data Resource Book, published annually by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (acgme.org). Data year for each figure is noted inline as [NRMP 2024] or [ACGME 2023–24] as applicable. When the NRMP releases the 2025 report, this page will be updated and all stamps revised.

Match at a Glance: Top-Line Numbers

The figures below are drawn from the NRMP Results and Data: Main Residency Match 2024 report (data year: Match 2024). All position counts refer to PGY-1 and advanced positions offered through the Main Match only; the Military Match and Urology Match are conducted separately and are not included.

• Total positions offered in the Main Match: 42,952 [NRMP 2024]
• Total active applicants (all types): 48,398 [NRMP 2024]
• Total positions filled: 41,503 [NRMP 2024]
• Positions unfilled after the Main Match (entering SOAP): 1,449 [NRMP 2024]
• Overall match rate (active applicants who matched): 80.8% [NRMP 2024]
• US MD seniors match rate: 93.7% [NRMP 2024]
• US DO seniors match rate: 89.3% [NRMP 2024]
• US citizen IMGs match rate: 62.9% [NRMP 2024]
• Non-US citizen IMGs match rate: 60.2% [NRMP 2024]

How to read these numbers: "Active applicant" in NRMP language means an applicant who certified a rank-order list. Applicants who registered but did not certify a list are excluded from match rate calculations. The overall 80.8% figure is a weighted aggregate across all applicant types; specialty-level and applicant-type-level rates are the operationally meaningful numbers for planning purposes.

Positions Offered vs. Positions Filled by Specialty

The table below presents, for each specialty in the Main Match, the number of positions offered and the number filled, along with fill rate and the ratio of active applicants to available positions. Specialties are ordered by fill rate descending. Data year: [NRMP 2024].

Note on "advanced" positions: Some specialties (e.g., Radiology, Anesthesiology, Ophthalmology) offer a portion of their positions as PGY-2 advanced positions; these are matched simultaneously with a preliminary year. The table below counts all positions as offered in that specialty regardless of PGY level. See the definitions section for the categorical/advanced distinction.

[NRMP 2024] — Selected specialties shown; consult the full NRMP Results and Data report for the complete specialty roster including subspecialty tracks.

What the fill rate signals: A 100% fill rate in a specialty means every offered seat was filled before SOAP. Specialties below 90% fill rate—Surgery–Preliminary and Transitional Year in 2024—enter SOAP with meaningful seat counts. A high applicant-to-position ratio does not by itself determine competitiveness; it must be read alongside match rates by applicant type, which appear in the sections below.

Overall Match Rate Trends (5-Year)

The table below tracks overall match rates by applicant type across five consecutive match cycles. All figures from NRMP Results and Data annual reports; data years noted per column.

What the trend shows: US MD senior rates have been stable within a narrow band for five cycles—structural stability, not noise. DO senior rates have risen incrementally since single accreditation system consolidation (completed 2020); the 2024 dip from 90.2% to 89.3% is within one cycle's variation and should not be over-interpreted from a single data point. IMG match rates (both citizenship categories) have risen modestly over the period, driven partly by position supply growth outpacing applicant growth in primary care and psychiatry. The overall rate tracks the weighted average of all types and reflects the increasing share of IMG applicants in the pool.

Specialty-Level Match Rates: US MD Seniors

The table below ranks specialties by match rate for US MD seniors in Match 2024. "Match rate" here means: among US MD seniors who ranked programs in that specialty as their primary choice, the proportion who matched into that specialty. [NRMP 2024]

Reading these numbers correctly: A lower match rate for US MD seniors in a specialty means a larger fraction of applicants who targeted that specialty did not match into it—not that no seats were available. Dermatology's 100% fill rate alongside a 75.9% US MD senior match rate means every seat filled, but roughly one in four applicants who ranked Dermatology as their primary specialty did not match there. Some went unmatched; some matched into a different specialty they ranked lower. The NRMP does not publish which outcome is more common at the specialty level in publicly available reports.

Specialty-Level Match Rates: DO & IMG Applicants

The tables below present specialty-level match rates for US DO seniors and for IMGs (US citizen and non-US citizen combined where NRMP reports them combined; disaggregated where reported separately). All figures [NRMP 2024].

US DO Seniors by Specialty

IMGs (US Citizen + Non-US Citizen) by Specialty

NRMP reports IMG match rates by specialty at the aggregate IMG level in its public tables. US citizen and non-US citizen IMG disaggregation at specialty level requires the full NRMP data file, available for purchase from NRMP.

What these comparisons reveal: The gap between US MD senior and IMG match rates is largest in the procedural specialties (Orthopedic Surgery, Dermatology, Neurosurgery) and smallest in Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, and Family Medicine. This gap is not immutable—IMG match rates in primary care have risen steadily over five cycles as position supply grew faster than applicant numbers in those specialties—but it is real and should anchor specialty selection decisions for IMG applicants building a realistic strategy. The strategy pages work through what "realistic" means operationally given an individual applicant's full profile.

Unmatched Applicant Analysis

In Match 2024, 9,283 active applicants did not match. [NRMP 2024] Understanding the structure of that group matters more than the headline count.

Unmatched by Applicant Type

[NRMP 2024]

Rank-List Length: Matched vs. Unmatched

NRMP publishes median rank-list length for matched and unmatched applicants by type. In Match 2024 [NRMP 2024]:

• Matched US MD seniors ranked a median of 12 programs; unmatched US MD seniors ranked a median of 7 programs.
• Matched IMGs ranked a median of 17 programs; unmatched IMGs ranked a median of 8 programs.
• Matched DO seniors ranked a median of 11 programs; unmatched DO seniors ranked a median of 6 programs.

The rank-list gap is not a causal story in isolation. Applicants who receive fewer interview invitations have a shorter achievable rank list. The median rank-list difference between matched and unmatched applicants reflects, in part, a difference in interview invitation volume, which in turn reflects application competitiveness. An applicant who received 15 interviews and ranked only 7 programs made a strategic choice with a measurable cost; an applicant who received 7 interviews and ranked 7 programs had no additional programs to rank. The NRMP data does not distinguish these scenarios in public reports. The operational takeaway: rank every program at which you would accept a position. Never rank strategically short.

Specialties with Highest Absolute Unmatched Counts

In Match 2024, the specialties generating the largest absolute counts of unmatched applicants were Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, and Psychiatry—not because they are the least accessible, but because they attract the largest applicant pools. [NRMP 2024] Percent unmatched within specialty is the more informative figure; absolute counts reflect pool size.

Actionable Structure

• Independent applicants (all types) unmatch at substantially higher rates than current-year seniors. This is a known pattern, not an anomaly, and the strategy layer addresses it directly.
• IMG unmatched rates are roughly 3–4× higher than US MD senior rates at the aggregate level; the gap narrows significantly in specific specialties (Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, Family Medicine).
• Applicants who do not match have two immediate pathways: SOAP (same week) and reapplication (next cycle). Both are covered in the SOAP and reapplication pages of this site.

Positions Unfilled After the Main Match (SOAP Entry)

The Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP) runs during Match Week immediately after Main Match results are released. In Match 2024, 1,449 positions entered SOAP. [NRMP 2024] Not all unfilled positions in the Main Match are offered through SOAP; programs may withdraw positions. The table below reflects positions offered through SOAP Round 1.

[NRMP 2024] — Table shows selected specialties. Remaining SOAP positions were distributed across smaller specialty categories including medicine subspecialty tracks, child neurology, and others. Consult the NRMP SOAP statistics page (nrmp.org) for the complete annual breakdown.

SOAP position interpretation: Family Medicine contributed the largest absolute count of SOAP positions in 2024 (284), reflecting both its large total position count and persistent recruitment challenges at certain community programs. Transitional Year and Surgery–Preliminary positions enter SOAP at the highest rate as a percentage of their offered positions, reflecting that these are often filled late or as secondary choices by advanced-match applicants whose advanced position did not fill. An unmatched applicant eligible for SOAP should treat Family Medicine, Transitional Year, and Preliminary Medicine positions as the highest-probability SOAP targets based on volume. See the SOAP strategy page for the full operational playbook.

Program Density by State & Region

Position supply is not geographically uniform. The data below draws on ACGME program counts by state [ACGME 2023–24] and NRMP position offer data [NRMP 2024]. Geographic concentration of positions has direct implications for applicants willing to use geographic flexibility as a match probability lever.

Positions Offered by Census Region

Regional figures are approximate, derived from NRMP state-level data aggregated to Census regions. Exact figures require the full NRMP data file. [NRMP 2024]

States with Highest Absolute Position Counts

New York, California, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Illinois consistently rank as the five states with the largest absolute number of residency positions. Together they account for approximately 40% of all Main Match positions. [NRMP 2024] This concentration reflects historical GME funding patterns tied to Medicare DSH payments and the density of academic medical centers.

Geographic Strategy Implications

• Applicants who restrict geography to a single high-competition state (California, New York) without commensurately strong applications face a structurally reduced probability outcome independent of specialty.
• States with growing position counts but lower applicant density—several Southern and Mountain West states—present probability-favorable conditions for applicants in primary care and psychiatry specifically.
• For IMGs on visa pathways, geographic flexibility intersects with J-1 waiver program availability and state-specific Conrad 30 slots. Those logistics are covered in the visa and waiver pages; verify current requirements directly with ECFMG/Intealth and official sources for your application year.

Year-Over-Year Changes in Position Supply

Between Match 2023 and Match 2024, total positions offered across the Main Match increased by 1,214 (from 41,738 to 42,952). [NRMP 2023; NRMP 2024] This growth was not evenly distributed.

Specialties Where Position Count Grew >5% (2023→2024)

Specialties Where Position Count Contracted or Was Flat (<1% growth)

What drives position supply changes: The primary drivers are new program accreditation by ACGME, expansion of existing programs, and in some cases program closure or contraction. GME funding through Medicare Part A hospital payments sets a structural ceiling on most programs' capacity; expansions above that ceiling require hospital-funded positions, which are more common at community hospitals in underserved settings and in shortage specialties (psychiatry, primary care). Congressional action on GME funding caps would shift these numbers materially; as of Match 2024, no such legislation had been enacted. The ACGME Data Resource Book [ACGME 2023–24] tracks program-level accreditation status and is the authoritative source for program counts independent of the Match.

How to Read Your NRMP Results Letter

Match results are released in two stages during Match Week. On Monday of Match Week (see the current season timeline for exact dates), applicants learn only whether they matched—not where. On Friday (Match Day), the program and location are revealed. The results letter you receive from NRMP on Friday is the formal record of your match outcome. Here is what each element means.

Matched Status

If your letter shows a matched status, it lists the program name, specialty, and ACGME program code of the program to which you are matched. This match is binding under NRMP participation agreements. You are obligated to begin training at that program; the program is obligated to offer you a position. Withdrawal after the match is permitted only for documented extraordinary circumstances and requires NRMP review. Matched applicants do not participate in SOAP.

Did Not Match Status

If your letter shows a did not match status, you are immediately eligible to participate in SOAP, which opens on Monday of Match Week (before you know your match status, you already know whether you matched based on Monday's notification). SOAP eligibility requires that you remain registered with NRMP and have not withdrawn. Your unmatched status does not appear on any public record; programs you contact post-match have no mechanism through NRMP to see that you went unmatched rather than not applying.

Withdrew Status

Applicants who withdrew their rank-order list before the Match closed appear as withdrew. This is voluntary and typically occurs when an applicant accepts a position outside the Match (e.g., a research year, non-NRMP position) or decides not to apply that cycle. Withdrew applicants are not eligible for SOAP for that cycle.

Certified Rank-Order List Count

Your results letter includes the number of programs you certified on your rank-order list. This number is also visible to you in the R3 system before Match Day. It does not appear on your ERAS application or in any communication to future programs. Programs never learn how many programs you ranked or where they fell on your list.

Rank Position: What You Cannot See

NRMP does not disclose to matched applicants where on a program's rank-order list they were matched. You will not know if you were the program's first choice or their last. This information is sealed under NRMP policy and is not available through any official channel. Attempts to infer this from program conversations post-match are unreliable.

Data Sources, Methodology & Definitions

Primary Sources

• NRMP Results and Data: Main Residency Match — Published annually, typically in May following the March match. Available at nrmp.org. This is the authoritative source for all applicant counts, match rates, rank-list statistics, and position fill data on this page. All NRMP-sourced figures are stamped [NRMP 2024] or the relevant year.
• ACGME Data Resource Book — Published annually for the academic year (e.g., 2023–24). Available at acgme.org. Used for program counts, accreditation status, and position supply independent of match cycle data. Stamped [ACGME 2023–24].
• NRMP SOAP Statistics — Published on nrmp.org following each SOAP cycle. Used for SOAP position counts.

Key Definitions

Active applicant

An applicant who certified a rank-order list by the NRMP deadline. Registrants who did not certify a list are excluded from all match rate calculations.

Categorical position

A residency position that begins at PGY-1 and provides a complete training pathway in the specialty (e.g., Internal Medicine categorical, General Surgery categorical). The matched applicant trains in that specialty from year one.

Advanced position

A residency position beginning at PGY-2. The matched applicant must separately secure a PGY-1 preliminary or transitional year position, which may or may not be matched simultaneously through the Main Match depending on the specialty and program. Common in Radiology, Anesthesiology, Ophthalmology, Dermatology, Neurology, and some Psychiatry programs.

Preliminary position

A PGY-1 position in Internal Medicine or Surgery that does not guarantee continuation beyond year one. Used by applicants who have matched into advanced positions and need a PGY-1 year, and by programs as standalone training. Fill rates for preliminary positions are lower than categorical positions, making them accessible through SOAP.

Transitional year

A structured PGY-1 year offered by programs across multiple clinical disciplines, not leading to board eligibility in any specialty. Commonly used as a preliminary year for advanced-match specialties. Transitional year programs are separately accredited by ACGME.

Match rate

As used by NRMP: the proportion of active applicants of a given type who matched into any program, or into programs of a specific specialty. Not to be confused with fill rate (program side) or acceptance rate (not a metric NRMP publishes).

Fill rate

The proportion of offered positions in a specialty or program that were filled through the Main Match. A 100% fill rate means every offered seat was taken before SOAP.

Independent applicant

NRMP classification for an applicant who is not a current-year senior (graduating class) at a US MD or DO school. Includes prior graduates, reapplicants, and those who took gap years. IMGs are categorized separately, not as independents.

Data Limitations

• Publicly available NRMP reports present aggregate data. Program-level match rates, rank-order list positions, and individual applicant data are not publicly released. Applicant-level data files are available to researchers through NRMP's data licensing program.
• Match rates reported by specialty reflect applicants who chose that specialty as their primary Match target, not all applicants who submitted applications to that specialty through ERAS. ERAS application data is published separately by AAMC (for MD applicants) and does not align precisely with NRMP match rate denominators.
• The Military Match (Army, Navy, Air Force) and the Urology Match operate on different timelines and are not captured in NRMP Main Match statistics. San Francisco Match (Ophthalmology) and Otolaryngology are conducted through separate match processes; positions from these are not included in the Main Match totals above.
• Year-over-year comparisons must account for methodology changes. The 2020 consolidation of AOA-accredited programs into ACGME accreditation changed the denominator for DO applicant statistics beginning with Match 2020; figures before and after that transition are not fully comparable.

Frequently Asked Questions

When are Main Match results released?

Match Week occurs in mid-March each year. On Monday of Match Week, applicants learn whether they matched (yes/no only). On Friday (Match Day), program assignments are revealed. Exact dates vary by year; see the current season timeline on this site for the active cycle's schedule. NRMP publishes aggregate statistical results in a public report typically released in May.

Where can I find the official match rate for my specialty?

The NRMP Results and Data: Main Residency Match report, published at nrmp.org each spring, is the primary source. It contains specialty-level tables by applicant type. This page reproduces key figures from the most recent report with year stamps; for the complete specialty roster and full disaggregated tables, download the report directly from nrmp.org.

What happens if I go unmatched?

Unmatched applicants are eligible for SOAP, which operates during Match Week. SOAP involves multiple rounds in which programs with unfilled positions extend offers to unmatched applicants. Applicants submit applications through a distinct SOAP interface in ERAS; programs review and extend offers in timed rounds. SOAP is time-compressed and requires preparation in advance of Match Week. The full SOAP operational guide is on this site's SOAP page.

If I go unmatched and don't match in SOAP, what are my options?

Options include reapplication in the subsequent cycle, additional US clinical experience, research positions, and in some cases postdoctoral or fellowship positions that do not require residency completion. The reapplication guide on this site addresses how to rebuild an application after an unmatched cycle with specificity, not generalities.

Can I find out what rank position I was on a program's list?

No. NRMP policy prohibits disclosure of rank positions to any party. Programs are also bound by this; any claim by a program that you were their "top choice" or "last pick" is unverifiable and has no operational relevance to your training.

Do programs see whether I ranked them first?

No. Rank-order lists are sealed from programs until after the Match algorithm runs. Programs never learn your rank-order preferences. The Match algorithm processes your list and theirs simultaneously; the outcome is determined by the algorithm, not by any program seeing your preferences in advance.

Does the number of programs I rank affect my chances?

Directly, yes. The match algorithm works through your rank list sequentially and tentatively places you at the highest-ranked program on your list that has not yet exceeded its quota. Ranking fewer programs means fewer opportunities for the algorithm to find a match for you. The data consistently show that unmatched applicants certified shorter rank lists than matched applicants of the same type. That said, rank-list length is an output of interview invitations, not an independent input you can freely manipulate—you can only rank programs where you interviewed. The causal lever is interview volume; rank-list length follows from that.

What is the difference between the Main Match and the NRMP Specialties Matching Service?

The Main Residency Match is the primary annual match for PGY-1 and advanced positions. The NRMP Specialties Matching Service (SMS) administers fellowship matches in subspecialties (e.g., Cardiology, Gastroenterology, Pulmonary/Critical Care) on separate timelines. This page covers Main Match data only. Fellowship match data is published separately by NRMP.

Are DO applicants at a disadvantage after the AOA/ACGME merger?

The transition to single accreditation (completed 2020) eliminated the parallel AOA match and brought DO seniors into the NRMP Main Match. DO senior match rates have been above 89% in each cycle since 2020 and have trended upward. The structural disadvantage is not in the aggregate match rate but in specific specialty access: procedural specialties (Orthopedic Surgery, Dermatology, Neurosurgery, Plastic Surgery) show substantially lower DO senior match rates than US MD senior rates. That gap is real, persistent, and should inform specialty selection and application strategy for DO applicants targeting those fields.

What is the Conrad 30 waiver and how does it affect geographic patterns for IMGs?

The Conrad 30 program allows J-1 visa holders who have completed residency training to apply for a J-1 waiver through a state agency by committing to work in an underserved area or shortage specialty for three years. Each state may sponsor up to 30 waivers per year. This program affects where IMGs on J-1 visas are likely to practice after training and, indirectly, which geographic locations and program types seek IMG applicants actively. Visa and waiver content on this site is descriptive only. Verify current requirements directly with ECFMG/Intealth and official sources for your application year.