SOAP Statistics: Match Week Scramble Data & Trends

What Is SOAP and Who Participates

The Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP) is the NRMP-administered process by which unfilled residency positions are offered to unmatched applicants during Match Week. It runs on a compressed schedule of discrete application rounds, all occurring after the main Match algorithm has run but before Match results are officially released to the public. Positions offered through SOAP are binding in the same way as main Match positions.

SOAP is not a second-chance lottery. It is a structured, time-pressured competitive process with its own applicant pool, its own position inventory, and its own fill dynamics that differ substantially from the main Match. Understanding those differences before Match Week is what separates applicants who place efficiently from those who misread the process under pressure.

Eligibility to Participate

To be SOAP-eligible, an applicant must have registered with the NRMP for the current Match cycle and must not have matched or withdrawn. This includes applicants who:

• Did not receive any interview invitations and submitted a rank order list
• Submitted a rank order list but did not match to any ranked program
• Were certified by the NRMP and remain active in the system at the time SOAP opens

Applicants who failed to certify a rank order list by the deadline, or who withdrew before the Match ran, are not eligible. Programs with unfilled positions must also formally opt in to SOAP; not every unfilled position enters the pool. See the current season timeline for the certification and SOAP window dates applicable to your cycle.

How SOAP Differs from the Main Match

In the main Match, applicants and programs submit ranked preference lists and a centralized algorithm produces a stable, applicant-optimal assignment. In SOAP, programs review applications and extend offers directly in a sequence of constrained rounds. Applicants can hold one offer per round while reviewing others, then must accept or reject before the round closes. The process compresses weeks of recruitment into roughly 36 to 48 hours. Speed, geographic flexibility, and application volume matter in ways they do not in the main Match.

SOAP by the Numbers: Latest Cycle Overview

Data source: NRMP Results and Data: Main Residency Match and NRMP SOAP Outcome Data, 2024 cycle (data year 2024). All figures below are drawn from those official NRMP publications. Retrieve current-year figures directly from nrmp.org as updated reports become available.

In the 2024 Match cycle, approximately 4,000 positions entered SOAP unfilled across all participating specialties. The exact count shifts year to year depending on the size of the applicant pool, specialty-level supply-demand balance, and late program withdrawals. Against those positions, the NRMP certified several thousand SOAP-eligible applicants—the ratio of applicants to available positions is consistently greater than 1:1, meaning competition is real and position type matters greatly. (2024 NRMP SOAP Outcome Data)

SOAP runs in three applicant-facing rounds, with a program ranking phase preceding Round 1. Each round has a fixed open and close time. The overall proportion of SOAP positions that fill across all three rounds has historically exceeded 80 percent of the entering unfilled inventory, though specialty-level fill rates vary dramatically. (2024 NRMP SOAP Outcome Data)

The single most important aggregate fact for applicants entering SOAP: the majority of positions that will fill do so in Round 1. By the time Round 3 opens, available inventory is substantially reduced, and many of the remaining positions are in programs or locations with lower applicant demand—not because they are inferior training environments, but because geographic flexibility and specialty flexibility are unevenly distributed across the applicant pool.

Unfilled Positions by Specialty

Source: NRMP SOAP Outcome Data, 2024 cycle. Figures represent positions entering SOAP, not positions ultimately filled.

The table below reflects the specialties with the largest unfilled position counts entering SOAP in the 2024 cycle. Internal medicine and its preliminary tracks consistently contribute the largest absolute volume. Family medicine follows. Psychiatry, neurology, and pathology appear regularly. Highly competitive surgical subspecialties and programs in major metropolitan markets rarely appear in meaningful numbers.

Because the NRMP releases specialty-level SOAP data in its annual reports, applicants preparing ahead of Match Week should download the most recent SOAP Outcome Data file from nrmp.org and sort the specialty table themselves. The distribution shifts meaningfully from year to year, and strategy built on two-year-old specialty data is unreliable.

What the table does not show: program quality, location, accreditation status, or whether positions became unfilled due to structural program issues versus ordinary supply-demand mismatch. A position being in SOAP is not itself a signal about program quality. Many strong programs in less competitive markets enter SOAP every cycle.

Applicant Pool: Who Competes in SOAP

Source: NRMP Results and Data 2024, Supplemental tables on SOAP-eligible applicants.

The SOAP-eligible applicant pool in any cycle is not a homogeneous group. It contains applicants across every training background, and the mix matters for how you interpret your own competitive position within it.

Composition by Applicant Category (2024)

• US MD seniors: Represent a small fraction of the SOAP-eligible pool. Most US MD seniors who submit a certified rank order list match in the main Match. Those who do not typically had very short rank lists or applied to highly competitive specialties exclusively.
• US DO seniors: Present in larger proportions than US MD seniors since the full merger of osteopathic and allopathic matches. Volume fluctuates with applicant behavior in the combined system.
• Non-US IMGs: Consistently the largest category in the SOAP-eligible pool, reflecting both the size of the IMG applicant pool and the structural competitiveness disadvantage that persists in the main Match for this group. (2024 NRMP Results and Data)
• US IMGs: Present in significant numbers; tend to occupy a competitive position between non-US IMGs and DO applicants depending on credentials, elapsed time since graduation, and Step score profile.
• Previous graduates (all categories): Reapplicants, graduates with gaps, and applicants from earlier cohorts are distributed across all the above categories. They are not a separate NRMP classification but are identifiable in the data by graduation year.

The practical implication: in most SOAP specialty pools, non-US IMGs compete against each other in the largest numbers, and programs with geographic or credentialing constraints will preference applicants who can start without visa processing delays. This is a structural fact, not a judgment about applicant quality. Applicants who understand it can apply more strategically—targeting programs in states with shorter visa and licensing timelines, or programs that have a documented history of sponsoring J-1 or H-1B visas.

Verify current visa and work authorization requirements directly with ECFMG/Intealth and official sources for your application year.

SOAP Match Rates by Applicant Type

Source: NRMP Results and Data, 2024 and prior cycles. Match rate figures are percentage of SOAP-eligible applicants in each category who matched through SOAP.

SOAP match rates differ substantially by applicant type, and the gap is consistent across cycles.

2024 SOAP Match Rates by Category (2024 NRMP Results and Data)

• US MD seniors: SOAP match rates for this group are the highest of any category, exceeding the overall SOAP average. The small number of US MD seniors in SOAP means the rate is computed over a narrow base, but the directional signal is consistent with main Match dynamics: US MD credentials remain preferentially selected when available. (2024 NRMP Results and Data)
• US DO seniors: Match rates in SOAP are lower than US MD seniors but higher than non-US IMGs. The range has been variable since full merger integration. (2024 NRMP Results and Data)
• US IMGs: Match rates sit between DO seniors and non-US IMGs on average, with meaningful variance by specialty and region. (2024 NRMP Results and Data)
• Non-US IMGs: Lowest SOAP match rates of any category. This reflects both pool size (larger denominator) and program selection behavior under time pressure. (2024 NRMP Results and Data)

Five-Year Trend

Across the 2020–2024 cycles, total unfilled positions entering SOAP have increased modestly in absolute terms, tracking growth in overall Match participation. SOAP match rates for non-US IMGs have remained relatively stable rather than improving, meaning increased position volume has been roughly absorbed by increased applicant volume in this category. US MD SOAP match rates have remained high and stable. (NRMP Results and Data, 2020–2024 annual reports)

The pandemic cycle (2021) showed anomalous position counts and fill rates due to late program additions and applicant behavior changes. It is appropriately discounted in trend analysis.

What this means operationally: If you are a non-US IMG entering SOAP, the aggregate match rate for your category is the floor-level expectation, not the ceiling. Individual credentials—particularly Step scores, research productivity, US clinical experience, and Letters of Recommendation from US-based faculty—shift your probability within the category distribution. Applying broadly across geographies and to specialties where your profile is competitive increases the probability of a Round 1 offer.

Round-by-Round Fill Data

Source: NRMP SOAP Outcome Data, 2024 cycle.

SOAP operates in three rounds. Understanding how the position inventory depletes across rounds is the single most important tactical input for Match Week planning.

Round 1

The majority of SOAP positions that ultimately fill are offered and accepted in Round 1. In the 2024 cycle, Round 1 accounted for the largest share of total SOAP matches across virtually every specialty with meaningful position volume. (2024 NRMP SOAP Outcome Data) Programs receive applications simultaneously from all eligible applicants, rank whom they want, and extend offers in Round 1 before any other round opens. Applicants who submit early within the application window, present competitive credentials for the specialty in question, and apply to a broad set of programs are most likely to receive a Round 1 offer.

Round 2

By Round 2, available inventory is substantially reduced. Programs filling in Round 2 are those that either did not extend offers in Round 1 to sufficient applicants, had offers rejected, or entered SOAP late. The applicant pool competing for Round 2 positions is composed of applicants who received no Round 1 offer or who declined a Round 1 offer (rare, but it occurs when an applicant holds out for a preferred specialty). (2024 NRMP SOAP Outcome Data)

Round 3

Round 3 positions represent the residual inventory after two competitive rounds. Position volume is substantially lower. The applicants still eligible in Round 3 are those who received no offer in Rounds 1 or 2. This round tends to favor applicants with broad geographic willingness and flexibility on specialty, because the remaining positions are often in locations or tracks with lower demand. (2024 NRMP SOAP Outcome Data)

Practical Implication

Every round you do not match in represents a material reduction in your remaining options. Waiting to apply selectively, declining a Round 1 offer in hopes of a Round 2 preference, or under-applying relative to your total eligibility increases the probability of exiting SOAP without a position. The data support maximum early application volume within specialties where you meet competitive thresholds, not selective targeting of your top three programs.

Specialties Most Accessible via SOAP

Source: NRMP SOAP Outcome Data, 2020–2024 cycles. "Accessible" defined as favorable applicant-to-available-position ratio relative to other SOAP specialties.

Across recent cycles, internal medicine (categorical and preliminary combined) and family medicine have consistently offered the largest absolute position counts in SOAP, which translates to more opportunities in absolute terms even when applicant volume in those specialties is also high. Psychiatry and neurology have also shown consistent SOAP presence with moderately favorable applicant-to-position ratios relative to their applicant pool sizes.

Preliminary medicine and preliminary surgery positions are worth explicit attention. They are not categorical training pathways, but they fulfill a specific strategic function: they allow an applicant to enter residency, maintain clinical standing, accrue US graduate medical experience, and reapply in the subsequent cycle with a materially stronger application. Many IMGs and reapplicants have used a preliminary year in exactly this way. A preliminary match through SOAP is a real outcome with real value, not a consolation result.

Caveats

• Year-to-year variability in SOAP position counts by specialty is meaningful. A specialty with 200 unfilled positions in 2023 may have 120 in 2024 depending on the upstream main Match dynamics. Do not build strategy on a single prior year's specialty table.
• Applicant-to-position ratio is not the only input. Program-level selectivity within a specialty (based on Step scores, graduation year, visa status) can make a nominally accessible specialty functionally inaccessible for a given applicant's profile.
• Surgical subspecialty positions almost never appear in SOAP in meaningful numbers. Competitive specialties (dermatology, orthopedic surgery, plastic surgery, radiation oncology) are not realistic SOAP targets for the overwhelming majority of unmatched applicants.

Geographic Distribution of Unfilled Programs

Source: NRMP program-level Match data and SOAP Outcome Data, 2024 cycle. Geographic aggregations are approximate; NRMP reports program-level data but does not publish a dedicated regional SOAP geography report.

Unfilled programs in SOAP are not uniformly distributed across the US. Several patterns are consistent across cycles:

• Rural and semi-rural programs are disproportionately represented in SOAP relative to their share of total Match positions. Programs in smaller cities, non-coastal states, and geographically isolated training sites enter SOAP at higher rates because applicant rank lists skew heavily toward major metropolitan areas and academically prominent institutions. (NRMP program-level data, 2024)
• Major academic medical centers in large coastal cities rarely appear in SOAP and when they do, fill in Round 1 within minutes of the round opening. Treating these programs as SOAP targets is not a viable strategy for most applicants.
• Community programs in the Midwest, Southeast, and Mountain West have historically provided the largest share of SOAP-accessible positions relative to their regional applicant competition.
• States with shorter medical licensing timelines are structurally advantaged for IMGs in SOAP because programs can credential and start the applicant closer to the July 1 training start date.

The operational implication is direct: applicants who enter SOAP with a hard geographic constraint (must be in one city, cannot relocate) reduce their viable position inventory substantially—often by more than half. That constraint may be non-negotiable for personal reasons, and that is a legitimate input. But it should be a known, calculated reduction, not an unconsidered default.

If relocation is possible for a one-year period with the intent to reapply subsequently, the probability of a SOAP match increases materially. The data support treating geographic flexibility as a modifiable variable, not a fixed one.

Historical SOAP Trends: 2020–2024

Source: NRMP Results and Data and SOAP Outcome Data, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 annual reports. All figures are from official NRMP publications; retrieve primary documents at nrmp.org.

Total Unfilled Positions Entering SOAP

The total number of positions entering SOAP has grown modestly across the 2020–2024 period, broadly tracking the growth in total Match participation and the expansion of residency programs under ACGME accreditation. The increase is not dramatic year over year, but the five-year cumulative trend is upward. (NRMP Results and Data, 2020–2024)

Overall SOAP Fill Rate

The proportion of positions entering SOAP that ultimately fill through the program has remained above 80 percent in most cycles, indicating that the SOAP mechanism is effective at matching supply to demand at the aggregate level. However, this figure obscures specialty-level variance: some specialties approach 100 percent SOAP fill rates while others, particularly those with geographic or credentialing barriers for the available applicant pool, fill at substantially lower rates. (NRMP SOAP Outcome Data, 2020–2024)

Pandemic Cycle (2021) Annotation

The 2021 Match cycle was anomalous across multiple dimensions: late-breaking program additions, pandemic-related interview format changes, and shifts in applicant ranking behavior all affected SOAP position counts and fill dynamics. The 2021 data point is not reliably predictive and is appropriately treated as an outlier when constructing multi-year trend lines. (NRMP Results and Data 2021, methodology notes)

Applicant Pool Growth

SOAP-eligible applicant counts have also grown over the same period, meaning increased position volume has not translated into proportionally better odds for the average SOAP applicant. The ratio of applicants to positions has remained competitive throughout the window. The primary driver of improvement in individual SOAP outcomes is credential differentiation within applicant category, not overall pool expansion. (NRMP Results and Data, 2020–2024)

What a SOAP Match Means for Your Training Timeline

A position matched through SOAP is a standard ACGME-accredited residency position. The binding agreement is identical in structure to a main Match agreement. There is no programmatic distinction in how a SOAP-matched resident is credentialed, paid, supervised, or evaluated compared to a main Match-matched resident. The training is the training.

Start Date

SOAP matches follow the same July 1 start date as main Match positions in the overwhelming majority of cases. Preliminary positions matched through SOAP also start July 1. There is no training delay inherent to SOAP matching. (NRMP policies; confirm current-cycle start date on the season timeline page.)

Credentialing and Licensing

The compressed timeline between SOAP match and July 1 creates a credentialing and licensing acceleration requirement, particularly for IMGs who need state medical license applications processed and ECFMG certification confirmed. Applicants should initiate or complete all credentialing documents before Match Week—not after receiving a SOAP offer. Waiting until after a SOAP match to begin licensing paperwork creates a meaningful risk of delayed start or offer complications.

Verify current requirements directly with ECFMG/Intealth and official sources for your application year.

Reapplication from a SOAP Position

Applicants who match through SOAP into a preliminary position and intend to reapply in the subsequent cycle should confirm their program's policy on interview leave during the application season. This varies by program and is not governed by a universal ACGME rule. Negotiate any needed flexibility at the time of offer acceptance, not mid-year.

Interpreting These Statistics for Your Strategy

Statistics describe distributions. Your outcome is a single draw from a distribution that you have partial ability to shift through preparation and execution. The following translates aggregate SOAP data into decision inputs.

Application Volume

The NRMP does not prescribe an application number for SOAP. Applicants who apply to more programs within a specialty where they meet basic eligibility criteria receive more offers on average. In a time-compressed, first-come-first-served process, applying to 30 eligible programs dominates applying to five preferred programs in expected outcomes. The marginal cost of an additional SOAP application is low; the marginal benefit is non-trivial. Apply broadly within realistic specialty and credential-eligibility boundaries.

Specialty Prioritization

Rank your SOAP specialty targets by three inputs in combination: (1) position volume in recent cycles, (2) your credential competitiveness within that specialty's typical SOAP applicant pool, and (3) your geographic flexibility to cover the types of programs that enter SOAP in that specialty. A specialty with 300 unfilled positions where your Step scores and training background are below the median applicant is not necessarily better than a specialty with 80 unfilled positions where you are competitive in the upper quartile.

Step Scores and SOAP Competitiveness

Programs reviewing SOAP applications under time pressure default to quick screening criteria. Step 1 and Step 2 CK scores are the most commonly applied rapid filter, particularly in the first hour of Round 1. An applicant with a score above a program's informal cutoff will be reviewed; one below may not be, regardless of other credentials. This creates a non-linear relationship between Step score improvement and SOAP outcomes—scores near common threshold values have outsized importance. This is a factual description of how programs behave under time pressure, not an endorsement of score-based gatekeeping.

Holding Offers

SOAP rules permit applicants to hold one offer per round while evaluating others within the round window. The decision calculus for holding versus accepting a Round 1 offer depends on: how many programs you applied to, what alternative programs remain likely to offer you, what the Round 1 position offers in terms of specialty and location relative to your priorities, and the objective probability that a better Round 2 option will materialize. In most cases, the probability of a Round 2 offer for an applicant who already has a Round 1 offer in hand is lower than it appears from inside the experience of receiving that first offer. The data on Round 2 position volume support accepting a solid Round 1 offer in most scenarios.

Official Sources and Methodology Notes

All quantitative claims on this page are drawn from the following official NRMP publications. Applicants should retrieve primary documents directly and verify figures for the current application cycle, as this page will not be updated in real time.

• NRMP Results and Data: Main Residency Match, 2024 Edition. Published annually by the National Resident Matching Program. Contains aggregate and applicant-type-level SOAP outcome tables. Available at nrmp.org. (Data year: 2024)
• NRMP SOAP Outcome Data, 2024. Supplemental report containing round-by-round fill counts, specialty-level position counts, and overall SOAP fill rates. Available at nrmp.org. (Data year: 2024)
• NRMP Results and Data, 2020–2023 Editions. Used for multi-year trend analysis. All five cycles individually reviewed; 2021 treated as anomalous per the pandemic annotation above.
• AAMC Data and Reports. Referenced for applicant pool composition context. Available at aamc.org.

Methodology Limitations

• NRMP publishes aggregate and category-level SOAP data. Program-level SOAP performance data (which specific programs fill, which do not, by what credential profiles) is not publicly reported in the SOAP outcome documents. Program-level inferences on this page are based on reported regional and specialty aggregates, not program-specific data.
• Applicant-to-position ratios referenced in this page are computed from separately reported applicant counts and position counts in NRMP publications. The NRMP does not publish a single ratio figure; these are derived calculations.
• Geographic distribution analysis is inferred from NRMP program-level Match data and specialty-level SOAP reports. A dedicated SOAP geography dataset is not published by the NRMP as of the 2024 report cycle.
• Match rates for applicant subcategories (e.g., reapplicants within IMG category) are not separately reported by the NRMP. Category-level rates are the finest granularity available in public data.
• This page was written using data available as of the 2024 NRMP report cycle. Figures should be confirmed against the most current published NRMP data before use in application-year planning.