# Intro to the Match Process

## Matching Services

Four matching services exist for ACGME-accredited programs in the United States:

* [National Resident Matching Program<sup>®</sup>](http://www.nrmp.org/) (NRMP<sup>®</sup>). Administers the Main Residency Match<sup>®</sup> and matching programs for various fellowships.
* [San Francisco Match](https://www.sfmatch.org/). The matching and application service for ophthalmology, some positions in plastic surgery, and various fellowships.
* [Urology Residency Matching Program](https://www.auanet.org/meetings-and-education/for-residents/urology-and-specialty-matches). The matching service for urology operated by the American Urological Association.
* [Military Match](https://www.medicineandthemilitary.com/officer-and-medical-training/residency-and-match-day). Uses the Joint Service Graduate Medical Education Selection Board for Army, Air Force, and Navy residency positions.

Residency programs in Canada accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) and the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) participate in the matching service

* [Canadian Resident Matching Service](https://www.carms.ca/) (CaRMS). The application and matching service for Canadian programs for all graduating and prior year graduates from Canadian, American, and international medical schools who meet the basic eligibility criteria.

Most students participate in the **NRMP Main Residency Match,** the largest of the residency match programs. Most residency applicants must apply directly to residency programs through ERAS in addition to registering with the NRMP for the Main Residency Match and any other match service. The San Francisco Match includes an application service, so verify their process if you plan to participate. Registering for the Match is not the same as registering for ERAS or ResidencyCAS. You must do both!

### Process

After applying and interviewing for residency, you’ll review your notes, decide which programs are most attractive, and compile a rank order list (ROL). Concurrently, residency programs are reviewing, selecting, and ranking applicants for their ROL. Applicants and program directors then submit their ROLs to the match, and a computer algorithm matches applicants to the highest program on their list that has, in turn, ranked the applicant.

### Matching as part of a couple

The NRMP allows students to participate in the Match [as a couple](http://www.nrmp.org/match-process/couples-in-the-match/). Each partner enrolls individually in the Match and notifies the NRMP of their desire to participate with a partner. The student couples form pairs of choices on their primary ROLs, which are then considered in rank order in the Match. The computer algorithm matches the couple to the most preferred pair of programs on their ROLs where each partner has been offered a position.

Couples can mix specialties, program types, and geographic locations. The match rate for couples has been greater than 90 percent since 1987, a rate comparable to the match rate for all U.S. MD seniors. [1](https://careersinmedicine.aamc.org/prepare-residency/overview-match-process#footnote-1) Applying as a couple should not influence program directors' selection decisions, but there is some strategy to consider to increase your chances of matching to your preferred programs.

### Timeline

You’ll register for one or more matches in the beginning of your fourth year. The San Francisco, urology, and military match are early match programs. The military match occurs earliest, with match results announced in December. The deadlines for the remaining early match programs usually occur in early January, with results announced mid-January.

Rank order lists for the NRMP Main Residency Match can be submitted to the [Registering, Ranking and Results (R3) system](https://r3.nrmp.org/manageRegistration?execution=e1s1) as early as mid-January, with final certification of your list due by late February and the match occurring in mid-March. Once you've submitted your list, there's little to do but wait for the results.

Early in Match Week (generally, the third week of March), students learn whether they matched (but are not yet told to which program) by accessing the NRMP’s Registration, Ranking, and Results system.&#x20;

Students who do not match to a program on their rank order list then can participate in the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program<sup>®</sup> (SOAP<sup>®</sup>), which consumes most of the rest of Match Week. Match Day, Friday of Match Week, is when applicants learn the program to which program they matched. Here's a detailed timeline of the [NRMP Match Week and SOAP schedule](http://www.nrmp.org/match-week-soap-applicants/).

### Match results

Worried about matching? Take heart. Around 93 percent of U.S. MD seniors match each year. [1](https://careersinmedicine.aamc.org/prepare-residency/overview-match-process#footnote-1) If, despite your best efforts you don't match, examine your options carefully and discuss possibilities with your student affairs office. [Find-a-Resident](https://students-residents.aamc.org/findaresident/findaresident) is a year-round search tool designed to help you find open residency and fellowship positions. FindAResident is ideal if you experienced an unsuccessful match through the NRMP Main Residency Match or SOAP. You might consider preliminary programs or taking a year to get some research experience, giving you time to re-examine your career and specialty goals.

If you match, congratulations! You're on your way to becoming a doctor. Of course, there are still a few things left to do such as finishing up coursework, preparing for graduation, and moving into your residency. Once the match is over, you can begin planning for the future.

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