Institutions and Programs

Responsibilities for the Match

All institutions in the NRMP must appoint an institutional official who is responsible for overseeing the Match process and for all communication with the NRMP on behalf of the institution's sponsored programs.

Institutional Official

Institutional officials must:

• Promptly activate their institution and participating programs annually for the current Match process and agree to the Match Participation Agreement.
• Appoint an institutional administrator, if needed, to assist in the oversight and management of the Match process at the institution.
• Promptly distribute all information sent from the NRMP to program directors.
• Ensure that all program directors have registered initially for the current match and have agreed to the Match Participation Agreement.
• Through the R3 System, collect, check, and approve the accuracy of all information submitted by program directors for registration.
• Ensure that all programs offered through the NRMP will have secured ACGME accreditation by the rank order list certification deadline. Combined programs must be approved or recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties or by the respective specialty board that is responsible for board certification of residents who successfully complete the combined program. Special tracks may be offered within some types of residency programs, including particular kinds or locations of training within the accredited program.
• Ensure that all of the institution's programs select senior U.S. allopathic students only through the Matching Program or another matching service. To offer positions to U.S. students outside the Match is a violation of Match Participation Agreement.
• Ensure that none of the programs sponsored by the institution, regardless of match participation status, discusses, interviews for, or offers a position to an applicant who has a concurrent year commitment to another program.
• Arrange for prompt payment of all fees owed to the NRMP by the institution or any of its programs.

Program Director

Program directors must:

• Promptly register annually for the current Match by updating their profile information and agreeing to the Match Participation Agreement.
• Provide accurate information about the number and type of positions to be offered through the NRMP.
  NOTE: All program quotas, reversions, or other special requirements must be approved by the institutional official.
• Organize a resident selection process that is consistent with the NRMP Schedule of Dates.
• Provide complete and accurate information about the program to applicants at the time of interview, including a copy of the actual contract that applicants would be expected to sign if matched to the program, the institution's policies on visa status, and institutional eligibility requirements.
• Ensure that U.S. allopathic seniors are not asked to make a commitment to enter the program outside of the NRMP, which is a violation of the Match Participation Agreement.
• Prepare and enter rank order lists in the R3 System, ranking applicants in the order preferred by the program director.
• Not ask applicants for verbal or written commitments indicating how they intend to rank the program, which is a violation of the Match Participation Agreement.

Updated 09/13/2011