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February 2025 Illuminator

Shining a Light on Match News that Matters

This issue of the Illuminator includes:

2025 Main Residency Match Ranking Opens on February 3 at 12 pm ET

Explore NRMP’s support guides, videos, and resources about entering and certifying rank order lists for programs and applicants. There is also a recording of the ranking webinar for programs on our website.

Please remember:

  • Programs should rank applicants in order of true preference, not how they think applicants will rank their program. View How the Matching Algorithm Works video.
  • The Match commitment is binding so programs should only rank applicants they wish to train and who are eligible for the program.
  • Changes can be made to a rank order list after it has been certified up and until the Rank Order List Deadline, March 5 at 9:00 pm ET; however, any changes require the rank order list to be re-certified with each change. Once the Rank Order List Certification Deadline passes, no additional changes may be made to a rank order list.
  • Only certified rank order lists will be used in the Match.

Assistance is available from the NRMP Support Team Monday – Friday from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm ET by emailing support@nrmp.org or calling 866-653-NRMP (6767). To offer the highest level of customer service, on March 5, the Rank Order List Certification Deadline, staff will be available until 9:00 pm ET to answer questions you may have during the final deadline hours.

Important Dates and Reminders for the 2025 Main Residency Match

Medical School Officials:

  • Please track your students in the R3 system and contact those who have yet to complete the registration process. The late registration deadline for applicants who intend to participate in the Main Residency Match or SOAP is March 5 at 9:00 pm ET and the cost is $120 ($70 standard registration fee and $50 late registration fee). Programs cannot see or rank applicants who are not registered for the Match.
  • Beginning on February 3, at 12:00 pm ET, medical schools can log into the R3 system to verify the graduation credentials of their students and graduates. A support guide and step-by-step instructions on how to complete this process is available on the NRMP website. Schools must complete the graduation verification process by March 5 at 9:00 pm ET.

Institutional Officials:

  • Programs with outstanding change approvals will not be able to certify a rank order list until the changes are approved by the IO. IOs can log into the R3 system to complete the approval process. The deadline for reversions to be finalized in the R3 system and for approval of all program changes is March 5 at 9:00 pm ET.
  • Institutional officials (IOs) should confirm their active program list in the R3 system to ensure programs participating in the Match are listed correctly, that program staff have registered, program quotas are correct, and that contact information is accurate.

Need additional help? Assistance is available from the NRMP Support Team Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET by emailing support@nrmp.org or calling 866-653-NRMP (6767). 

New Advising Video! Creating a Rank Order List

Let’s talk about rank order lists! Check out our Creating a Rank Order List video for tips from resident physicians about how they created their rank order list and what advice program directors and advisors give Match applicants.

In case you missed it, the NRMP recently published a new playlist of advising videos! These short videos cover a variety of Match topics and include advice and encouragement from previous applicants.

We encourage medical school advisors and faculty to share these videos with their students and graduates as they move through Match season!

Policy Corner: Reminders for Rank Order Lists

With ranking opening today on February 3, at 12:00 pm ET, we want to provide programs and applicants with some key reminders about the rank order list submission process. 

Important Considerations for Programs:

  • Ensure each applicant placed on your rank order list meets requirements for licensure, as published by the program’s state Licensure Board. 
  • Confirm and accurately message your institution’s willingness and/or ability to sponsor the visa type requested or intended by any non-U.S. citizen applicant you intend to rank. 
  • Communicate, in writing, all institutional policies regarding eligibility criteria (e.g. expected credentials, pre-employment screenings, background checks, etc.) applicants must meet if matched to the program. Programs shall obtain signed acknowledgment from interviewees that all pertinent information has been provided. 

Important Considerations for Applicants:

  • Confirm the willingness of any institution you rank to sponsor the appropriate visa if you are in need. 
  • Rank only those programs where you are willing to start training in good faith (i.e., with the intent to complete training) on the date specified in the appointment agreement.
  • Adhere to the withdrawal deadline if you no longer wish to participate in the Match. The deadline to withdraw from the Match is the same as Rank Order List Certification Deadline: March 5, 2025, by 9:00 pm ET. Independent applicants can withdraw by logging into the R3 system and completing the withdrawal process; however, sponsored applicants (U.S. MD and DO seniors) must be withdrawn by their school official. 

Lastly, both applicants and programs should remember that their ranking preferences are confidential. While they are free to voluntarily communicate how they may rank each other, neither party is obligated to share ranking intentions and preferences, nor should they be asked to do so. 

For questions regarding Match policies, please visit the Match Policies page on the NRMP website for access to Match Participation Agreements as well as the Match Codes of Conduct for best practices during recruitment and ranking. You also can contact NRMP Policy at policy@nrmp.org.

We are here to help and look forward to supporting you throughout the 2025 Main Residency Match.

New R3 System Functionality for Program Directors and Institutional Administrators

Program Directors and Institutional Administrators in the Main Residency Match® and the Specialties Matching Service® fellowship Matches now have additional oversight of their program’s Match participation. 

The Institutional Official (IO) traditionally has been required to activate both the institution and all the programs for Match participation in the NRMP’s Registration, Ranking, and Results® (R3®) system. With the new functionality, IOs will continue to activate the institution but now have the option to direct the Program Director (PD) or Institutional Administrator (IA) to activate their programs. This allows the IO the ability to ensure the PDs confirm their participation in the Match at the program level and allows PDs to update their program directory information and the program quota in a more timely and efficient manner. Non-ACGME accredited programs in a fellowship Match can only be activated by the IO and require an attestation that the institution has oversight of the program’s participation in the Match. 

NRMP welcomes your feedback on this change. Please contact support@nrmp.org with any comments or questions.

New Institution and Program Forms

The NRMP has improved its New Institution form and New Program form on nrmp.org. The information provided on these forms allows the NRMP to create a record in the R3 system and add the new institution and/or new program to the appropriate Match. These improved forms streamline the process and the online submission eliminates the requirement of emailing a completed PDF form to the NRMP Support Team. Program Directors and Institutional users also can add programs directly to the R3 system.

NRMP welcomes your feedback on this change. Please contact support@nrmp.org with any comments or questions.

Fellowship Match News

Introduction to the Fellowship Match Webinar is scheduled for February 4, 2025

The NRMP is hosting an Introduction to the Fellowship Match webinar on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, at 1:00 pm ET.

In this webinar, Russette Blake, Operations Supervisor, and Joy Gaabucayan, Director of Policy and Compliance, will provide an overview of Match processes and policies, program staff roles and responsibilities, managing the program’s participation in the Match, ranking applicants, and policy information.

This is a biannual webinar. An email with additional details and a registration link has been emailed to fellowship program and institution staff associated with a Fellowship Match that has Match Day through June. Another session will be provided in July for programs associated with a Fellowship Match that has Match Day through the end of the year. 

Welcoming Three New Pathology Specialties

The NRMP is excited to welcome three new subspecialties to the Pathology Fellowship Match:

  • Bone and Soft Tissue Pathology
  • Hematopathology
  • Molecular and Genetic Pathology

Program staff will receive emails to register their user account and sign the Match Participation Agreement when the Match opens for registration at 12:00 pm ET on February 5, 2025. Institutional Officials should reach out to their programs to ensure they are participating in the Pathology Fellowship Match.

Coming March 6! Main Residency Match Applicant Survey

Keep an eye out for the Applicant Survey this year!

If you work with residency applicants directly, please remind them to check their email inbox for their Applicant Survey invitation on March 6. The information gathered through this survey will help inform the decision-making processes of future applicants and help NRMP and other GME organizations improve the transition to residency process. The more survey responses we get, the better we can inform the community. 

To read previous NRMP survey reports, please visit our website.

For questions, please reach out to research@nrmp.org.

Preparing for SOAP

Match Week will be here before we know it! On Monday, March 17, at 10:00 am ET, program directors learn if their program(s) filled, applicants learn if they matched, and the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program® (SOAP®) begins.

SOAP provides a uniform system for programs to offer unfilled positions to eligible unmatched or partially matched applicants through a series of offer rounds during Match Week. With multiple application services participating in SOAP, we wanted to share resources available to you to prepare.

Please review the following SOAP resources for detailed information.

Programs and Institutions:

Medical Schools:

  • 2025 SOAP Guide for Applicants
  • The NRMP partnered with the AAMC’s ERAS program, Central Application, and ResidencyCAS to host a Navigating Match Week and SOAP for Medical Schools webinar. The webinar recording is available on the NRMP website. Geared toward NRMP medical school officials, administrators, and advisors, the webinar included an overview of Match Week and SOAP, including important deadlines, information on how SOAP will work with multiple application services, and policy information.
  • Match Week for Schools webpage
  • Match Week and SOAP calendar
  • Registration for the Match Week and SOAP listserv will be available on March 6 – stay tuned!

Residency Applicants:

Assistance is available from the NRMP Support Team Monday – Friday from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm ET by emailing support@nrmp.org or calling 866-653-NRMP (6767).

Upcoming Deadlines

Laryngology, Pathology, Pediatric Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Vascular Neurology

  • February 5, 12:00 p.m. ET: Match Opens

Epilepsy & Clinical Neurophysiology, Hand Surgery

  • February 12, 12:00 p.m. ET: Match Opens

Careers

NRMP is growing to meet the needs of the community. We currently have three positions open:

  • Accounts Payable Specialist
  • Client Support Specialist
  • Compliance Analyst

For more information, please visit our Careers page. NRMP is an equal opportunity employer.