You Asked, We Listened
The NRMP is grateful for the continued engagement and thoughtful feedback we have received over the past few months! Through conversations at our October Transition to Residency conference, recommendations offered during our Medical School/Student Leader Summit, and results and comments collected this summer through our satisfaction survey, we are shaping multiple initiatives to enhance and better illuminate the transition to residency. We are energized by this momentum and want to take a minute to share what we have coming your way!
Charting Outcomes™: Characteristics of Applicants Who Match to Their Preferred Specialty – Now Annual!
We have heard you ask for more timely data to help applicants better understand how their qualifications affect success in the Main Residency Match®. Starting in 2026, the Charting Outcomes™: Characteristics of Applicants Who Match to Their Preferred Specialty reports will be released annually to better support applicant and advisor needs. Reports will continue to be published for MD senior, DO senior, and international medical graduate (IMG) applicants.
Charting Outcomes™: Medical School Report and Charting Outcomes™: Institution Report are now available! Program Reports are coming soon.
In past years, we have shared with you the NRMP Data Roadmap, designed to foster greater transparency around and understanding about the transition. A key component of that Roadmap was the creation of the Charting Outcomes™: Medical School Report and Charting Outcomes™: Institution Report for the 2025 Main Residency Match, which we are pleased to have recently launched. The reports offer school-specific and institution-specific insights into Match and SOAP outcomes, applicant specialty preferences, demographics, and national benchmarks. Those reports are available to authorized users in the NRMP’s Registration, Ranking, and Results® (R3®) system. The response from the community has been positive, and we have begun developing program-level reports that will be released in 2026.
Earlier Outreach to Applicants
Through ongoing dialogue with stakeholders, we understand that communications and materials are needed to educate would-be applicants about the matching process earlier in medical school and to provide additional resources for advisors. Beginning in 2026, NRMP will convene school leaders and national learner groups to learn and brainstorm about building tailored, short, just-in-time resources essential for each year of a student’s journey to residency.
Applicant Survey and Program Director Survey Enhancements
For decades, the NRMP’s Applicant and Program Director surveys have provided invaluable perspectives into how applicants and programs navigate applications, interviews, and ranking. To continue providing the data that is most meaningful to you, we have updated our surveys to be more responsive to and representative of the shifting GME landscape. In 2026, the surveys will be sent to program directors and applicants in the Main Residency Match just ahead of Match Week, and we hope you will take the opportunity to view the new content areas and provide responses that help improve understanding of recruitment and selection for residency.
Expanding Thought Leadership
Over the past few years, NRMP has worked to build a broad, multifaceted research platform that offers you a deeper understanding of the UME-GME continuum. Our success fuels our momentum, and we’re actively exploring new avenues of research to provide additional insights into and spur national conversations about the transition to residency and beyond. Some themes we plan to bring to the community in 2026 will target:
- The unmatched applicant
- Rural GME and physician workforce
- The IMG experience
- In-depth specialty-specific analysis
We hope this update conveys how the opportunities to connect and learn from you drive the delivery of unparalleled Match services and support. We are grateful for your feedback and deeply value our shared commitment to improving the transition to residency. Stay tuned for more information in the new year as these initiatives and other projects evolve and unfold.