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May 2026 Illuminator Newsletter

Shining a Light on Match News that Matters

This issue of the Illuminator includes:

2027 Main Residency Match® Resources for Institutions and Programs

Institution and Program Registration Opens on May 1

On May 1 at 12 p.m. ET, institution and program users will receive an email when registration opens with instructions for registering individual user accounts in the Registration, Ranking, and Results® (R3®) system and activating their institution and programs.

Important: After registering your user account and activating the institution and program(s), you must update your program information in the Match. Programs must review and update program information and select which application service their program(s) will be using for the Match season and Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program® (SOAP®). Program staff should complete this in the R3 system under the Program Directory Information tab. This information, including the selected application service will be visible to applicants in the program directory, helping them understand how and where to apply to your programs.

Adding a New Program

Adding a new program to the Match? Review the Preparing for the Match page for instructions and submitting a new program form. 

Introduction to the 2027 Main Residency Match Webinar

The NRMP® is hosting an Introduction to the 2027 Main Residency Match webinar for institution and program users on Monday, May 4, 2026, at 1 p.m. ET. The webinar will provide an overview of Match processes and policies, including staff roles and responsibilities, program setup, policy information, and updates for the 2027 Main Residency Match. Registration is required.

Calendars and Checklists

We look forward to supporting you in the Match and welcome you to contact the NRMP Support Team at support@nrmp.org for assistance. 

NRMP® Commentary on Antitrust Exemption for Matching Programs

In light of the report recently filed by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust, the NRMP has republished Dr. Lamb’s Letter to the Community to provide the community with clarity and understanding about the matching program antitrust exemption.

To further inform the conversation, NRMP has also published a new article co-authored by NRMP’s Chief Operating Officer Dr. Laurie Curtin, Politicization of Graduate Medical Education Antitrust Exemption Obscures Real Workforce Issues and Solutions, which examines the recent congressional inquiry into the antitrust exemption afforded to matching programs.  

NRMP encourages everyone in the medical education community to read these resources and to voice support of The Match® with local and national leaders, particularly the members of the Subcommittee. The Subcommittee may be reached by phone at (202) 225-6906 or via the webform available at: https://judiciary.house.gov/contact.  

NRMP Convenes Blue Ribbon Panel on the Future of Family Medicine

The NRMP has convened a national Blue Ribbon Panel to explore opportunities to strengthen the future of Family Medicine. Bringing together leaders from across the specialty, the initiative will examine factors influencing specialty interest, barriers to training and practice, and evolving workforce needs.

Launched in April, the panel will work over the next 12-18 months to develop actionable recommendations for applicants, medical schools, and institutions. Read the press release for more information.

Policy Corner: Waivers and Deferrals

Waivers and Deferrals

As the start of the academic year approaches, the NRMP has begun receiving waiver requests related to applicant visa eligibility. Prior to submitting a waiver or deferral to the NRMP, programs must ensure they engage with applicants and take any necessary steps to support applicants’ efforts to secure their visas. For more specific guidance on visa eligibility and requirements, please contact ECFMG.

For more information and to review a copy of the Waiver/Deferral Policy, please visit the NRMP policies page on the website.

2027 Main Residency Match

With institution and program registration for the 2027 Main Residency Match opening May 1 at 12 p.m. ET, below are some key elements from the NRMP’s Match Participation Agreements for programs and institutions.

  • Section 6.1 Duty to Act in an Ethical and Professional Manner: Programs are required to conduct their affairs in an ethical and professionally responsible manner. This starts at the time of Match registration, extends throughout the application, interview, matching processes, SOAP, and to the 45th day following the start date of training in their appointment contract. 
  • Section 6.2 Interview Period: Programs must extend interview offers that equal, not exceed, the total number of available interview slots, and they must provide applicants no less than 48 hours to accept or reject an invitation.
  • Section 6.3 Completeness, Timeliness, and Accuracy of Information: Programs must be transparent and provide complete information to applicants. Specifically, programs must provide applicants with all institutional and program policies related to eligibility; a copy of the appointment agreement; and identify the application service provider or process that will be used. Programs also need a process in place, such as an applicant attestation, to be able to demonstrate when needed that applicants had access to eligibility information at the time of the interview.

Questions regarding the Match Waiver/Deferral Policy or other NRMP policies should be sent to policy@nrmp.org. We are here to help and look forward to supporting you throughout the 2027 Main Residency Match.

Research Roundup: Examining Residency Program Ranking Patterns

NRMP is launching a new recurring feature in its Illuminator newsletter to showcase research-focused initiatives and offerings. Research conducted by NRMP is intended to broaden understanding of The Match as well as help evolve processes within graduate medical education to be fairer and achieve greater outcomes for all applicants.

Stay tuned as we highlight different projects and activities each month!

NRMP Collaborates with NBME to Explore Residency Program Ranking Patterns

The NRMP, in continued collaboration with NBME, has published a new article in the Journal of Graduate Medical Education exploring surgical specialty-level patterns in applicant characteristics included on program rank order lists.

The study examines key applicant characteristics including applicant type, sex, underrepresented in medicine status, and USMLE performance and how they are represented on program rank order lists. Earlier versions of this work have been presented at national conferences, most recently at the 2025 NRMP Transition to Residency conference. We encourage you to visit the Research page under NRMP Insights to explore past presentations and related work.

Fellowship Match Resources

Fellowship Match Data Report

NRMP launched an enhanced interactive dashboard for the Charting Outcomes™: Demographic Characteristics of Applicants in the Specialties Matching Service® (SMS®), providing users with greater flexibility and a more intuitive experience for exploring the data. Also, the dashboard now includes trend data which enables comparisons of SMS applicant demographics across the past four Match cycles.

Support Guides Did you know that NRMP conducts 23 Fellowship Matches for 81 subspecialties throughout the year? We have step-by-step support guides to assist fellowship program and institution staff through the process.

Upcoming Deadlines

Epilepsy & Clinical Neurophysiology, Hand Surgery, Neuroendovascular Intervention, Neurosurgical Oncology

  • May 13, 12 p.m. ET: Match Day

Headache Medicine, Urogynecology & Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery

  • May 20, 12 p.m. ET: Match Opens

Radiology, Surgical Oncology

  • May 20, 11:59 p.m. ET: Quota Change Deadline

Careers

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

  • Compliance Analyst
  • Data Engineer
  • Senior Business Intelligence Analyst

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