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Fellowship Match All In Policy

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NRMP permits Specialties Matching Service® (SMS®) Match sponsors to voluntarily implement the All In Policy for their Fellowship Matches. Not all Fellowship Matches implement the policy. If a SMS Match sponsor voluntarily implements the All In Policy, programs in the subspecialty that elect to participate in the Match must register and attempt to fill all positions in the Match. Please note that the Policy applies to those positions a program wishes to fill, which may be fewer than the number of positions for which the program is accredited.

There are few important considerations that SMS Match sponsors should know about voluntary implementation of the All In Policy:

  • Under the SMS Match Participation Agreement, SMS Match sponsors must commit to active participation of at least 75 percent of the group’s eligible programs and a minimum of 75 percent of all available positions in the specialty. The NRMP does NOT require participation of all programs, even those in specialties that voluntarily implement the All In Policy.
  • NRMP monitors compliance with the All In Policy only for programs participating in the Fellowship Match. SMS Match sponsors may impose restrictions on programs that do not participate in the Match or may offer benefits to Match-participating programs; however, NRMP does NOT impose restrictions for non-Match participation and, when applicable, will levy only the sanctions outlined in Section 7.0 of the SMS Match Participation Agreement.

Match sponsors interested in implementing an All In Policy should contact NRMP at policy@nrmp.org.

Exceptions to the All In Policy

Exceptions to the All In Policy may be granted for

  • Military appointees to civilian programs: Positions reserved for applicants placed in civilian training programs as part of the Joint Service Graduate Medical Education Selection Board, or Military Match, can be approved for exceptions to the All In policy. Such exceptions are based on: 1) pre-existing arrangements between the civilian programs and military branch GME offices and 2) confirmation of those positions needing an exception as transmitted from the military GME office directly to the NRMP. Applicants who are provided funding by their military branch but not placed through the Military Match into a civilian training program do not qualify for exceptions to the All In Policy. Those positions must be filled through the Match, with programs creating special tracks in the NRMP Registration, Ranking, and Results® (R3®) system for military-funded applicants, unless otherwise designated by the SMS Match sponsor.
  • Other circumstances as vetted and approved by the SMS Match sponsor, with written notice provided to the NRMP.

Because the NRMP R3 system is flexible and accommodating, special circumstances such as those listed below should be placed in the Match:

  • International medical graduates with funding from their home countries.
  • Combined clinical-research programs where the first year is not clinical training.

Fellowship Matches Implementing the All in Policy*

*Not all Fellowship Matches implement the All In Policy. Please check with your Match sponsor if you desire information about the All In Policy.