News

Applicant and Program Director Surveys will be administered to 2026 Main Residency Match® participants March 5-March 15. We want to hear from you! 

The National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®) administers an annual Applicant Survey and a biennial Program Director Survey to applicants and program directors who have certified a rank order list (ROL) during the Main Residency Match® (MRM). For the 2026 Main Residency Match, both surveys will be administered between Thursday, March 5 and Sunday, March 15. If you are a 2026 Main Residency Match participant, you will receive an email with a survey link on Thursday, March 5.

Applicant Survey and Program Director Survey Reports are published based on the quantitative data collected which provide valuable information to the graduate medical education (GME) community about experiences during the transition to residency for both applicants and programs. Additionally, qualitative information gathered through these surveys is examined and released on the NRMP website, providing the community with a deeper understanding of the evolving GME landscape. Topics highlighted in findings from the 2024 Program Director Survey include program signaling and holistic review practices. You can learn more about NRMP’s research initiatives here. 

By participating in these surveys, applicants and programs help inform the Match experience of future participants. The insights gained not only help future applicants better prepare for residency but also assist programs in refining their recruitment and selection strategies. 

Applicants and program directors who certify their ROLs by the deadline of March 4, 2026 at 9:00 PM EST are eligible to participate. A unique survey link will be sent to the email address used to register in the NRMP’s R3 system. 

Be on the lookout for an email coming from research@nrmp.org or NRMP Research on Thursday, March 5! Both surveys should take no more than 20 minutes to complete, and responses to the questionnaire will remain confidential. Applicants are reminded that responses will not be shared with any training programs and participation does not affect your Match results in any way. If you have any questions, reach out to research@nrmp.org. 

If you have certified your ROL, but cannot find your survey invite, don’t panic! Sometimes our surveys go to junk mail or are screened out by specific domains. Please contact research@nrmp.org to get your unique survey link if you cannot find it!