NRMP Establishes Standardized Applicant Placement Rate Metrics for the Main Residency Match® and SOAP®

October 11th, 2023

New whitepaper explores the applicant Match Rate vs. Placement Rates.

The National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®) announced today new reporting for the overall placement rate of participants in the Main Residency Match and the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program® (SOAP). The NRMP has released a whitepaper, Applicant Placement Rate in the Main Residency Match and Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program, which reports for the first time both Match and overall placement data for all applicants compared to those who submitted certified rank order lists of programs in the Match. This new placement data offers unprecedented insights into the transition to residency process.

At the conclusion of each Main Residency Match cycle, the NRMP has historically reported the applicant Match Rate. The Match Rate is the percentage of active applicants (applicants who certified a rank order list of programs) who matched to post-graduate year one (PGY-1) positions when the matching algorithm was processed. The Match Rate does not include applicants who were placed in a PGY-1 position through the SOAP process. The “Placement Rate” metrics examine outcomes for applicants who participate in both the matching algorithm and SOAP and is calculated twice based on two groups:

• All Applicants; and
• Active Applicants (those who submitted a certified rank order list of programs).

In analyzing the applicant match and placement rates for the 2023 Main Residency Match, the data shows a Match Rate of 81.1 percent, which was previously released at the conclusion of the Match. When accounting for the Placement Rate – All Applicants, there was a slight decrease to 80.8 percent, resulting from the additional pool of applicants who register for the Match but do not submit a rank order list of programs and therefore are not included in the matching algorithm. The Placement Rate – Active Applicants was 86.3 percent, indicating the additional success of active applicants who obtain interviews, participate in the matching algorithm, and are more likely to receive offers in the SOAP process.

In the whitepaper released today, the NRMP outlines findings pertaining to the overall placement of U.S. versus international medical graduate participants in the 2023 Main Residency Match and SOAP. In addition, metrics specific to each of the applicant type categories of U.S. medical doctor (MD) students and graduates, U.S. osteopathic physician (DO) students and graduates, U.S.-Citizen International Medical Graduates (U.S. IMG), and Non-U.S. Citizen International Medical Graduates (Non-U.S. IMG) are identified.