Record-breaking program participation, more primary care positions, a renewed interest in emergency medicine and competition for ob-gyn slots are among the highlights from this year’s Main Residency Match.
Record-breaking program participation, more primary care positions, a renewed interest in emergency medicine and competition for ob-gyn slots are among the highlights from this year’s Main Residency Match.
The 2025 Main Residency Match was the largest ever in the program’s 73-year history, with 43,237 total positions offered—up 4.2% over 2024. There were 1,734 more certified positions offered this year compared with last year, 231 more certified programs and 877 more positions in primary care.
The total number of applicants were up too: 52,498 applicants registered for the match, 2,085 more than last year—a 4.1% increase. Among those applicants, 47,208 submitted a certified rank-order list.
The big-picture results, according to the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP): 79.8% of the certified applicants matched to PGY-1 positions and 94.1% of the PGY-1 positions were filled. Here’s a breakdown of applicant PGY-1 match rates:
- 93.5% of U.S. MD seniors matched, the same as 2024.
- 92.6% of U.S. DO seniors matched, up 0.3% from 2024.
- 67.8% of U.S. citizen international medical graduates (IMGs) matched, up 0.8% from last year.
- 58% of non-U.S. citizen IMGs matched, a 0.5% drop.
Match Day is when medical students “symbolically take [their] first step out of medical school and into a much larger and more complex world of medicine,” AMA President Bruce A. Scott, MD, wrote recently.
In an AMA Leadership Viewpoints column published during Match Week, Dr. Scott reminded soon-to-be residents that “nobody walks alone” in the medical profession and that there are allies who can help confront challenges.
“Match Day is sure to stir many emotions as you move from one chapter to another. Take a moment to reflect on how far you’ve come, and what you want the future of our profession to look like,” he wrote. “My hope is that you recognize the power of your own voice to make a difference and the power of the voice of a united profession to secure the future of health care.”
Dr. Scott detailed how the AMA is fighting for physicians, and future doctors, so that they can focus on what matters most: taking care of patients.
The AMA is making a special offer to fourth-year medical students. If you become an AMA member, the AMA will match it with a complimentary membership for the first year in residency training.
Primary care positions up
As the nation faces a physician shortage, particularly in primary care, slots for family medicine, internal medicine, internal medicine-pediatrics and pediatrics increased, offering 20,300 categorical positions. That was 877 more than last year, and it marks a new high.
Some highlights:
- Internal medicine placed 11,750 positions in the Match this year, 679 more than last year with a fill rate of 96.8%.
- Pediatrics added 54 positions this year, offering a total of 3,193 categorical and primary positions. The specialty had a 95.3% fill rate, up from 91.8% last year.
- Family medicine added 144 positions this year for a total of 5,357. The specialty filled 85% of the positions, down from 87.8% last year. The drop is likely due to the added positions.
Emergency medicine’s rebound
After emergency medicine saw over 500 unfilled positions in the 2023 Match, for an 81.8% fill rate, the specialty saw a 97.9% fill rate this year. That’s up 2.4 percentage points from 2024, edging the rate closer to pre-pandemic levels when fill rates were 98% to 99%.
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There were 3,003 applicants who matched to emergency medicine PGY-1 positions this year, with increases in DO seniors and IMGs who matched to the specialty.
If you are preparing for next year’s Match, check out the AMA Road to Residency series, which provides medical students, international medical graduates and others with guidance on preparing for residency application, acing your residency interview, putting together your rank-order list and more.
Only 10 ob-gyn spots unfilled
National conversations about reproductive health care have been in high gear since the 2023 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court that overturned the long-standing abortion-rights protections of Roe v. Wade.
“Despite the changing policy landscape, interest in the specialty remains strong,” said a news release issued by the NRMP.
Among the 1,604 ob-gyn residency positions offered, just one categorical position and nine preliminary PGY-1 positions were unfilled after Match Day. Nearly 70% of those who matched were MD seniors; DO seniors accounted for nearly 20% of those who matched.
Drop in unmatched applicants
Applicants who did not match to a residency position through the Main Residency Match had the opportunity to take part in the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP).
This year, 2,521 positions were placed in SOAP , including positions in programs that did not participate in the algorithm phase of the Match. That’s 54 fewer unfilled positions than last year. SOAP results will be available in the full Match report published later this spring.
If neither Match nor SOAP landed you the residency position you were hoping for, check out this great advice about three things to do if you don’t match.
Learn more
The AMA Thriving in Residency series has guidance and resources on navigating the fast-paced demands of training, maintaining health and well-being, handling medical student-loan debt, and other essential tips about succeeding in graduate medical training. Subscribe today to join our mailing list and never miss a story.
Also, find out how the AMA Resident and Fellow Section gives voice to, and advocates for, the issues that affect resident and fellow physicians.
