National Resident Matching Program

What National Resident Matching Program does

The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) is a private, non-profit organization founded in 1952 and headquartered in Washington, DC, that operates the centralized matching system placing medical school graduates into U.S. residency training positions. Its flagship product, the Main Residency Match, uses a mathematical algorithm based on Gale-Shapley stable matching theory to pair applicant preferences with residency program preferences; research on this algorithm was the basis for the 2012 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. NRMP also operates the Specialties Matching Service (SMS), conducting 22 separate fellowship matches covering more than 80 subspecialties, plus the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP) for unfilled positions. All matching activity runs through the R3 (Registration, Ranking, and Results) web platform, which integrates daily with AAMC ERAS, ResidencyCAS, and Liaison International application services, and weekly with ECFMG for international medical graduate credential verification.

NRMP serves four primary stakeholder groups: medical students and graduates (53,000+ active applicants annually, including U.S. MD seniors, U.S. DO seniors, and international medical graduates), residency and fellowship programs (6,000+ PGY-1/PGY-2 programs and 6,606 fellowship programs), teaching institutions, and U.S. medical schools. Its revenue model is fee-based: institutions pay ~$300 per Match plus $100 per program track and $75 per certified position; applicants pay a $70 base registration with additional fees for extra ranks ($30 each), late registration ($50), and couples ($45 per partner). As a non-profit, NRMP reinvests in operations, data reporting (Charting Outcomes, State Snapshots), and stakeholder engagement through the annual Transition to Residency Conference, webinars, and the Illuminator newsletter. NRMP holds a congressional antitrust exemption that legally protects its monopoly position as the sole comprehensive matching system for U.S. graduate medical education.

Name

National Resident Matching Program

Legal name

National Resident Matching Program

Website

https://nrmp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

NRMP operates the Main Residency Match and Specialties Matching Service, using a Nobel Prize-winning algorithm to pair medical students and graduates with U.S. residency and fellowship positions across 6,000+ programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Residency Matching Services

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Healthcare & Clinical Professional Certifications (EDAAANAI)

Keywords

• Residency matching services
• Graduate medical education
• Medical fellowship matching
• Physician workforce matching
• Match algorithm platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Program and Institutional Fees: NRMP charges institutions and programs registration fees and per-position fees for participation in the Match. This is the primary revenue mechanism for the non-profit organization.
2. Applicant Registration Fees: Medical students and graduates pay registration fees to participate in the Match, with additional fees for extra program ranks and late registration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NRMP operates matching programs that place medical school graduates into U.S. residency training positions and physicians into subspecialty fellowship positions. It conducts the annual Main Residency Match and the Specialties Matching Service (SMS) covering 80+ subspecialties across 22 separate matches, using a mathematical algorithm (the basis for the 2012 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences) delivered through its R3 web-based platform.

Product overview

NRMP operates as a platform organization providing two core matching products: the annual Main Residency Match (the flagship 74-year-old program matching medical school graduates to residency positions) and the Specialties Matching Service (SMS) fellowship matching program covering 80+ subspecialties. These core products are supported by the R3 technology platform for registration/ranking/results, the SOAP supplemental offer program for unfilled positions, and the public Program Directory. NRMP also publishes data products including Charting Outcomes reports and State Snapshots, and runs an annual Transition to Residency Conference for stakeholder engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Main Residency Match The flagship annual matching program that pairs medical school graduates with residency training positions across the United States using a Nobel Prize-winning mathematical algorithm to match applicant preferences with program preferences.
• Specialties Matching Service (SMS) Fellowship matching service conducting 22 separate Matches representing more than 80 subspecialties for physicians seeking subspecialty training positions.
• R3 System (Registration, Ranking, and Results) Password-protected online platform used by all Match participants to register for Matches, submit rank order lists, and access Match results and statistics, with daily data exchange with external application services.
• SOAP (Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program) Program allowing eligible unmatched, partially matched, and registered applicants to access positions remaining unfilled after the matching algorithm runs during Match Week.
• Program Directory Public searchable directory of over 6,000 PGY-1 and PGY-2 programs participating in the Main Residency Match, displaying program information, application service requirements, location, and NRMP program codes.
• Charting Outcomes Reports Comprehensive data reports examining applicant demographics, match outcomes, and program director survey results, including interactive dashboards with 5-year trend data.
• State Snapshots Annual resource detailing residency and fellowship Match outcomes at the state level, providing geographic analysis of physician workforce distribution.
• Transition to Residency Conference NRMP's annual national meeting gathering institutional, program, and medical school stakeholders to discuss critical issues related to the transition to residency.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99.3% overall fill rate for positions in the 2026 Main Residency Match and SOAP combined
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Liaison InternationalcoreTechnology or Integration · 23 August 2023NRMP partnered with Liaison International (ACOG's chosen application service provider) to ensure efficient processes and data transfer for OB/GYN applicants and programs. NRMP is working with Liaison International to streamline registration processes between the NRMP Match and the application service.
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNRMP is working with ACOG on policy issues pertaining to SOAP and ensuring transparency and clear communication regarding the transition to ACOG's new application service for OB/GYN applicants beginning with the 2024-2025 cycle.
• American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons (ACAPS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNRMP is coordinating with ACAPS regarding their Residency Central Application service for Plastic Surgery applicants and programs, ensuring alignment with Match policies and processes.
• AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) - ERAScoreTechnology or IntegrationNRMP exchanges data with AAMC's Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). The NRMP R3 system exchanges data with ERAS daily to help programs rank applicants more easily and ensure accurate identification of registered participants.
• ResidencyCAScoreTechnology or IntegrationNRMP exchanges data with ResidencyCAS (application service for Emergency Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology). NRMP ID is automatically populated in ResidencyCAS once applicants complete Main Residency Match registration.
• ECFMG (Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates)coreTechnology or IntegrationNRMP conducts weekly data exchanges with ECFMG to verify that international medical graduates have met the medical science examination, clinical skills, and communication skills requirements for certification. ECFMG verifies IMG eligibility for Match participation.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC): Operates ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service), the upstream application platform that feeds NRMP's Match with daily data exchange. A broader medical education organization that is both a critical integration partner and the most plausible source of competitive expansion.
• Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME): Accredits the residency and fellowship programs that NRMP matches for, making it a deeply intertwined upstream regulator. NRMP's CEO Donna Lamb previously led accreditation work at ACGME, illustrating how the two organizations are operationally linked.

Emerging players

• Thalamus: Residency and fellowship interview scheduling and management platform used by many of the same programs that participate in the NRMP Match. Emerging workflow participant whose deeper applicant-program interactions could encroach on NRMP's positioning if integration deepens.
• Liaison International: Application service provider serving ACOG and ACAPS Plastic Surgery, integrating directly with NRMP R3. As a competitive alternative to AAMC ERAS, Liaison is a strategic partner but also a potential source of platform disintermediation in the residency application workflow.

Direct peers

• American Urological Association - Urology Match: Runs the urology residency match independently of NRMP, using a comparable algorithm-based preference matching process. Specialty-specific competitor that demonstrates the feasibility of alternatives outside the NRMP umbrella.
• National Matching Services Inc. (NMS): Operates the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) and runs matching programs for dental, psychology, optometry, and other health professions using similar preference-based algorithms. Most directly comparable peer since it operates parallel matching platforms in adjacent healthcare training markets.
• SF Match (Ophthalmology Fellowship Match): Operates the Ophthalmology Fellowship Match and other subspecialty matches using similar ranking algorithms. Direct competitor for specific fellowship matches and a long-standing alternative pathway outside the NRMP Specialties Matching Service.

Others

• National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME): Administers the USMLE examinations required for medical licensure and residency eligibility. While not a direct matching competitor, NBME's licensing gatekeeping role shapes the upstream pipeline of qualified applicants that NRMP serves.
• Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG): Certifies international medical graduates (IMGs) for U.S. training through weekly data exchange with NRMP. Complementary ecosystem participant whose credentialing decisions directly affect the IMG applicant pool that drives NRMP's growth.

Regional players

• Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS): Runs the Canadian equivalent of the NRMP Main Residency Match using a closely related matching algorithm. Highly comparable in business model and stakeholder structure but operates exclusively in Canada, providing geographic complementarity rather than direct U.S. competition.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheNRMP
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/NationalResidentMatchingProgram
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheNRMP
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2977478

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Resident Matching Program