A Record-Breaking Match Day
March 30, 2026
Hospitals and medical centers offered 44,344 training positions and filled more than 93 percent of those roles during a record-breaking match day earlier this month.
“Match Day represents an extraordinary moment for future physicians, and we are proud to see the Main Residency Match welcoming more positions and securing more training opportunities for applicants as they take the next step in their medical careers and begin practicing in communities across the nation,” said Donna L. Lamb, National Resident Matching Program president and CEO.
Here are five insights on the future health care workforce:
1. The big number
Over 48,000 applicants certified a “rank order list.” Across post-graduate year one and two applications, 41,482 positions were filled out of 44,000 residencies offered.
2. Top specialty
Primary care specialties had the largest share of positions. About 92 percent of the 20,712 offered positions were filled this year.
Internal medicine offered 11,632 positions and filled 95.2 percent of them, which was down 1.6 percentage points from last year.
3. Focus on family medicine
Family medicine offered 5,491 positions during 2026 and the fill rate was 83.6 percent. This is a decrease from 85 percent last year.
“Over time, the specialty has faced growing challenges in attracting medical students, raising questions about how training pathways, professional expectations, and workforce needs are aligning,” the National Resident Matching Program noted in a statement. “These trends have prompted broader reflection across the medical education community.”
4. Fill rate for emergency medicine declines
Emergency Medicine offered 3,198 positions, up 130 positions compared with 2025.
The fill rate for these roles was 95.6 percent, a 2.3 percentage point decline from the prior year. These fill rates are higher than pandemic-era levels.
5. Visa issue looms large
In 2026, foreign-born international medical graduates requiring visa sponsorship had a match rate of 54.4 percent. That’s compared with 67.9 percent rate for foreign-born international medical graduates who do not require sponsorship.
Nationally, the American Hospital Association is calling for an exemption to the federal policy that would require a $100,000 filing fee for H-1B visas.
“These data highlight how broader policy conditions could shape future Match outcomes for non-U.S. citizen (international medical graduate) candidates and inform future recruitment strategies of programs,” the National Resident Matching Program wrote.
Additional insights are available online.