Match Week brought good news for osteopathic medical students with DO seniors achieving their highest match rate on record in the 2026 National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®) Main Residency Match.
According to data released Friday by the NRMP, 7,928 osteopathic seniors and 318 graduates matched by the Monday Match algorithm into postgraduate year one (PGY-1) residency training programs through the Main Match. Complete Friday/Match Day Match and Placement Rates are pending.
The record-setting match rate for DO seniors reached 93.2 percent, an increase of 0.6 percent from 2025 and a 2.0 percent increase in 5 years.
“Congratulations to every applicant and to the families, mentors, schools, residency programs, and the NRMP team who helped make this year’s Match possible,” said John R. Gimpel, DO, MEd NBOME President and CEO. “These outcomes underscore the value of osteopathic medical education and the continued trust residency programs place in DO applicants’ focus on compassionate, body-mind-spirit, whole-person care. “
These specialties accounted for approximately 90 percent of all PGY-1 DO senior matched in the 2026 NRMP Main Match and have consistently demonstrated leadership and equity in welcoming osteopathic applicants, and with their COMLEX-USA licensing exam credentials:
- Internal Medicine
- Family Medicine
- Emergency Medicine
- Pediatrics
- Psychiatry
- General Surgery
- Anesthesiology
- Obstetrics & Gynecology
- Orthopaedic Surgery
- Pathology
- Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Since 2022, DO senior match volume has increased across all of these fields except for Family Medicine, with particularly strong growth in:
The 2026 NRMP Main Match was the largest residency match cycle on record, with 48,050 total applicants competing for positions across accredited residency programs nationwide. Osteopathic applicants continued to represent a significant and growing share of the physician workforce entering graduate medical education.
“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 NRMP President and CEO Donna L. Lamb, DHSc, MBA, BSN.
This year’s final Match and Placement rates, including results for the Match Week Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP) for applicants who were unmatched by the NRMP’s match algorithm, will be available in the 2026 Main Residency Match Report from the NRMP later this spring.
The NBOME congratulates all applicants and programs, and particularly the DO seniors and graduates who have found their specialty and graduate medical education home through the NRMP Main Match, SOAP or other residency matching programs, including, Military, Ophthalmology, Plastic Surgery, and Urology. We wish them continued success on their Road to DO Licensure.