Specialties Matching Service® reaches all-time high with more than 12,900 fellowship positions filled
WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®) has released the Results and Data Specialties Matching Service®, 2026 Appointment Year report. Size and scale of the Specialties Matching Service (SMS®) Matching program for the 2026 appointment year marks the largest in its 42-year history with 15,846 active applicants (those who submitted certified rank order lists of programs) competing for 15,358 fellowship positions across 6,606 programs.
“This year’s SMS Results and Data report demonstrates sustained interest and investment among subspecialties in leveraging NRMP for fellowship training,” said NRMP President and CEO Donna L. Lamb, DHSc, MBA, BSN. “With expanded partnerships, we are able to augment the national lens through which to view how applicant demand aligns with training opportunities and the diversity of subspecialties supporting patient access to care. It is gratifying to welcome new subspecialties every year and to provide the community with reports that advance the understanding of and planning for the future physician workforce.”
For the 2026 appointment year, four new subspecialties joined the SMS. Bone and Soft Tissue Pathology, Hematopathology, and Molecular Genetic Pathology joined the Pathology Fellowship Match. A new single-specialty Match for Forensic Psychiatry also was introduced.
Position and Program Highlights:
- Of the 15,358 positions offered, an increase of 738 positions (five percent) from the 2025 appointment year,12,963 (84.4 percent) were filled. Just over half of the position increase is attributable to the new subspecialties that joined the SMS.
- Of the 6,606 programs that submitted certified rank order lists, an increase of 272 programs from last year, 4,993 (75.6 percent) filled all their positions.
Specialty Highlights:
Across the 81 subspecialties participating in the SMS, match outcomes varied. There were 26 subspecialties that filled 90 percent or more of the positions offered while an additional 49 subspecialties filled 75 percent or more positions. Eight subspecialties (Geriatric Medicine, Medical Genetics, Adolescent Medicine, Child Abuse, Pediatric Endocrinology, Pediatric Nephrology, Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, and Emergency Radiology) filled fewer than 50 percent of their positions.
Subspecialty fill rates varied by applicant type. Among specialties offering at least 30 positions:
- The five specialties with the highest percentages of positions filled by U.S. MD graduates include Reproductive Endocrinology, Pediatric Surgery, Urogynecology & Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery, Complex Family Planning, and Hand Surgery.
- The five specialties with the highest percentages of positions filled by U.S. DO graduates include Spinal Cord Injury Medicine, Sports Medicine, Emergency Medical Services, Pain Medicine, and Clinical Ultrasound.
- The five specialties with the highest percentages of positions filled by U.S. citizen graduates of international medical schools (U.S. IMGs) include Critical Care Medicine, Geriatric Medicine, Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Interventional Cardiology, and Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism.
- The five specialties with the highest percentages of positions filled by non-U.S. citizen graduates of international medical schools (non-U.S. IMGs) include Nephrology, Interventional Cardiology, Molecular Genetic Pathology, Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology, and Hematopathology.
Applicant Highlights:
There were 15,846 active applicants across all Fellowship Matches for the 2026 appointment year, an increase of 1,013 (6.8 percent) from 2025. Overall, 12,963 (81.8 percent) applicants obtained a position. The number of applicants matched for the 2026 appointment year increased for all applicant types compared to 2025:
- The number of U.S. MD graduates matched was 6,947, an increase of 139 from 2025.
- The number of U.S. DO graduates matched was 2,150, an increase of 215 from 2025.
- Among U.S. IMGs, 1,377 matched, an increase of 27 from 2025.
- Among non-U.S. IMGs, 2,451 matched, an increase of 199 from 2025.
View the Results and Data: Specialties Matching Service®, 2026 Appointment Year report and infographic for additional data.
About NRMP Specialties Matching Service
The NRMP Specialties Matching Service® (SMS®) conducts Matches for advanced residency and fellowship positions. The first Fellowship Match was conducted in 1984 for Colon and Rectal Surgery; for the 2026 appointment year the SMS provided services for 81 subspecialties in 23 separate Matches. Because Fellowship Match appointments may begin anywhere from 6 to 14 months after their Match Days, data are reported for the appointment year instead of the Match year. The 2026 report is for Matches conducted in 2025 and early 2026 for appointments beginning in July 2026. A complete list of all the subspecialties participating in the SMS for the 2026 appointment year can be found in the full data report here.
About NRMP
The National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®) is a private, non-profit organization established in 1953 at the request of medical students to provide an orderly and fair mechanism for matching the preferences of applicants for U.S. residency positions with the preferences of residency program directors. In addition to the annual Main Residency Match® that facilitates placement for more than 50,000 registrants, the NRMP conducts Fellowship Matches through its Specialties Matching Service® (SMS®). The NRMP website provides a list of participating SMS Fellowship Matches, each including a summary statement, length of training, and applicant eligibility criteria.
To schedule an interview with NRMP President and CEO Donna L. Lamb, DHSc, MBA, BSN, contact media@nrmp.org.
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SOURCE National Resident Matching Program
