Match 2025: ACP, AAFP tout new doctors heading for internal, family medicine

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Match 2025 was a success for family medicine and internal medicine as a record number of budding physicians opted for primary care specialties.

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and the American College of Physicians (ACP) both declared record classes of upcoming doctors in the 2025 National Resident Matching Program Main Residency Match (NRMP).

Meanwhile, this year’s match was a first for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which used a new program to achieve a 99.9% match rate.

A record year

The NRMP announced the 2025 Match was the largest in its 73-year history, with 52,498 applicants registered, up 2,085, or 4.1%, from 2024. Among them, 47,208 applicants submitted a certified a rank order list, to compete for 43,237 positions, an increase of 1,734, or 4.2%, more slots than last year. There were a total of 40,764, or 94.3%, filled.

“This year’s Main Residency Match marks a milestone of continued success for the graduate medical education community as a record number of applicants and residency training programs matched,” NRMP President and CEO Donna L. Lamb, DHSc, MBA, BSN, said in a statement. “The NRMP continues to be a service that welcomes all who wish to participate, capably advocating for and supporting the aspirations of young physicians and the priorities of residency training programs to collectively address the varied heath needs of communities across the nation.”

Overall, NRMP noted an increase in primary care positions. There also was a competitive field for OB/GYN, largely due to “national conversations about reproductive health care persist” in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision about abortion law in the case known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

Internal medicine specialists

This year was the first Match of more than 10,000 physicians into internal medicine training, with 10,584 categorical positions filled, or 96.7% of a record high 10,941 available. That makes internal medicine the largest training specialty, with 27% of all post graduate year one (PGY-1) positions in the Match. ACP noted primary care internal medicine Match positions dropped to 411, continuing a five-year decline.

“The record number of offered and matched internal medicine training positions reflects national recognition for the importance of internal medicine as a cornerstone for U.S. health care,” ACP Chief Learning Officer Davoren Chick, MD, FACP, said in a statement.

“Internal medicine physicians are experts in clinical complexity who partner with patients to optimize patient-centered care,” she said. “We specialize in diagnostic evaluations, acute problem management, preventive care, critical care, and long-term care for complex conditions. Internal medicine physicians also advance knowledge through research and serve as leaders in hospitals and ambulatory settings across the U.S.”

Family medicine specialists

AAFP announced that after the first round of the NRMP Match, 4,574 positions were filled with students and graduates pursuing family medicine residency training. By the time this process concludes, that number will grow to more than 5,300 positions filled, making it the largest class ever of new family medicine residents.

“Match Day is here, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome the next generation of family physicians,” AAFP President Jen Brull, MD, FAAFP, said in a statement. “To everyone who matched into a family medicine residency — congratulations! You are stepping into a career filled with purpose, connection and impact.

“Welcome to the family!” she said.

A first for OB/GYN

The 2025 Match was the first application cycle using the Residency CAS, a platform created with partner Liaison International. It was universally adopted by residency programs in obstetrics and gynecology, according to ACOG.

“The field of obstetrics and gynecology continues to be highly sought after, with the number of applicants once again exceeding the available residency positions,” said ACOG CEO Sandra E. Brooks, MD, MBA, FACOG.

The application program created “a streamlined, transparent, and applicant-centered process,” with a 99.9% match rate for 1,586 applicants seeking 1,587 OB/GYN residency positions, Brooks said.

“The overwhelming interest in the specialty reflects the passion and dedication of medical students eager to serve the reproductive and general health needs of patients across the country,” she said.

Additional figures

ACP and ACOG also had additional figures on new doctors in the Match.

For internal medicine, there were:

• 5,664 (53.4%) positions matched by U.S. medical school seniors
• 1,145 (10.8%) filled by U.S. citizen students and graduates of international medical schools
• 3,575 (33.8%) filled by non-U.S. citizen students and graduates of international medical schools

“The Match also confirmed the essential role of international medical graduates (IMGs) in serving U.S. health care needs,” Chick said. “With more than one third of positions matched by non-U.S. IMGs, provision of essential frontline care within the U.S. health care system is truly a multinational effort.

“IMGs are mission critical to the provision of health care in the U.S., not only during training through their service to teaching hospitals but also following training through their disproportionately large role in meeting the needs of medically underserved populations throughout the nation,” she added.

For OB/GYN, there were:

• 1,159 matched students coming from doctor of allopathic medicine degree programs
• 332 from doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) degree programs
• 95 from international medical schools

For those not placed in an OB/GYN residence through the initial Match, ACOG will work with graduates participating in the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program, Brooks said.

More specialty figures

• The 2024 Match had a fill rate drop from 97.1% to 91.8%. There was a bounce this year, with 3,193 positions open, up 54 from last year, and 3,043 filled, or 95.3%, according to NRMP.
• The 2025 Match had 3,068 positions in emergency medicine, up 42 from last year, and had a 97.9% fill rate, up 2.4% from 2024. There was a decline in 2023 — the fill rate was 81.8%, which grew to 95.5% last year. Emergency medicine is creeping closer to the pre-COVID-19 pandemic fill rate of 98% to 99%, according to NRMP. The increase primarily is due to increases in DO and IMGs.
• The 2025 Match had two new specialties: public health and preventive medicine, and occupational and environmental medicine.
• The 2025 Main Residency Match included 6,626 certified program tracks, a record high and increase of 231 programs over 2024.