Updated
Match Day 2027: Friday, March 19 at Noon ET (Match Week Times)
Match Day 2027 is Friday, March 19, 2027. Per the NRMP's calendar, results go out at 12 p.m. Eastern by email and in the R3 system. Match Week starts Monday, March 15 at 10 a.m. Eastern, when you learn whether you matched but not where.
Below are those times in every US time zone, what happens each day of Match Week, and what to do whether you match or not. NRMP dates link to the NRMP, checked November 3, 2026. Rank lists are due March 3, 2027, so by our count Match Day comes 16 days later.
What time is Match Day in your time zone?
The NRMP sets both releases in Eastern time. Daylight saving time has started by Match Week, so here is our conversion for every US zone.
| Time zone | Monday, March 15 (did I match?) | Friday, March 19 (where) |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern | Monday, March 15 (did I match?): 10 a.m. | Friday, March 19 (where): 12 p.m. |
| Central | Monday, March 15 (did I match?): 9 a.m. | Friday, March 19 (where): 11 a.m. |
| Mountain | Monday, March 15 (did I match?): 8 a.m. | Friday, March 19 (where): 10 a.m. |
| Arizona | Monday, March 15 (did I match?): 7 a.m. | Friday, March 19 (where): 9 a.m. |
| Pacific | Monday, March 15 (did I match?): 7 a.m. | Friday, March 19 (where): 9 a.m. |
| Alaska | Monday, March 15 (did I match?): 6 a.m. | Friday, March 19 (where): 8 a.m. |
| Hawaii | Monday, March 15 (did I match?): 4 a.m. | Friday, March 19 (where): 6 a.m. |
| Puerto Rico | Monday, March 15 (did I match?): 10 a.m. | Friday, March 19 (where): 12 p.m. |
What happens during Match Week?
Five days, two very different weeks. If you matched, you mostly wait. If you didn't, the Match Week and SOAP calendar runs your days hour by hour. Times are Eastern.
| Day | If you matched | If you didn't (and are SOAP-eligible) |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, March 15 | If you matched: At 10 a.m. ET, an email and the R3 system tell you that you matched, not where. Celebrate quietly and keep the program a mystery until Friday. | If you didn't (and are SOAP-eligible): The same 10 a.m. ET notice tells you that you did not match, or matched only part of what you need. If you are eligible, SOAP starts now and you can prepare applications from 11 a.m. ET. |
| Tuesday, March 16 | If you matched: Nothing to do. If a classmate is in SOAP, a mock call with them helps. | If you didn't (and are SOAP-eligible): From 8 a.m. ET programs read SOAP applications and may call you to interview, often within hours. Keep your phone on. |
| Wednesday, March 17 | If you matched: Nothing to do. | If you didn't (and are SOAP-eligible): More SOAP interviews while programs finish their preference lists. |
| Thursday, March 18 | If you matched: Nothing to do. | If you didn't (and are SOAP-eligible): Four SOAP offer rounds, the first at 9 a.m. ET, each with two hours to accept. SOAP ends at 9 p.m. ET. |
| Friday, March 19 | If you matched: At 12 p.m. ET you learn where you matched, by email and in R3, or at your school's event. | If you didn't (and are SOAP-eligible): If you accepted a SOAP offer, that is your position. Still unmatched after SOAP ended Thursday at 9 p.m. ET? You can contact programs that are still unfilled, and start your plan for next season. |
Monday: did you match?
At 10 a.m. Eastern on Monday, March 15, the NRMP emails every applicant and posts the same news in R3. It says whether you matched, not where. Applicants who didn't match, or matched only part of what they need, such as an advanced position without its first year, find out whether they can take part in SOAP.
Matched? Keep it quiet if your school plans a Friday event, and enjoy the week. Not matched? Call your dean's office first, then open our SOAP guide. You may not contact any program until it contacts you, under the Match Participation Agreement.
Friday: where you matched
At noon Eastern on Friday, March 19 the full results arrive by email and in R3. If your school holds a Match Day event, it will tell you how it hands out results. The match is a binding commitment from that moment: you start at that program unless the NRMP grants a waiver.
What happens after Match Day?
Training starts around July 1, 2027, and your program sends its own orientation dates and forms. Our list for the next few weeks:
- Reply to your program's welcome email within a day or two, and send any contract or onboarding forms back fast.
- Ask whether your state needs a training license, and when the background check and other onboarding steps are due. Some take weeks.
- International graduates: start the visa steps with your program right away. Your program's coordinator will guide you.
- Book your move around your program's orientation dates, which come before the start of training.
- Thank the people who wrote your letters and tell them where you matched.
What if you don't match, even after SOAP?
Once SOAP ends Thursday night, you may contact any program that is still unfilled. Then plan the next season, which opens in June. The year in between matters most: clinical or research work that keeps you close to patients, a fresh letter from someone who supervised you, and a wider list. Our how many programs to apply to page uses the AAMC's data to size it, and the match rate guide explains what the NRMP's reports measure.
International graduates: what changes in Match Week
Your exam requirements for ECFMG certification had to be verified by the rank list deadline to take part in the Match and SOAP. After you match, the visa comes next, so answer your program's emails fast. ECFMG is the sole sponsor of J-1 physicians in clinical training. Our IMG residency interview guide covers how to talk about visas on a SOAP call.
Applying again next season? Expect this question in every interview, and practice it before the first one.
Practice question
“You didn't match last year. What have you done since?”
Reapplicants hear it in almost every interview. Name what went wrong in one sentence, spend most of the answer on what you did about it, and end on why you are a stronger resident now.
Example answer written by Confetto (the applicant is invented)
I applied to too few programs and only in one city, and I had one weak letter. I take responsibility for both.
Since then I've worked as a research fellow in our internal medicine department, which kept me on the wards two days a week. I led a project on discharge delays that we're presenting this spring, and the attending who supervised it wrote one of my new letters.
I applied more widely this year, with every signal going to programs where I'd really thrive. The year made me more patient and much better at running a team meeting, and I think that will show from my first week as an intern.
Sources: the NRMP's 2027 applicant calendar, 2027 Match Week and SOAP calendar, Match Week page, policies and Match Participation Agreement (linked, not quoted with figures) and ECFMG's exchange visitor page, checked November 3, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
When is Match Day 2027?
Friday, March 19, 2027. Results go out at 12 p.m. Eastern by email and in the NRMP's R3 system. Match Week starts Monday, March 15, 2027, at 10 a.m. Eastern, when you learn whether you matched. See the NRMP's 2027 calendar.
What time are Match Day results released?
12 p.m. Eastern, which is 9 a.m. Pacific, 10 a.m. Mountain and 11 a.m. Central on March 19, 2027. Daylight saving time has already started by then, and Arizona, which stays on standard time, sees it at 9 a.m. See the NRMP's calendar.
What happens on Monday of Match Week?
At 10 a.m. Eastern you get an email saying whether you matched, but not where. Applicants who did not match, or matched only part of what they need, learn whether they are eligible for SOAP, which starts the same morning. See the NRMP's Match Week page.
What if I don't match?
If you are eligible, you enter SOAP that Monday. You apply to unfilled programs, interview by phone or video Tuesday and Wednesday, and get offers in four rounds on Thursday. An accepted SOAP offer is binding, just like a match. Read our SOAP guide.
Can you turn down your match?
No. A match is a binding commitment under the Match Participation Agreement you signed at registration. The NRMP can release you only through its waiver process, for reasons such as serious hardship. Read the NRMP's policies.
When does residency start after Match Day?
Most residencies start around July 1, 2027. Your program sends its own orientation dates and onboarding forms in the weeks after Match Day. How the Match works.