Updated
Residency Rank Order List: How to Rank Programs (2027)
Interview season ends with one list that decides where you train. Here is how it works and how to order it.
A rank order list is the list of residency programs you submit to the NRMP in order of preference. The matching algorithm tries to place you at your first choice, then your second, and so on, so rank programs by where you want to train, not where you think you will match. For the 2027 Match, ranking opens on February 1, 2027, 12 p.m. Eastern, and you must certify your list by March 3, 2027, 9 p.m. Eastern.
What is a rank order list?
After registering and interviewing, “applicants submit to the NRMP a list of programs, ranked in order of preference, where they wish to train.” Programs do the same with the applicants they interviewed. “It is the final preferences of applicants and program directors, as expressed on their rank order lists (ROLs), that determines the Match outcome.” You build and certify your rank order list in the NRMP's R3 system.
Ophthalmology and urology residencies fill through their own matches with earlier rank list deadlines, and military training positions are chosen by a selection board in the fall. See our guides to the SF Match, the AUA Urology Match and the military match.
How does the Match algorithm use your rank list?
The NRMP's matching algorithm starts with your first choice. You are placed there tentatively if that program ranked you and has an open spot, or if it prefers you to someone it is holding. If not, the algorithm tries your second choice, and so on. An applicant who gets bumped goes back to their next choice. When every list has been processed, “all tentative matches become final and binding for training.”
Because the algorithm tries your choices in order, a long shot ranked above other programs can't cost you any of them.
Example we wrote (made-up programs)
You rank Program A, Program B, Program C, Program D.
- Program A has filled its spots with applicants it ranked above you. The algorithm moves to your second choice.
- Program B ranked you and has a spot open, so you are placed there tentatively.
- Later, an applicant Program B ranked higher than you also lands there, and B is full. You are bumped and the algorithm tries Program C.
- Program C ranked you and prefers you to someone it was holding. You stay at C, and when every list has been processed the match is final.
Programs C and D never affected your chance at A or B. Listing them only gave you somewhere to land.
When is the 2027 rank order list deadline?
The rank order list certification deadline for the 2027 Main Residency Match is Wednesday, March 3, 2027, 9 p.m. Eastern, from the NRMP 2027 Match calendar. Interview dates leading up to it are in our residency interview season guide.
| Step | When (Eastern) |
|---|---|
| Standard registration deadline | Friday, January 29, 2027, 11:59 p.m. Register by then to avoid the late fee. |
| Ranking opens | Monday, February 1, 2027, 12 p.m. Enter and save your list in the R3 system. |
| Rank order list certification deadline | Wednesday, March 3, 2027, 9 p.m. Last chance to change your list. Also the last day to withdraw. |
| Match status | Monday, March 15, 2027, 10 a.m. You learn whether you matched, and SOAP begins. |
| Match Day | Friday, March 19, 2027, 12 p.m. You learn where you matched. |
How do you decide how to rank residency programs?
The NRMP's tips for applicants include two that shape the whole list: “be sure to rank programs in order of your true preference and not where you think you will match.” And “Rank only those programs where you are able and would be happy to train.” Build the list in this order:
1. Write notes the evening of each interview
Three lines: what stood out, what worried you and one thing a resident said. By February the programs blur together, and these notes are what you rank from.
2. Cross off any program you would not attend
Certifying your list is a binding commitment to train wherever you match. Leave off any program where you would not be happy to train.
3. Order the rest by where you want to train
Rank by your true preference, not by where you think you will match. The algorithm tries your first choice first, so a reach program at the top never costs you a program lower down.
4. Keep every program you would accept
Leaving off a program you would accept never helps you at the programs above it. Include at least one safety program.
5. Check tracks, program codes and visa sponsorship
Some programs list more than one track, such as categorical and preliminary, each with its own NRMP program code. If you need a visa, confirm the institution sponsors your visa type before you certify.
6. Add supplemental lists for advanced programs
If you rank PGY-2 advanced programs, attach a supplemental list of preliminary programs so you can match to a first year too.
7. Certify days before the deadline
Certify a version early. If you change anything after that, certify again, because the R3 system keeps no earlier version and an uncertified list is not used.
Your notes come from the questions you ask on interview day. Our list of questions to ask at a residency interview is built to tell programs apart.
How many programs should you rank?
There is no set number. Rank every program where you would be happy to train, and include at least one safety program, as the NRMP advises. Don't rank programs where you did not interview: programs only rank applicants they interviewed, so that rank can't produce a match.
Your Match fee covers up to 20 unique program codes on your primary list and 20 more across all supplemental lists. Extra fees apply beyond that, and no list can hold more than 300 ranks. Extra fees are charged when you certify and are not refunded if you later certify a shorter list. Current amounts are on the NRMP Match fees page, and how long matched and unmatched applicants' lists were is in the NRMP report on rank order list length.
How do supplemental and couples rank lists work?
Most applicants submit one primary list. Two cases add more: advanced programs that need a separate first year, and couples who link their lists.
Supplemental lists for advanced programs
Advanced programs start in the second year (PGY-2), after a separate first year. If you rank advanced programs, you can attach supplemental rank order lists of preliminary programs to them, often one list per region. The algorithm uses a supplemental list “only if the applicant first matches to the linked advanced program on the primary ROL.” If you match the advanced program but none of its preliminary programs, you are still committed to the advanced spot and look for a first year in SOAP or after. You can also rank preliminary programs on your primary list “to guard against going completely unmatched but do so with the knowledge that you may match to a program with only one year of training.”
Couples lists
Couples rank pairs of programs, and both partners need the same number of ranks. A couple matches to the most preferred pair where both partners get a position. The algorithm does not run either list on its own, so what happens when no pair on your list works depends on the pairs you rank, including any pair where one partner goes unmatched. That is the No Match code: one partner ranks it against a program on the other's list, so the other can match there while the first does not (see NRMP's Results and Data: 2026 Main Residency Match). NRMP advises: “Pairs of ranks using the No Match code should be placed at the bottom of the rank order list so that both partners have the best chance of matching to programs.” More on interviewing as a pair is in our Couples Match guide.
How do you certify or change your rank list?
Only certified lists are used. “By certifying a ROL, applicants are entering a binding commitment to train at any program with which they match.” Once you certify, your status in R3 changes from “Ranking” to “Certified” and you get a confirmation email. You can change a certified list until 9 p.m. Eastern on March 3, 2027, but the new version must be certified again.
More NRMP rules for the deadline
“The R3 system does not retain previous versions of a ROL, regardless of whether it was certified.” “The NRMP will not add, delete, or move programs or in any way modify a rank order list at any time.” Applicants who miss certification get an NRMP notice and 24 hours for late certification, and you can't withdraw from the Match after the deadline. Certify a version days early. NRMP warns against waiting until the last minute: “The servers may be overloaded and working slowly.”
Can a program ask how you will rank it?
No. Under the 2027 Match Participation Agreement, programs may not ask you to reveal your ranking preferences. You may tell a program you are interested, and a program may tell you that you will be ranked, but “applicants may not solicit verbal or written statements from a program(s) implying a commitment to rank the applicant.” Your ranking preferences are confidential, though you can share your list with your medical school advisor.
To tell your top program it is your first choice, see residency letters of intent, or for programs you like without a first-choice promise, letters of interest. Second looks and the NRMP's voluntary program rank list lock pilot, which runs again for 2027 in internal medicine, pediatrics and vascular surgery, are in our residency second look guide.
Interviewers often ask what you want in a program, which is the same question your rank list answers. Practice it out loud:
“What are you looking for in a residency program?”
Interviewers ask this to see whether your priorities fit their program. A strong answer names two or three priorities, shows where each one comes from in your training and ties them to something specific you saw there, without saying where you will rank them.
Our example answer (we wrote it, not a real applicant)
Three things matter most to me. First, graduated autonomy on the wards. On my sub-internship I learned fastest when I owned the plan and got feedback the same day.
Second, a continuity clinic with an underserved population, because my longitudinal clinic in medical school is the part of training I would miss most.
Third, residents who teach each other. This morning your residents described the morning report they run themselves, and that is the kind of program I want to train in.
Confetto gives feedback on every answer you practice, so your interviews give programs a reason to rank you high.
Sources: NRMP Rank Your Programs, How the Matching Algorithm Works, About Supplemental Rank Order Lists, Couples in the Match, 2027 Main Residency Match calendar, 2027 Match Participation Agreement for applicants and Voluntary Program ROL Lock Pilot. All checked October 28, 2026. Couples wording rechecked against Couples in the Match on October 31, 2026. NRMP's Results and Data: 2026 Main Residency Match is linked, not quoted.
Frequently asked questions
When is the 2027 rank order list deadline?
March 3, 2027, 9 p.m. Eastern. Ranking opens February 1, 2027, 12 p.m. Eastern. Only certified lists are used, and nothing can be changed after the deadline.
Can the order of my rank list hurt my chances?
No. The algorithm tries your first choice first and only moves down your list when a program can't take you. Rank programs in your true order of preference, and don't move a reach program down just because it is a long shot.
How many programs can I rank?
Your Match fee covers up to 20 unique program codes on your primary list, plus 20 across all supplemental lists. Extra fees apply beyond that. No list can hold more than 300 ranks. Rank every program where you would be happy to train, including at least one safety program.
Can I change my rank list after I certify it?
Yes, until 9 p.m. Eastern on the certification deadline. Any change means you must certify the list again, and the R3 system keeps only your latest version.
Should I rank a program where I didn't interview?
No. Programs only rank applicants they interviewed, so that rank can't produce a match.
Can a program ask how I will rank it?
No. Under the 2027 Match Participation Agreement, programs may not ask you to reveal your ranking preferences. You may tell a program you are interested, and a program may tell you it will rank you, but neither side may ask for a commitment.