SOAP Explained: How Supplemental Offers Work

SOAP, the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program, is how eligible applicants who did not match, or matched only partly, can pursue positions that remained unfilled after the Match algorithm ran. It runs during Match Week, moves fast, and ends in binding commitments. This page explains the rules; for the wider picture see if you do not match. The glossary has a short SOAP entry.

Where to find the official rules and calendar #

NRMP is the authoritative source for SOAP eligibility and procedure. Read its SOAP page for the current rules and the Match Week and SOAP Calendar, which NRMP publishes as a PDF linked from that page. This wiki does not state dates because they change every cycle.

Who is eligible #

NRMP's 2026 data report describes three conditions. An applicant is eligible for SOAP if they:

1. Are registered for the Main Residency Match.
2. Are eligible to enter graduate medical education on July 1 of the Match year.
3. Are fully unmatched, or partially matched (for example, matched to only a preliminary or advanced position), on the Monday of Match Week.

You do not have to have submitted a rank order list to be SOAP-eligible. NRMP's materials also say there is no separate SOAP registration, and applicants whose credentials are not verified by the rank order list certification deadline are withdrawn.

Applicants who are not eligible cannot apply to Match-participating programs until SOAP concludes, and may not contact those programs directly or through personal contacts.

Role of ECFMG for IMGs #

• Verification, not full certification, is the gate. NRMP requires IMGs to be verified by ECFMG as having completed the medical science examination requirements and the clinical and communication skills requirements for ECFMG certification, with passing results by the rank order list certification deadline. Unverified IMGs cannot participate in the Match or SOAP.
• Certification is needed before training starts. To begin residency in an ACGME-accredited program you generally must hold ECFMG certification (or meet the alternative the ACGME and NRMP describe, a full unrestricted US license). See ECFMG Certificate and ECFMG's certification page.
• Verification status appears in NRMP's R3 system and is updated through regular data exchanges with ECFMG. Check it before the deadline, not during Match Week.

How SOAP works, step by step #

1. Learn your status. At the start of Match Week you learn whether you matched, but not where.
2. View the List of Unfilled Programs. Eligible applicants see this in NRMP's R3 system under the SOAP tab. It shows only programs you are eligible for.
3. Apply through the application service. Applicants apply to programs on the list through the application service the program uses (usually ERAS, but each program lists its service). Applicants are responsible for applying only where they are eligible.
4. Programs review, contact and interview. Programs contact applicants they are interested in. Applicants do not create preference lists.
5. Programs create preference lists in R3. Programs rank the applicants they want to offer positions to.
6. Offers go out in four rounds. NRMP describes a series of four offer rounds. In each round, positions are offered to applicants in the order of the program's preference list, based on the number of unfilled positions the program still has.
7. Accept, decline or let it expire. If you receive an offer, you respond within the time window set for that round. A position can be re-offered in a later round if an earlier offer was declined or expired.
8. Accepted offers are binding. Positions offered and accepted in SOAP are a binding commitment under the Match Participation Agreement.

What the 2026 numbers show #

From NRMP's Results and Data: 2026 Main Residency Match:

• 13,820 applicants were SOAP-eligible, and IMGs (U.S. and non-U.S. citizen together) made up 68.4 percent of them.
• 2,851 positions were placed in SOAP. Of these, 917 were PGY-1-only (including preliminary surgery, preliminary internal medicine and transitional year), and large categorical groups included Family Medicine (898) and Pediatrics (173 categorical).
• 4,333 offers were sent: 2,632 accepted, 1,586 rejected and 115 expired. By the end, 2,632 of 2,851 SOAP positions (92.3 percent) were filled.
• IMGs together accounted for 34.3 percent (902 of 2,632) of positions filled in SOAP. U.S. MD seniors accounted for 36.2 percent and U.S. DO seniors for 18.2 percent.

Two takeaways. First, IMGs are a majority of the SOAP-eligible pool but a minority of those who obtain positions. Second, many SOAP positions are one-year preliminary or transitional roles, not categorical seats in your target specialty.

Realities for IMGs #

• Visas. Not every program sponsors visas, and J-1 and H-1B availability differs. Confirm quickly whether a program can sponsor you before you accept. See J-1 vs H-1B.
• Speed. Offers come in rounds within days. Have your ERAS application, letters, personal statement and a short reason for each specialty ready before Match Week.
• Specialty mismatch. Accepting a preliminary year or a different specialty has consequences for your long-term plan. Decide your limits beforehand.
• Binding commitment. Breaking it can lead to sanctions under NRMP rules.

After SOAP #

If you did not obtain a position, plan a reapplication. See reapplicant strategy and the Match Week timeline.