The National Resident Matching Program’s Main Residency Match®, or “Match Day,” held annually throughout the country on the third Friday of March, is a highlight of every medical student’s educational journey—when tens of thousands of graduating medical students nationwide learn what residency program they have been matched to. Beginning at noon on March 20, 2026, they will begin opening their envelopes to find out where they will continue their training for the next three to seven years of their lives after earning their degrees.
For students who match, it’s a day of celebration and anticipation. For those who don’t, it’s a scramble to apply to programs through the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program. Either way, the lead-up to Match Day is an incredibly exciting and nerve-racking time.
Fourth-year Larner medical student Kara Pflaster ’26 reflects on what the waiting period is like on the cusp of this life-changing milestone.