Frequently Asked Questions

Short answer: The Residency Programs List (RPL) is a comprehensive database and search tool created to help medical students and graduates conquer the U.S. residency match.

Launched in 2017, RPL provides applicants with source-verified data on over 5,900 programs across 31 specialties. It includes detailed program minimum requirements, match statistics, and unique ranking algorithms to help you find the best programs for your credentials. By reviewing and analyzing this data, you can build a targeted, highly competitive application list.
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This core philosophy guides how the website is structured to help you review and analyze data to find the best programs for your application.

We continuously update our program data year-round, ensuring you always have access to current website links, the latest match statistics, and many more. However, we update the core program requirements between late August and early September, as this is when most programs finalize their official changes.

While FREIDA and Residency Explorer provide excellent general statistics and basic requirements, RPL focuses strictly on the high-impact data that drives match decisions. In particular RPL provides:

• Absolute and preferred cut-off scores: Official program reported thresholds that are often hard to find in public sources.
• Program competitiveness based on measurable statistical data
• Granular IMG requirements: Specific data on required months of U.S. Clinical Experience (USCE), hands-on/observersip/research requirements, time-since-graduation preferences and exceptions.
• Historical resident data: Extensive tracking of current residents' schools and countries of origin to analyze program graduation preferences. Yearly IMG statistics.

Short answer: We determine program competitiveness based on measurable statistical data while Doximity uses resident reports.

We calculate program competitiveness based on our own medical school reputation database and current resident statistics. This makes residency program ranking as objective as it theoretically possible.

Short answer: We provide both free and paid lists.

RPL offers two types of free lists and two types of paid lists:

• Explorer+ Lists: Fully comprehensive, free lists for 14 highly competitive specialties (such as Neurosurgery, Dermatology, Plastic Surgery, and Ophthalmology).
• Explorer Lists: Free lists for specialties that rely on standardized minimum requirements. These allow users to research programs, filter by visa requirements and Step 2 cut-offs, bookmark programs, and take private notes.
• The Basic List is designed for applicants who want a streamlined, data-driven starting point. It provides access to our core database, allowing you to filter programs by fundamental requirements, and standard competitiveness rankings.
• The Advanced List for IMGs is for applicants who need strategic, highly personalized match data. It unlocks our proprietary algorithms, including the "Friendly Score" (calculated by pure statistical methods based on your exact profile) and Selection helper, additional graduation filters, geographic preference analysis, and deep historical data on current residents' graduation origins.

The Friendly Score is a unique metric available to International Medical Graduates (IMGs) who purchase an "Advanced" list. Created by our in-house PhD mathematician, the algorithm uses proven statistical methods to comprehensively analyze a program's preferences, historical match statistics, and specific requirements. It provides a much more rigorous and meaningful probability of an IMG matching than simply looking at the percentage of current IMG residents. Among parameters taken into consideration: program size, current percentage of IMGs, yearly percentage of IMGs, common match scores, common interview scores, schools of current residents, graduation countries, interview acceptance rate, yearly number of applicants, number of interviewed, geo preference acceptance, signal/no-signal acceptance and many more.

RPL relies on multiple highly verified sources to build its database, including:

• Minimum requirements and notes collected directly from the residency programs.
• Program-reported and manually verified data on current residents.
• Official NRMP-based statistics and the ACGME-accredited residency program directory.
• Proprietary historical data collected by the RPL team since 2017.

No. Our platform is a research and filtering tool designed to help you build your target list of programs. All actual applications, document submissions, and official communications must be done through ERAS, ResidencyCAS (for EM and OB/GYN), or directly to programs that do not participate in ERAS or ResidencyCAS.

Short answer: The number of interviews from non signaled programs is significant for most specialties. So, the number of applications increases the interview probability.

While approximately the half of interviews depend on proper signal selection the other half heavily depends on the whole pool of selected programs. Depending on specialty, programs accept up to 50% of non-signaled applicants. So, the probability of the match depends on selecting right programs for signaling and also increases with the total number of applications by apply to programs with all types of various filtering algorithms that are used. But to make it work programs should be wisely selected. According to NRMP research, the probability of a successful match stabilizes after 100-170 programs, depending on IMG applicant qualifications and specialty. Read more here.

No. Meeting the minimum requirements (such as Step scores or Year of Graduation cut-offs) simply means your application will likely pass the program's initial digital filters. If filters passed programs use more holistic review processes to select interviewees based on personal statements, letters of recommendation, MSPEs, clinical experience, etc.

Yes, users can export their bookmarked programs to CSV format which can be opened in Excel.

Short answer: Yes, our website and program view for registered users are mobile-friendly.

While the table view is restricted due to phone screen limitations, the program view is fully mobile responsive. You can research program data, bookmark, and put your notes from any device.

Subscriptions are typically valid for one full Match cycle.

Short answer: We provide free additional filter that filters out all programs that never accepted IMGs in the past.

We define IMG-friendly program as one that accepted at least one IMG in the past. The number of IMG-friendy programs strongly depends on specialty. The true friendliness is defined by "Friendly score" calculated specifically for a certain candidate.

Yes. Residency Programs List (RPL) collects information about supported visa types and provides free filtering.

Yes. We collect this information so users can filter programs, and we note whether they require or prefer hands-on clinical experience, observerships, or research.

Short answer: Yes we have YOG filter

Residency Programs List (RPL) provides several levels of YOG filtering. This includes filtering by strict cut-offs and by preferred maximum YOG.

Yes we provide ECFMG filter. It hides a program only if ECFMG certificate is strictly required for the interview. We also provide detailed info about whether an ECFMG certificate required before rank list deadline or before matriculation if such information available.

Short answer: Yes. we can.

Programs can be sorted by the number of residents from your medical school, ensuring that searched programs appear at the top of your search list.