Residency application glossary

The terms you meet when applying to US residency, explained in one or two plain sentences each.

A

AAMC: The Association of American Medical Colleges. It runs ERAS and publishes ERAS statistics, including the program signal reports.
ACGME: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, which accredits US residency programs. Every program in our directory has an ACGME code.
Advanced position: A residency position that starts in the second year (PGY-2), for example in some anesthesiology, neurology, radiology or dermatology programs. You also need a first-year preliminary or transitional position.
Affinity Score: A ResidencyPrograms.io score from 0 to 100 that shows how well a program matches your personal profile, based on the program's current residents. Programs scoring 70 to 100 are strong fits. Plans
Applicants per position: How many applications a program received for each first-year position it offers. A high number means a crowded program, not necessarily a selective one.

Categorical position: A position that covers the full length of training in a specialty, from PGY-1 to completion.
Certify (rank order list): The final step that makes your rank order list count. An uncertified list is not used, and a list you edit after certifying must be certified again.
Conrad 30 waiver: A program that lets J-1 physicians skip the two-year home-country requirement by working in an underserved US area after training.
Couples Match: An NRMP option that lets two applicants link their rank order lists so they match to programs as a pair.

DO: Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, a US medical degree. DO graduates apply through ERAS and the NRMP like MD graduates.

ECFMG: The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. It certifies IMGs for US graduate medical education and sponsors J-1 visas for physicians in training.
ECFMG certification: The credential IMGs need to enter US residency. IMGs must meet ECFMG verification requirements by the rank order list deadline to stay in the Match.
ERAS: The Electronic Residency Application Service, run by the AAMC. You send your application, letters and scores to programs through it. ERAS fees calculator
ERAS fees: For the 2027 season, $11 per program for the first 30 programs in a specialty and $30 for each program after that, counted per specialty. Calculate your fees

Geographic preferences: An optional MyERAS section where you list the US divisions you want to train in, or say you have no preference. Programs can see your answer. Guide
Gold and silver signals: In a few specialties, applicants get a small number of gold signals and a larger number of silver ones. Gold goes with higher interview rates. Guide
Graduation-year limit (YOG): The longest gap a program accepts between your medical school graduation and the start of residency. Screening software often applies it strictly.

H-1B visa: A temporary worker visa. The hospital files the petition as your employer, and most programs require a passed Step 3 first. It has no home-country requirement after training. Visa sponsorship by specialty

IMG: International medical graduate: anyone who went to medical school outside the US and Canada. US IMGs are US citizens or permanent residents; non-US IMGs usually need a visa. Best states for IMGs
Interview rate: The share of applicants a program invites to interview. Compare it with the median for the specialty, not across specialties.

J-1 visa: The exchange visitor visa most IMG residents train on. ECFMG sponsors it, and it carries a two-year home-country requirement after training unless waived. Visa sponsorship by specialty

Letter of intent: A message telling one program it is your first choice. Send it to one program at most, and only if it is true.
LOR: Letter of recommendation. Most programs ask for three; some specialties want a specialty-specific letter.

Match Day: The day you learn where you matched. For 2027 it is Friday, March 19, at 12 p.m. Eastern Time. Match calendar
Match Week: The week of Match Day. On Monday you learn whether you matched, SOAP runs from Monday to Thursday, and Friday is Match Day. Match calendar
MSPE: Medical Student Performance Evaluation, sometimes called the dean's letter: a summary of your medical school performance sent with your application.
MyERAS: The applicant side of ERAS, where you build your application, choose programs, assign letters and send signals.

NRMP: The National Resident Matching Program, which runs the Main Residency Match and SOAP. Registration is separate from ERAS. Match calendar

PGY: Postgraduate year. PGY-1 is the first year of residency (the intern year), PGY-2 the second, and so on.
Preliminary position: A one-year position, usually in internal medicine or surgery, that provides the first year for an advanced position or a year of training while you reapply.
Program coordinator: The staff member who runs a program's applications and interview days. The best first contact for practical questions.
Program director: The physician who leads a residency program and makes the final ranking decisions.
Program signal: A limited number of tokens in ERAS that show a program you are especially interested in. The number depends on the specialty. Signal limits by specialty

R3: The NRMP system where you register, enter your rank order list and receive SOAP offers.
Rank order list: Your list of programs in order of preference. You match at the highest program on your list that also ranked you highly enough to take you. Deadlines
ResidencyCAS: The application service that emergency medicine and obstetrics and gynecology use instead of ERAS. Both still match through the NRMP.

SOAP: The Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program: during Match Week, unfilled positions are offered to eligible unmatched applicants in four timed rounds. Accepted offers are binding. SOAP dates
Step 1: The first USMLE exam. It has been reported as pass or fail since January 2022, but you still have to pass it.
Step 2 CK: The USMLE clinical knowledge exam, now the main score programs screen on. The pass mark has been 218 since July 1, 2025.
Step 3: The final USMLE exam. Many programs need a passed Step 3 before they can rank an applicant for an H-1B position.

Transitional year: A one-year program that rotates through several specialties, often used as the first year before an advanced position.

USCE: US clinical experience: hands-on clinical work in the US, such as externships or sub-internships. Some programs require a minimum number of months.

Visa sponsorship case by case: Program wording that usually means the J-1 is the reliable route and other visas are possible only for some applicants. Treat it as not guaranteed and ask the coordinator.

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