IMGs Show Strong Performance in 2024 Match

More than 9,000 IMGs Will Join U.S. Health Care Teams

The success of IMGs in pursuing graduate medical education (GME) in the United States remains strong with significant increases in the number of physicians obtaining first-year training positions, according to the results of the 2024 Main Residency Match® (The Match®) announced Friday by the National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®).

A total of 9,045 IMGs obtained first-year residency positions in accredited U.S. GME programs, an increase
of 657 (7.8%) from last year, and comprising more than one-quarter of all matched applicants (25.1%). Of
the IMGs matched, 3,181 are U.S. citizens, a decrease of 175 compared to last year. The number of
matched non-U.S. citizen IMGs is 5,864, up 832 compared to 2023. Despite record-high applicant
participation, the match rates for U.S. citizen and non-U.S. citizen IMGs remained steady with less than a
one percentage point difference from last year, 67.0% and 58.5%, respectively. An infographic on IMG
performance in the 2024 Match can be found here.

Today’s results demonstrate the critical role that IMGs continue to play across specialties; the specialties (with 30 or more filled positions) with the highest percentage of first-year positions filled by IMGs are Internal Medicine (43%), Pathology (37.4%), Family Medicine (31.8%), and Neurology (29.5%). Non-U.S. citizen IMGs saw the greatest percentage increase in matches to Emergency Medicine, more than doubling from 61 to 123, contributing to this year’s rebound in this specialty. IMGs matching to Pediatrics also increased a substantial 16.4% (730, up from 627 in 2023), notable as the specialty faced a concerning decline overall.

According to Eric S. Holmboe, MD, President and CEO of IntealthTM, the continued growth of IMGs in the Match and their success in gaining these highly competitive training positions are essential as the U.S. physician workforce strives to meet the needs of a growing patient population. “I am excited that Intealth, through its rigorous evaluation of and support for IMGs, once again has contributed to an ample, diverse, and highly qualified pool of IMG applicants for residency training in the United States,” Dr. Holmboe said. “We will continue our service to the public and to the U.S. GME community by supporting these physicians as they progress in training and make critical contributions to patient care.”

About Intealth

Intealth is a private, nonprofit organization that brings together the expertise and resources for advancing

quality in health care education worldwide in order to improve health care for all. Through strategic
integration of its divisions, ECFMG® and FAIMER®, Intealth offers a flexible and multi‐layered portfolio of
services. These services enhance and support the education and training of health care professionals,
verify their qualifications required to practice, and inform the development of health workforce policies
around the world. By leveraging these combined competencies of its members, Intealth powers innovation
in areas critical to the health professions. Learn more at www.intealth.org.

About ECFMG Certification

ECFMG, a division of Intealth, assesses the readiness of IMGs to enter U.S. GME. The program for
certifying IMGs is a rigorous process that includes passing components of the United States Medical
Licensing Examination® (USMLE®), the same examinations required of U.S. medical school students and
graduates, and demonstration of clinical and communication skills. As part of the certification process,
ECFMG also verifies the authenticity of IMGs’ medical education credentials, including their medical
diplomas, directly with the issuing medical schools. Only IMGs who are certified by ECFMG can enter
accredited U.S. GME programs. Learn more at www.ecfmg.org/certification.

Sources:
FINAL-Intealth-Match-2024-Press-Release
Match-2024-Infographic

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