At exactly noon on Friday, March 20, graduating fourth-year medical students from UM School of Medicine and across the country learned where they matched as residents during “Match Day” festivities. An impressive 98 percent of students matched this year, which is in line with previous years’ successes.

Students matched at 58 different healthcare facilities across 23 states, with 26 percent of the class staying in Maryland for their training. Primary care programs accounted for the largest portion of UMSOM’s match placements: 36 percent of the class matched in family medicine, internal medicine, or pediatrics. Anesthesiology accounted for 14 percent of the class, followed by psychiatry at 8 percent. Other specialties like obstetrics & gynecology, emergency medicine, and surgery accounted for a smaller percentage of students.

The National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) is a rigorous residency application process through which students are matched with residency programs based on a mutual selection process. The organization uses an algorithm aligning applicants with training programs based on confidential rankings submitted by both the student and their residency programs of interest.

Leading up to the big reveal inside of the M&T Bank Exchange, faculty and student speakers shared their reflections on the class and their years of hard work.  

“Whatever happens when those envelopes open, I hope we can all can take a moment to appreciate this milestone, how bittersweet it can be, and celebrate everything that brought us here because at the end of the day — we have accomplished something extraordinary,” said Class of 2026 President Tarek Antar ‘26.

Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD, provided an important reminder to the class on their journey to medical school and the values that are instilled in them as physicians.  

“Congratulations on the big match,” said Dean Gladwin who is also the Vice President for Medical Affairs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean. “Six thousand people applied for your spots here, which means you are all incredibly brilliant, driven, disciplined, and organized. But, you are also here because you have incredibly high emotional intelligence. You are altruistic, you have values, and you are humanists. In this year ahead of you, you are going to be efficient. You will learn the business of medicine and get in the weeds. But you have to remember to embrace the humanistic values that got you here.”

Watch the Match day 2026 Video

This year, the 2026 Match was the largest in history, with more than 53,000 applicants registered, according to the NRMP. Over 44,000 positions were offered in more than 6,800 program tracks across the U.S. with 93 percent of positions filled nationwide.

In alignment with UMSOM’s results, the Main Residency Match continued to see strong participation in primary care specialties with over 20,700 positions offered, an increase of 412 positions over last year. Other trends of interest included an uptick in psychiatry interest, which offered over 2,500 positions this year with a fill rate of 97 percent. This year, psychiatry added 30 residency programs nationwide, increasing available positions by 128. 

Several UMSOM Class of 2026 students reflected on their journeys in medical school and their excitement for what lies ahead.

Harrison Mayo, MD Candidate ’26, matched into Pediatrics/Emergency Medicine and will stay close to UMSOM at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) for his residency training.

“The biggest thing I am looking forward to in residency is future opportunities for mentoring and teaching,” he said. “I have been fortunate to have amazing teachers and mentors over the past four years that have influenced me as I have developed into a physician, so I am really excited to pay that forward for future med students.”

Douglas Cooper, MD Candidate ’26, will also join his classmate at UMMC, matching into Orthopaedic Surgery. His experience as a patient led him to pursue his path in medicine.

“I have an extensive history of cartilage disease in my knees, so I experienced a lot of orthopaedics on the patient side of things,” he said. “Coming to medical school allowed me to see the other side of the table, and I just love how hands on it is. Being able to help patients improve their quality of life and get back the independence they once had is truly meaningful and fulfilling for me.”

Zahra Mousavi, MD Candidate ’26, who matched into Orthopaedic Surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital also shared similar sentiments on the specialty and the impact she hopes to have in patient care.

 “Orthopaedics is such a unique field where you get to really impact the lives of patients in a meaningful way, even through small minor procedures," she said. "I look forward to being an advocate for my patients throughout my career. Even as a medical student, many patients have told me that I made their healthcare experience better and had a positive impact on their hospital stay. I’m excited to continue that work.”

Kieran Tebben, PhD ’24, MD Candidate ‘26, matched at the University of Washington’s OB-GYN residency program. Dr. Tebben has been conducting research in the lab of David Serre, PhD, at the Institute of Genome Sciences (IGS) during her time at UMSOM. As a future physician-scientist, she will participate in the University of Washington’s R38 Resident-Investigator Pathway track.

“When I opened the envelope, I was so excited and proud since only one resident is selected each year for the research track with dedicated post-doc research time built into residency,” Dr. Tebben said. “It is exactly what I wanted to do since the research track is specifically focused on infectious diseases and immunology related to women's health, especially during pregnancy, which is what my research interests are.”

During her residency training, Dr. Tebben hopes to study Trichomoniasis, a common sexually transmitted infection that is associated with risks of pelvic inflammatory disease, HIV acquisition, and poor birth outcomes.

Sara Case, MD Candidate ’26, who previously worked in health policy to expand access to reproductive care, plans to carry her passion for patient advocacy into her medical career. Ms. Case matched into Family Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and shared a helpful piece of advice for future students navigating the match process.

“It’s important to clarify your values at the beginning of the process and define what you want to do in medicine and what matters most to you," she said. "As you go through the interview process, you will hear many different perspectives and may feel pulled in multiple directions. But if you’re clear about your goals as a physician, you’ll have a strong foundation for choosing programs that truly align with your values, both in medicine and in life.”

Presenting sponsors for this year’s Match Day Celebration included Whiting-Turner and the University of Maryland Medical Alumni Association.

View the Match Day 2026 Image Gallery >