March 24, 2025

Intealth Applauds IMG Success in the 2025 U.S. Residency Match

Strong IMG Performance Will Benefit Patients

The success of international medical graduates (IMGs) in securing first-year graduate medical education (GME) positions in the United States remains strong, with growth in the number of physicians matching to residency programs, according to the 2025 Main Residency Match^® (The Match^®) results released by the National Resident Matching Program^® (NRMP^®).

This is good news for U.S. health care and U.S. patients, since IMGs are critical to our ability to provide accessible and high-quality health care. Despite growth in U.S. medical schools, there are not enough U.S. graduates to fill all medical residency positions, and physician shortages persist nationwide. Without IMGs, thousands of medical residency positions would go unfilled each year. IMGs play a crucial role in addressing U.S. workforce shortages, particularly in underserved communities and essential medical specialties. They are especially vital in primary care fields like Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Family Medicine, as well as critical subspecialties such as Geriatrics and Nephrology. This is demonstrated by the fact that IMGs filled 44.6% of the matched first-year positions in Internal Medicine this year.

This year, a total of 9,761 IMGs secured first-year positions in accredited U.S. GME programs, reflecting an increase from 2024 and making up more than one-quarter of all matched applicants. Of these, 3,108 are U.S. citizens, while 6,653 are non-U.S. citizens. The match rates for both U.S. citizen and non-U.S. citizen IMGs remained steady compared to last year, reflecting the ongoing value of this cohort to U.S. training programs and the U.S. medical education system. An infographic on IMG performance in the 2025 Match can be found here.

Overall, this year’s results underscore the important contributions of IMGs to patients, communities, and the U.S. health care system and reflect the growing opportunities for IMGs to pursue their medical training in the United States.

Eric S. Holmboe, MD, President and CEO of Intealth^™, emphasized the significance of this continued success for the U.S. health care system. "IMGs bring invaluable perspectives, experience, expertise, and dedication to patient care, and their growing presence in residency programs strengthens the medical community as a whole," Dr. Holmboe stated. "At Intealth, we are committed to supporting these physicians throughout their journey, ensuring they have the resources they need to thrive in training and beyond."