Graduating med students secure residencies nationwide
On Match Day 2026, 262 UW School of Medicine M.D. students received placements across 40 states, with 42% entering primary-care specialties.Media Contact: Leila Gray - 206-475-9809, leilag@uw.edu
Match Day is among the most anticipated milestones in a medical student’s journey. It’s the day when graduating students learn where they will spend the next three to seven years training in residency programs.
On Friday, March 20, fourth-year students from the University of Washington School of Medicine — representing the five-state WWAMI region (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) — joined peers nationwide to celebrate this event.
The UW medical school’s Seattle campus and regional sites across the WWAMI states hosted gatherings where students came together to obtain their sealed, personalized letters from the National Resident Matching Program. At 9 a.m. PDT, they opened their envelopes to learn about their residency placements amid a flurry of excitement and sharing of their news.
This year, 262 UW medical students secured placements in programs representing 24 different specialties across 40 U.S. states.
Primary-care physicians remain essential to meeting the nation’s healthcare needs. This year, 42% of graduating UW School of Medicine students obtained positions in primary-care specialties, which include family medicine, general internal medicine and pediatrics.
Nearly one in three graduates will complete part or all their residency training in the WWAMI region. A key mission of the WWAMI medical education program is to support healthcare access across the Northwest, especially in rural and underserved communities with critical physician workforce needs.
Match Day was developed by the National Resident Matching Program, a U.S.-based private nonprofit, nongovernmental organization. It was created in 1952 to place U.S. medical school students into residency training programs. The 2026 Main Residency Match was the largest in the organization's 74-year history. More than 53,000 registered applicants competed for 44,344 residency positions offered.
Students apply to residency programs at the beginning of their final year of medical school and rank their preferred programs. Residency program directors also rank applicants. A match occurs when a program and an applicant align.
See more photos from the UW School of Medicine Match Day festivities on Facebook.
Written by Marissa Lorberau.
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