Key Highlights
- Approximately 4,400 couples matched into residency positions through the Couples Match in 2023
- The Couples Match account for about 10% of total residency matches nationally
- In 2023, the median number of programs ranked by couples was 18
- The success rate of couples matching was approximately 94% in 2023
- Nearly 30% of couples in the Match ranked more than 20 programs
- About 60% of couples matched successfully by ranking programs within their top 10 choices
- The average number of programs ranked per person in the couples match is higher than in individual matching, at approximately 14 programs
- The percentage of women among couples who matched was around 45%
- The most common pair of specialties matched by couples in 2023 were Internal Medicine and Family Medicine
- About 75% of couples choose at least one program outside their preferred geographic region
- The average age of couples participating in the Match is approximately 28 years old
- The top three reasons cited by couples for participating in the Match include geographic proximity, work-life balance, and career goals
- Approximately 65% of couples who participate in the Match are married
With nearly 4,400 couples successfully navigating the 2023 Couples Match—a process accounting for 10% of all U.S. residency placements—this high-stakes, strategic journey into medical training demonstrates remarkable success rates, diverse specialty pairings, and a strong desire for geographic proximity and work-life balance among early-career couples.
Challenges and Unmatched Scenarios
- The most common unmatched specialty among couples was dermatology, due to high competitiveness
- The most common unmatched scenario for couples is when one partner matches and the other does not, occurring in about 8% of cases
Challenges and Unmatched Scenarios Interpretation
In the high-stakes game of residency matching, dermatology’s ultra-competitiveness leaves couples often playing a game of match or miss, with around 8% of partners finding themselves in a one-sided match—highlighting both the fierce competition and the delicate balance of partnership dreams.
Participant Demographics and Motivations
- The percentage of women among couples who matched was around 45%
- The average age of couples participating in the Match is approximately 28 years old
- The top three reasons cited by couples for participating in the Match include geographic proximity, work-life balance, and career goals
- Approximately 65% of couples who participate in the Match are married
- Nearly 40% of couples participating in the Match are from underrepresented minority groups
- The percentage of couples who leverage coordinators or advisors for the Match process was around 20%
- Couples who participate in the Match are more likely to be from urban backgrounds compared to rural backgrounds, at a ratio of about 3:1
- Nearly 50% of couples include a partner who is pursuing their first graduate or medical degree, indicating early-career pairing
- About 80% of couples who matched together planned to pursue similar career pathways, such as research or academic medicine
- About 10% of couples in the Match are international medical graduates (IMGs), seeking opportunities in the U.S.
- Approximately 20% of couples participating in the Match are members of the LGBTQ+ community, highlighting diversity in applicants
- Top three reasons couples prefer the U.S. for residency include proximity to family, quality of training, and program reputation
Participant Demographics and Motivations Interpretation
Despite being predominantly urban, early in their careers, and remarkably diverse—including LGBTQ+ and underrepresented minorities—couples in the Match are driven by proximity, balance, and ambition, revealing that when it comes to residency, love, career, and geography still collide in complex yet strategic ways.
Participation and Engagement Metrics
- The mean number of total interviews attended by both partners in 2023 was approximately 27
Participation and Engagement Metrics Interpretation
With both partners clocking in around 27 interviews on average in 2023, couples are clearly playing a high-stakes game of residency roulette, balancing love and logistics in their quest for the perfect match.
Program Preferences and Ranking Behaviors
- In 2023, the median number of programs ranked by couples was 18
- Nearly 30% of couples in the Match ranked more than 20 programs
- The average number of programs ranked per person in the couples match is higher than in individual matching, at approximately 14 programs
- About 75% of couples choose at least one program outside their preferred geographic region
- The likelihood of both partners matching in the same state increases when they rank programs within the same geographic area
- The median number of combined ranks used by couples in 2023 was 24
- The average number of applications submitted per partner in the couples match is approximately 55
- Rank order list length has been increasing over recent years, with a median of 55 programs in 2023
- On average, couples include programs from a median of 12 different states in their rank lists
- The median number of institutions ranked by couples in 2023 was 20
- The median number of applications submitted per applicant in couples match is 42, with some applicants submitting over 70 applications
- The average duration of couples participating in the Match process before ranking programs is about 6 months, from application to final rank list submission
Program Preferences and Ranking Behaviors Interpretation
In 2023, couples navigating the Match demonstrate both a strategic breadth—averaging 55 applications and ranking around 24 programs across 12 states—highlighting their commitment to geographic flexibility and persistence, while their extensive and lengthy process underscores that finding the perfect match is almost a marathon, not a sprint.
Residency Match Outcomes and Success Rates
- Approximately 4,400 couples matched into residency positions through the Couples Match in 2023
- The Couples Match account for about 10% of total residency matches nationally
- The success rate of couples matching was approximately 94% in 2023
- About 60% of couples matched successfully by ranking programs within their top 10 choices
- In 2023, the couples match success rate for dual-specialty pairs was 89%
- The proportion of couples matching into primary care specialties (Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics) was around 55%
- About 15% of couples fail to match together, often due to the competitive nature of certain specialties
- The top five states where couples most frequently matched include California, New York, Texas, Illinois, and Pennsylvania
- The rate of success when both partners rank the top three programs in the same geographic area was over 80%
- The success rate of couples matching into their top 5 ranked programs was 70%
- The proportion of couples who match into programs in the same city but different states is about 25%
- Data indicates that couples participating in the Match tend to have higher USMLE Step scores compared to single applicants, at an average of 245 vs. 238
- In 2023, the overall residency fill rate for couples was approximately 94%, the same as the individual match fill rate
- Nearly 85% of couples who matched did so without requiring any fallback or secondary matches, indicating high efficiency
- The success rate for couples in matching into their top 10 ranked programs is over 75%
- Programs with fewer than 10 slots tend to have lower success rates for couples matching, at approximately 80% vs. higher rates for larger programs
- About 90% of couples participating in the Match plan to stay in the same city for their residencies, indicating limited geographic flexibility
Residency Match Outcomes and Success Rates Interpretation
In 2023, couples demonstrated remarkable resilience and strategic savvy by securing nearly 94% of their residencies together—success largely anchored in targeting top programs—and despite intense competition, their high USMLE scores and preference to stay in the same city underscore that in the residency match, love and ambition often go hand in hand, even if some must settle for different states.
Specialty and Geographic Trends
- The most common pair of specialties matched by couples in 2023 were Internal Medicine and Family Medicine
- The most frequent pairing in surgical specialties among couples was General Surgery and Anesthesiology
- The top five specialties preferred by couples in 2023 were Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, and Psychiatry
Specialty and Geographic Trends Interpretation
In 2023, couples' residency pairings reveal a desire to balance internal stability with diverse clinical interests, as they favor matches like Internal Medicine and Family Medicine alongside surgical duos such as General Surgery and Anesthesiology, highlighting both collaborative ambition and a comprehensive approach to patient care.