March 21, 2025, David Mitchell — Family medicine residencies offered a record number of positions in the National Resident Matching Program for the 16th year in a row, and the specialty is poised to enter the 2025-26 academic year with the largest intern class in its history.
More than 800 family medicine programs participating in the NRMP Main Residency Match filled 4,574 positions, according to results released today. That’s 21 fewer than a year ago. However, when the results of this week’s Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program are reported, this new class of family medicine residents will likely eclipse last year’s record-setting total of 5,189.
“I’m confident we’ll have virtually all unfilled positions filled by the time the new residency class starts on July 1,” said AAFP Vice President of Student and Resident Initiatives Karen Mitchell, M.D., FAAFP, a former program director and past president of the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors.
Family medicine had 805 unfilled positions, up 169 from 2024. The SOAP process concluded today, but official numbers will not be available for months. For perspective, there were 636 family medicine positions unfilled in last year’s main residency Match, and 594 of those filled through the SOAP.
Incoming residents celebrate matching into the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine Family Medicine Residency Program on March 21.
Family medicine categorical and combined programs offered a record 5,379 positions, up 148 compared to a year ago. A record 817 family medicine programs offered positions this year, with a fill rate of 85%. Family medicine accounted for 86% of the primary care positions offered and 84% of primary care positions filled. The United States is projected to need up to 48,000 more primary care physicians by 2034.
“I’m excited to see that the main Match numbers are relatively steady,” Mitchell said, “and we’re showing overall growth in family medicine. That’s important. The number of positions offered is going in the right direction to meet our country’s primary care needs.”
Of the students and graduates who filled family medicine slots in the main Match reported by the NRMP today:
A more in-depth look at the 2025 numbers is available in the AAFP’s Match results analysis.
The Academy’s advocacy has helped increase the number of family medicine positions offered by more than 100 in four of the past five years.
The AAFP’s Board of Directors continued this effort on Capitol Hill on Feb. 26, meeting with more than 40 congressional and Senate offices on workforce and other issues vital to family medicine. This week, Board Chair Steven Furr, M.D., FAAFP; President Jen Brull, M.D., FAAFP; and President-elect Sarah Nosal, M.D., FAAFP, were back in Washington, D.C., to talk with members of Congress and congressional staff about topics including permanently authorizing — and funding — the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education program, which is vital to building the primary care workforce.
To help drive higher fill rates for family medicine in the main Match — an outcome that family medicine program directors, the Academy and other stakeholders are working toward — Mitchell encouraged family physicians to participate in the Family Medicine Champions program. The AAFP launched this free, self-paced certificate program two years ago to support those who influence students to choose family medicine.
The program trains participants to be ambassadors for family medicine and to educate aspiring health care workers about the opportunities available in the specialty. Register by July 31 to join the class that starts in August.
“Students need to see the joy of family medicine through relationships with family physicians,” Mitchell said. “One way to get involved is to be a Family Medicine Champion, reach out to students, at any stage of their career pathway, in your communities and learn skills to help put more students on a path to join our specialty.”
The AAFP recently launched a campaign to show first- and second-year medical students how they can transform communities and create meaningful, long-term doctor-patient relationships in family medicine. The Academy also supports a nationwide network of family medicine interest groups and has created a partnership to expose students to the specialty as early as high school.
The AAFP, in collaboration with the Association of Departments of Family Medicine and the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, also offers a best practices guide for medical schools with evidence-based strategies to increase their rate of graduating family physicians.
Residency Leadership Summit: The majority of U.S. family medicine residency programs will be represented, with hundreds of program directors, associate program directors and program coordinators in attendance, at the AAFP’s Residency Leadership Summit, March 25-27 in Kansas City, Missouri. Mitchell said the annual event is a place for resident leaders “to come together to share innovative ideas and best practices in residency education.”
Free Match Guidebook: Students can get a free, step-by-step guide to the process in Strolling Through the Match, which already has been updated for the 2025-26 Match cycle. The resource offers tips for every stage of the Match, from choosing a specialty to applying, interviewing and ranking residency programs.
FUTURE 2025: Finally, the AAFP’s FUTURE 2025 (formerly the National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students) is July 31-Aug. 2 in Kansas City, Missouri. This event offers live workshops, procedural courses, leadership opportunities, student and resident congresses, and an expo hall showcasing hundreds of residency programs.
“We’re excited about the opportunities FUTURE gives students to explore family medicine and find their people,” Mitchell said.
More than 200 scholarships are available for students and residents to help reduce expenses, such as registration, travel, lodging, and meals, to attend FUTURE. Apply by May 1.