Internal Medicine Residency Match 2024-2025
Table of Contents
Learning about Internal Medicine
Internal medicine is a specialty in which all medical students rotate during the third year of medical school. If you suspect internal medicine might interest you, we recommend trying to schedule this core internal medicine rotation as early in the third year as possible. Since many medical students often have choices about where to rotate, we suggest completing this rotation at the student’s home or primary institution as opposed to an affiliate hospital. By the same token, it is important to schedule your internal medicine sub-internship early in the fourth year and also at your medical school’s most prestigious hospital/site.
Internal medicine residency starts in the PGY1 year and is three years in total. Many internal medicine residents, however, do further subspecialty training. The top internal medicine programs are very competitive so it is important to understand what your target programs will be. The vast majority of U.S. allopathic seniors match in internal medicine, but, the specialty remains competitive for international and osteopathic applicants.
What Criteria are most Important to Match in Internal Medicine?
Understanding what criteria are most important to internal medicine program directors and admissions committees will allow you to position yourself as well as possible to match in the specialty. It is important to know how competitive you are for internal medicine by reviewing data published by the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP). This data includes the 2022 Program Director’s Survey and Charting Outcomes in the Match for all three applicant types (allopathic students, osteopathic student and international students). By summarizing this data, together with our own knowledge of what makes a successful applicant, we will outline what you should do to match!
Internal Medicine Residency Match Data and Analysis
In 2024, there were a total of 10,261 internal medicine positions offered in the NRMP match and a total of 15,451 applicants for those positions.
Internal Medicine Elective/Audition Rotations
Interestingly, internal medicine is not a specialty that whole heartedly recommends audition rotations. In 2022, only 51% of program directors surveyed felt this was an important factor when deciding whom to interview. However, there may be some program directors at more competitive programs who recommend audition electives as a way to gain exposure to another institution, prove yourself on another “turf” and to have letters of reference from somewhere other than your home institution. Where to complete audition electives will largely depend on your competitiveness as an applicant and geographic preferences. Ideally, audition electives should be completed by October of the application year. For internal medicine in particular, it is important to discuss the possibility of doing audition rotations with an advisor or mentor from your home medical school. For most medical students, away rotations are not necessary regardless of where you hope to match. Internal medicine is a specialty that relies heavily on USMLE/COMLEX scores and the MSPE when deciding whom to interview and rank.
Total number of Internal Medicine Residency (Categorical) Spots offered = 10,261 (2024)
Total number of Internal Medicine Residency Programs (Categorical) = 707 (2024)
Internal Medicine Residency Letters of Reference
Letters of reference from academic internal medicine physicians with whom you have worked directly are the most important letters in your profile. If possible, strong letters of reference from leaders within an academic internal medicine department, such as a chair, program director, or clerkship director will also bolster your overall candidacy. If you have done any internal medicine or subspecialty research, a letter of reference from the principal investigator with whom you worked is equally valuable. We recommend a minimum of two letters from academic internal medicine physicians, but, if it’s possible to obtain three or four letters of reference from academic internal medicine faculty, that is considered ideal.
Internal Medicine Residency Match Data for Allopathic US Senior Medical Students
Cumulatively, 15,451 applicants applied for 10,261 internal medicine residency positions in 2024. Of those 15,451 applicants, 4,225 were U.S. senior allopathic medical students. 630 U.S. allopathic senior internal medicine applicants did not match in to internal medicine residencies last year.
Therefore, 85% of U.S. allopathic seniors who applied for internal medicine matched.
Internal medicine is the largest training specialty and offers 25% of all PGY1 positions.
This is the data for those U.S. senior allopathic medical students who matched successfully:
- Mean number of contiguous ranks: 14
- Mean number of distinct specialties ranked: 1.0
- Mean USMLE Step 1: 95% percent passed on first attempt
- Mean USMLE Step 2 score: Not data provided for 2023 match. Most recent average score available in 2022 was 249.
- Mean number of research experiences: 3.3
- Mean number of abstracts, presentations, and publications: 6.9
- Mean number of work experiences: 3.3
- Mean number of volunteer experiences: 7.7
Internal Medicine Residency Match Data for Osteopathic Medical Students
Cumulatively, 15,451 applicants applied for 10,261 internal medicine residency positions in 2024. There were 2,239 osteopathic applicants. Of those, 1,783 matched.
80% of osteopathic seniors who applied for internal medicine matched.
The data for those osteopathic students who matched successfully:
- Mean number of contiguous ranks: 12.9
- Mean number of distinct specialties ranked: 1.1
- Mean COMLEX-USA Level 1 score: 540
- Mean COMLEX-USA Level 2-CE score: 568
- Mean USMLE Step 1 score: 226
- Mean USMLE Step 2 CK score: 240
- Mean number of research experiences: 2.2
- Mean number of abstracts, presentations, and publications: 3.3
- Mean number of work experiences: 3.3
- Mean number of volunteer experiences: 6.9
- Percentage who have a Ph.D. degree: 0.5
- Percentage who have another graduate degree: 22.9
Internal medicine is one of the less competitive specialties for osteopathic medicine students. However, this is because there are huge number of internal medicine programs in the country and the competitiveness for each program varies. It is important to be honest about your competitiveness and to apply to programs that historically have matched osteopathic medical students.
Internal Medicine Residency Match Data for United States International Medical Students/Graduates (IMG)
Cumulatively, 15,451 applicants applied for 10,261 internal medicine residency positions in 2024. There were 1,089 US IMGs who matched in internal medicine.
Because approximately half of all U.S. IMG applicants to internal medicine match successfully, we suggest applying as broadly as possible and being honest about how competitive you are. When reviewing Doximity residency rankings on Doximity Residency Navigator, pay attention to “feeder” schools for each program.
Internal Medicine Residency Match Data for Non-US International Medical Students/Graduates (IMG)
Cumulatively, 15,451 applicants applied for 10,261 internal medicine residency positions in 2024.
3,109 non-US citizen international medical graduates matched into internal medicine.
The number of matched non-U.S. citizen IMGs is 5,864, up 832 compared to 2023.
Because approximately half of all non-U.S. IMG applicants to internal medicine match successfully, we suggest applying as broadly as possible and being honest about how competitive you are. When reviewing Doximity residency rankings on Doximity Residency Navigator, pay attention to “feeder” schools for each program.
Internal Medicine Residency Interview: Who is invited?
Internal Medicine Residency Match 2024
Based on the 2022 Program Director’s Survey published by the NRMP which is the most recent currently available, there are many factors that are important in deciding whom to invite for an internal medicine residency interview.
What is most interesting about internal medicine is that standardized test scores and the MSPE are considered the most important factors with regards to who receives an interview invitation.
Below are the factors considered most important in selecting applicants to interview:
- USMLE/COMLEX Scores
There is no question that a USMLE/COMLEX failure is a deal breaker for many programs. However, in our experience, this is “easier” to overcome if you are a US allopathic student. The 2022 Program Director’s Survey indicated that 36% of programs require target USMLE scores and 39% prefer a target score but do not require it. Only 25% of programs require a student only pass the USMLE to be considered.
From the NRMP which makes very little data available:
“As in 2021, some items from prior administrations of the Program Director Survey were deleted for the 2022 administration in order to allow for robust questioning about the virtual experience and holistic review while minimizing respondent burden. Deleted items included questions about:
Specific target scores on USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK exams below which programs generally did not grant interviews and above which they almost always granted interviews;
Whether programs offered more invitations than interview slots and reasons for that practice;
Time allowed for applicants to respond to interview invitations;
Preferred modes of communication with and about applicants during Supplemental Offer and Acceptance
Program (SOAP) rounds;
Factors considered in decisions about which applicants to interview and to rank, and ratings of the
importance of each factor; and
Importance of factors such as professionalism, quality of patient care, clinical competency, and ethics in assessing residents’ success during residency
Internal Medicine Residency: When should you apply?
51% of programs extend internal medicine interviews in October. Therefore, it is important to send your ERAS application in early!
Internal Medicine Residency Match: What if you don’t Match or you feel you need Personalized help?
Applicants often feel lost, confused and overwhelmed by the residency application process. This is where MedEdits can help. We have helped hundreds of applicants match successfully. Whether you need a fourth year planning strategy, help with your personal statement, interview help, or any other guidance related to the residency match, we will make sure you are positioned as well as possible to match well on 2025 match day.
Looking for an Internal Medicine Residency program?
Check out our state by state list below.
Top Internal Medicine Residency Programs
| Midwestern University Osteopathic Postdoctoral Training Institute (Cottonwood) Program |
| Midwestern University Osteopathic Postdoctoral Training Institute (Mesa) Program |
| Creighton University School of Medicine/Maricopa Medical Center (Phoenix) Program |
| Creighton University School of Medicine/St Joseph’s Medical Center (Phoenix) Program |
| University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix Preliminary Program |
| University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix Program |
| HonorHealth Program |
| Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science (Arizona) Program |
| University of Arizona College of Medicine at South Campus Program |
| University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson Program |
| University of Colorado Program |
| Saint Joseph Hospital Program |
| HealthONE Program |
| Parkview Medical Center Program Osteopathic Recognized! |
Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University/Christiana Care Health Services Program
| Kaiser Permanente Hawaii Program |
| University of Hawaii Program |
| Tripler Army Medical Center Program |
| Iowa Medical Education Collaborative Program |
| University of Iowa (Des Moines) Program |
| University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Program |
| Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa Program |
| Rocky Mountain Osteopathic Postgraduate Training Institution (RMOPTI)/Bingham Memorial Hospital Program |
| University of Washington [Boise] Program |
| Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center Program |
| University of Kansas School of Medicine Program |
| Research Medical Center/Overland Park Regional Medical Center Program |
| University of Kansas (Wichita) Program |
| Abbott-Northwestern Hospital Program |
| Hennepin County Medical Center Program |
| University of Minnesota Program |
| Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science (Rochester) Program |
| Baptist Memorial Medical Education (Columbus) Program |
| Magnolia Regional Health Center Program Osteopathic Recognized! |
| University of Mississippi Medical Center Program |
| Creighton University Program |
| University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine Program |
| University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Program |
| Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences Program Osteopathic Recognized! |
| University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine (Tulsa) Program |
| Universidad Central del Caribe Program |
| Ramon Betances Hospital-Mayaguez Medical Center/Ponce School of Medicine Consortium Program |
| Damas Hospital Program |
| Hospital Episcopal San Lucas/Ponce School of Medicine Program |
| San Juan City Hospital Program |
| Hospital de la Concepcion Program |
| University of Puerto Rico Program |
| VA Caribbean Healthcare System Program |
| Brown University Program |
| Roger Williams Medical Center Program |
| Kent Hospital/Brown University Program |
| Trios Health Program |
| Skagit Regional Health Program |
| University of Washington Program |
| Virginia Mason Medical Center Program |
| Spokane Teaching Health Center Program |
