How many residency programs should a medical student apply to? That is not quite a million-dollar question, but considering that filling out more applications costs aspiring physicians both time and money, it is one with high stakes.
While the residency-application landscape frequently shifts, medical students tend to be in search of the application total sweet spot—applying to enough programs to maximize Match chances but not overdoing it to the point that it wastes valuable bandwidth or adds stress during their often rigorous final year of medical school.
As applicants embark on the residency selection process, they should consult FREIDA™, the AMA Residency and Fellowship Database®, which is a comprehensive resource that includes information on more than 14,000 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited residency programs and offers a streamlined user experience.
Here’s a look at what the most recent data shows about residency-application totals. How might the numbers inform your path?
Understanding the dip
Looking at data from the most recent residency-application cycle—compiled by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)—both total applications and the average number of applications per applicant were down in 2026. This decrease, true across all applicant types, had application figures at their lowest volume in at least five years.
These figures are likely the result of several interventions. Most notable is the expansion of program signaling—a system that allows applicants to indicate interest in a limited number of residency programs when they submit their applications. That effort has served as a counterweight against years of residency-application inflation.
Even in some of the most competitive specialties, residency-application totals have dropped sharply as residency program signaling has grown in popularity. In the 2026–2027 Match cycle, at least 27 specialties will use program signals as part of their applications process.
Other factors that may also be contributing to a drop in applications include an increase in robust data available to applicants and the use of decision support tools that provide key insight about the Match process.
What is average?
The most recent data from the AAMC indicates that the average number of residency applications to all specialties for graduates of MD-granting medical schools was 53.7. The average residency-application total for graduates of DO-granting medical schools in 2026 was 68.2. International medical graduates (IMGs) averaged 114.3 applications.
Specialty-specific application data from the 2025–2026 Match cycle showed a notable reduction in the average number of applications submitted per applicant, a trend observed in most specialties.
In 2026, MD applicants, on average, submitted the most applications in (totals are rounded to the nearest whole number):
- Plastic surgery (integrated)—68.
- Neurological surgery—62.
- Diagnostic radiology—57.
- Psychiatry—57
- Vascular surgery (integrated)—52.
In 2026, DO applicants, on average, submitted the most applications in:
- Psychiatry—73.
- Diagnostic radiology—63.
- General surgery—57.
- Neurological surgery—49.
- Pathology (anatomic and clinical)—49.
In 2026, IMG applicants, on average, submitted the most applications in:
- Internal medicine—86.
- General surgery—68.
- Pathology (anatomic and clinical)—61.
- Psychiatry—59.
- Neurological surgery—53.
A practical, targeted approach
There’s very little proof that more residency applications means better results for residency applicants. In analyzing results from a survey of residency applicants from the 2024–2025 Match, a report from the National Resident Matching Program, found that “across all applicant types, unmatched applicants reported applying to more programs than matched applicants.”
So, if it’s not a volume game, what is the best strategy for submitting residency applications? During an episode of the “AMA Making the Rounds” podcast series, Deborah Spitz, MD, a psychiatry residency program director, emphasized the importance of applying to programs that align with both your competitiveness and your interests.
Addressing the Match process for psychiatry, Dr. Spitz shared, “the data suggests that if you are realistic about the 20 programs that you choose, you don't need to apply to 50 programs.”
She advised residency applicants to first get an honest assessment of their own competitiveness. From there, they should choose a number of programs consistent with successful Match rates in their specialty and apply to programs from three different buckets.
“Apply to one-third of them that might be challenging for you to get in, apply to one-third that are quite realistic based on what you know, and apply to one-third that are easy,” she said. “That gives you a cushion.”
