Match & ERAS FAQs

Navigating the Match and meeting the needs of incoming fellows can be difficult, but we’re here to help! Have a unique situation and need some guidance? Email your question to ADGAP@americangeriatrics.org.

What is the benefit of Geriatrics participating in the Match?

The Match provides a level playing field for all programs, gives Geriatrics greater visibility, and puts the applicants’ interests first. It reduces the pressure applicants may feel when trying to decide between multiple offers. The Match also protects programs by having applicants sign a binding contract.

What are the current fees for the Institution and Program participating in the Match and registering for ERAS?

Please visit the NRMP website to view the fees for both applicants and institutions/programs.

Many of our applicants are home grown residents from our own Internal or Family Medicine residencies. What are the benefits to participating in the Match for these applicants who have no intention of going anywhere else?

The Match is designed to work as well for candidates who have no intention of going to another program as it does for applicants who are interested in more than one program. As long as both the candidate and the program rank each other highly on their rank order list, there should be no issue with the applicant being accepted to his/her desired program.  Applicants can participate in the match without registering in ERAS.

Putting slots in the match helps the field of geriatrics better understand our candidate pool and maintain the required participation of 75% of slots in the Match.

What is the relationship between ERAS and the Match?

There is no real relationship between ERAS and the NRMP.  ERAS is the application service and the NRMP is the matching service. There is a place for an applicant to enter their ERAS ID on the Match registration and vice versa however, it is not required for an applicant to be registered with ERAS to participate in the Match.

How do off cycle fellowships affect the Match?

All positions within the Match are presumed to start on July 1 and the commitment is binding. If you have a position that cannot begin on July 1 because of a funding issue (ie: your program would not be able to support that fellow until X date, you may remove that position from the Match as an exception. An example of a rationale to be provided on the Match Participation Agreement is below.


“(Institution Name) has a total of X ACGME accredited slots of which we have funding for X to commence on July 1, 2018 and funding for X to start off-cycle. In accordance with NRMP guidance to ADGAP, we are entering the slots that will start on July 1 into the 2017 Match cycle.”


I have a two-year fellowship or hybrid fellowship position (e.g., two-year research or combined geri-onc, geri-pal, geri-hosp, etc.) that I would like to place into the Match. How do I set that up?

  • Set up a separate track within R3 – the Registration, Ranking and Results web-based application system through which all NRMP Matches are managed.  Step-by-step instructions on how to do this are below. Once completed, a separate NRMP code will be provided for this track.
    1. Login to the NRMP website
    2. Once you’ve logged in, click on Help in the upper right hand corner.
    3. Under Fellowship Matches, click on the first bullet titled “Fellowship Institutional Official, Institutional Administrator, and Program Director User Guide”
    4. Scroll down to pg. 37, Adding a Program to the Match, and follow the step by step instructions.
    5. Be sure to label the separate track under Additional Program Description. Each program track title should describe the type of training in a manner that distinguishes it from other tracks in the same institution and specialty. Some suggestions for hybrid positions are as follows: Geri-Onc (Geriatrics and Oncology), Geri-Hosp (Geriatrics & Hospitalist), Geri-Pal (Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine), Geri-Endo (Geriatrics and Endocrinology).
  • Place in each track the predetermined number of positions to be filled, being sure not to exceed the total number of positions in the program; and
  • Create a separate rank order list (ROL) of applicants for each track (and not one ROL aggregating all candidates)
  • Set up a reversion in the R3 system, if necessary, to guard against the program being unfilled. A reversion gives institutions the option of reverting (donating) unfilled positions in one track to another track. Follow steps 1-3 above, then scroll to pg. 47 and follow the instructions for Entering Reversions.
  • If you have any questions about setting up or labeling the separate track, please contact Waldo Wentz at the NRMP at 202-618-3893.

If I have a fellow considering a combined position (geri-onc, geri-endo, etc.) in which the Geriatrics fellowship would follow the combined slot and not begin on July 1, would it still be necessary to enter this position into the Match?

In circumstances such as this one, where the geriatrics fellowship position is following the other specialty slot, this position does not need to be entered in the Match. We will ask you to account for this position in future years as a part of your commitment to participating in the Match.

I have two fellows interested in sharing a combined position (geri-hosp, geri-onc, etc.) and can only enter one slot in the Match for each of the two years of training. Would my program still be considered “all in?”

Yes. Please be sure to explain this in the rationale section of the Match Participation Agreement. An example of a rationale is provided below.


“(Institution Name) will offer two fellows (1st Fellow Name and 2nd Fellow Name) who are interested in sharing a combined position, one of our ACGME accredited slots in the Match for academic year 20XX-XX.”


I have a fellow interested in staying for a second year of fellowship. Does this person need to go through the Match?

No. The NRMP process applies to only the first, ACGME accredited, fellowship year.

I have a fellow interested in staying for a second year of fellowship, which reduces the total number of positions I am able to enter into the Match due to funding. How can I stay compliant with the Code of Ethics and still be “all in?”

If allowing one of your current fellows to stay for an additional year of fellowship training affects the funding you have allotted to support the second year, please explain this in the rationale section of the Match Participation Agreement.


“(Institution Name) has extended offers for a 2nd year to XX current fellows. Once our current Fellows have made decisions about doing a 2nd year, we will finalize our slots in the Match so that all available slots are being filled through the Match.”


I have X number of positions that we cannot currently support (e.g., lack of funding, faculty/trainee ratios, etc). Do these positions have to be entered into the Match?

Programs should only put those slots into the Match that they are actively seeking to fill for a July 1 start date. We ask that you please provide us with a rationale for the number of slots that you are putting into the Match. An example of a rationale is provided below.


“(Institution Name) has a total of X ACGME accredited slots of which we have funding for X to commence on July 1 and funding for X to start off-cycle. In accordance with NRMP guidance to ADGAP, we are entering the slots that will start on July 1 into the (enter year) Match cycle.”