The Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP) is the structured Match Week process administered by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) through which eligible unmatched and partially matched applicants apply to and receive offers for unfilled residency positions. Understanding SOAP alongside the NRMP Residency Match timeline and NRMP Match complete guide ensures you can act calmly if Monday of Match Week brings unexpected news.
Who is SOAP-eligible
To participate in SOAP, you must be registered for the NRMP Main Residency Match, be eligible to enter graduate medical education on July 1 of the match year (including required Step 1, Step 2 CK, and ECFMG verification deadlines for international medical graduates), and be either fully unmatched or partially matched on Monday morning of Match Week.
How Match Week and SOAP rounds work
- Monday morning: Applicants learn whether they matched. SOAP-eligible applicants gain access to the confidential list of unfilled programs in the NRMP Registration, Ranking, and Results (R3) system and submit applications through ERAS up to the published SOAP application cap.
- Tuesday and Wednesday: Programs review SOAP applications and conduct brief phone or video interviews. Applicants do not submit a rank list in SOAP; instead, programs submit preference lists in R3.
- Thursday offer rounds: NRMP runs sequential two-hour offer rounds. In each round, an applicant may receive offers from programs and can accept, reject, or let an offer expire. Accepting a SOAP offer creates a binding Match commitment.
Strict communication rules during SOAP
Under the NRMP Match Participation Agreement, applicants and their advocates may not contact a SOAP-participating program until that program first receives an ERAS SOAP application from the applicant and initiates contact. Keep the confidential unfilled list strictly private at all times.