Soap Process Residency

The Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program® (SOAP®) is the process by which eligible unmatched, or partially unmatched applicants may apply to programs with unfilled residency positions and receive offers through the National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®) Registration, Ranking, and Results (R3®) system.

SOAP

The Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (“SOAP”) provides a uniform system for programs to offer unfilled positions to eligible unmatched or partially matched applicants through a series of offer rounds during Match Week.

SOAP for Applicants

SOAP for Eligible Applicants

Monday through Thursday of Match Week

Partially matched and fully unmatched applicants who meet eligibility requirements may participate in SOAP to try to obtain an unfilled residency position. It is important that applicants be ready for SOAP in the event they learn on Monday of Match Week that they are unmatched.

SOAP for Ineligible Applicants

Monday through Thursday of Match Week

• Applicants who are not eligible for SOAP cannot apply to any Match-participating programs, regardless of the program’s SOAP participation status, until SOAP concludes. ERAS will not send applications to those programs, and applicants not eligible for SOAP are prohibited from contacting the programs themselves or through personal contacts.
• Applicants who are not eligible for SOAP can apply to non-Match participating programs. ERAS will open at 11:00 a.m. ET on Monday of Match Week for applicants to begin applying to programs and will send applications to those programs beginning at 8:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday. Phone, fax, email, or other methods also can be used by applicants who are not eligible for SOAP, but only after 8:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday of Match Week.

View the full Match Week and SOAP Calendar

Common Questions

Is there a separate registration for the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP)?

No, there is not a separate registration for the Main Residency Match and SOAP. You must be registered for the Match with the NRMP and verified as eligible to participate by the Rank Order List Certification Deadline to participate in the Main Residency Match and SOAP. There is not a SOAP process in the fellowship…

Do programs usually conduct interviews during SOAP?

Most programs will contact applicants by telephone or email and conduct brief telephone or video interviews. For applicants who may be local, in-person interviews may be offered.

Do I need to reapply to programs after the first SOAP round?

Programs to which you have applied have access to your application during all SOAP rounds. If you still have unused applications from your initial batch of 45, you can submit them for any remaining unfilled programs that you are interested in and have not yet applied to via ERAS. The unfilled programs list is updated…

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ERAS SOAP® Information

The Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program® (SOAP®) is the process by which eligible unmatched, or partially unmatched applicants may apply to programs with unfilled residency positions and receive offers through the National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®) Registration, Ranking, and Results (R3®) system.

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Updated: February 2023. This page will be revised with information for SOAP ® 2024 soon.

During Match Week, unmatched and partially unmatched applicants who are deemed eligible may participate in SOAP ® to try to obtain an unfilled residency position.

SOAP ® 2023 begins on Monday, March 13 at 10 a.m. ET and ends on Thursday, March 16 at 9 p.m. ET. The MyERAS ® application opens on Monday, March 13 at 11 a.m. and programs cannot start to review applications until Tuesday, March 14 at 8 a.m. ET. Please select the links below to navigate to 2023 ERAS ® SOAP ® information and resources:

• SOAP ® 2023 ERAS Schedule
• Pre-SOAP ® Tasks
• SOAP ® Resources
• ERAS Fees During SOAP ®
• ERAS Fees After SOAP ®
• Once SOAP ® Begins
• After SOAP ® Concludes

SOAP ® 2023 ERAS Schedule

To familiarize applicants with the SOAP ® schedule and process, the AAMC ERAS ® program team and the NRMP ® hosted a joint webinar, titled SOAP ® 101 on Tuesday, March 7 at 1 p.m. ET.

A recording of the webinar is available here. It will also be shared on the AAMC Webinars and Online Courses page. You can also find the recording in your AAMC Dashboard after you’ve logged in.

During the webinar the ERAS program team and NRMP ® representatives provided an overview of the SOAP ® process and information on the following:

• NRMP ® SOAP ® eligibility requirements
• Communication rules during SOAP ®
• ERAS preparation for SOAP ®
• ERAS SOAP ® requirements
• ERAS SOAP ® application process
• Match Week timeline and SOAP ® offer rounds
• NRMP ® SOAP ® data

Pre-SOAP ® Tasks

To participate in SOAP ® , applicants must be:

• Registered for the NRMP ® Main Residency Match ® .
• Eligible to enter Graduate Medical Education (GME) on July 1, 2023 as verified by your medical school or the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), an Intealth member.
• Unmatched or partially matched on Monday, March 13.

There is no separate registration for SOAP ® and applicants do not submit a rank order list.

If you have any additional questions about eligibility, please visit the NRMP ® website.

Optional tasks:

• Certify and submit your MyERAS application if you have not done so already during the 2023 ERAS application regular season.
• Keep personal information (e.g., NRMP ® ID) updated in the MyERAS system.
• Upload Letters of Recommendation.
• Update or add a new personal statement(s).

SOAP ® Resources

ERAS Fees During SOAP ®

Applicants who have applied to at least one residency program (for ERAS 2023 program season) by Monday, March 13 at 7:30 a.m. ET will not pay any application fees during SOAP ® .

Applicants who have not applied to at least one residency program through the ERAS system by Monday, March 13 at 7:30 a.m. ET and are SOAP ® -eligible, will be charged a fee of $99. If you have not sent your USMLE or COMLEX-USA transcripts, a fee of $80 per transcript will apply.

Once SOAP ® begins

During SOAP ® , you will be able to apply to a total of 45 Match-participating programs between Monday, March 13 at 11 a.m. ET and Thursday, March 16 at 9 p.m. ET. You may reapply to programs you applied to during the ERAS 2023 season as well as apply to new programs. Please note, the program must be participating in SOAP ® and have unfilled positions that you’re eligible for.

Once you have reached the maximum of 45 applications, you will not be able to apply to additional programs until SOAP ® ends on Thursday, March 16, at 9 p.m. ET. You are not required to apply to the full 45 programs allowed during SOAP ® . However, any remaining applications will not carry over after SOAP ® ends.

ERAS Fees Post SOAP ®

The ERAS program will continue to offer the flat fee program when 2023 SOAP ® concludes.

This program is for ERAS 2023 residency applicants who were SOAP ® -eligible and who applied or reapplied during SOAP ® and did not obtain a position. For applicants who meet these requirements, applications will be $10 each regardless of specialties. This flat fee program will conclude at the remainder of the ERAS 2023 season on Tuesday, May 31, 2023, at 5 p.m. ET. For all other residency applicants, the regular application fee structure for the ERAS 2023 residency applicants will apply.

ERAS application fees will automatically populate when applicants apply to programs based on the applicant’s payment history and/or SOAP ® participation.

After SOAP ® concludes

The ERAS application resumes normal operations on Thursday, March 16 at 9 p.m. ET.

At the conclusion of SOAP ® , the ERAS program will continue to offer a flat fee for 2023 residency applicants who were SOAP ® -eligible, applied, or reapplied during SOAP ® , and did not obtain a position. For applicants who meet these requirements, applications will be $10 each regardless of specialties applied. This flat fee program will conclude at the end of the ERAS application 2023 season.

For all other residency applicants, the regular application fee structure for ERAS 2023 residency applicants will apply.