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If you’re thinking about entering the match as a couple, you might have heard that doing so will hurt your chances of securing positions. But that is not necessarily true. What most people don’t realize is that there are two ways to enter: NRMP and ERAS. With the right strategy, applicants can prioritize matching as a couple without hurting their chances to match individually.
The Couples Match is a way for any two residency applicants to coordinate their applications and rank lists so they can pursue training in the same location or a preferred combination of programs. You don’t need to be married or even a “real couple” to participate–best friends, siblings, etc.–all are welcome!
Selecting “yes” for the couples match in ERAS allows programs to see that you are part of a couple. It’s likely to come up in interviews, and you should be prepared to discuss your partner in terms of their specialty and possibly profile. You may even advocate for your partner in the match to get an interview at a program where you have an interview and vice versa.
This visible aspect of the couples match is why it’s often thought to be risky or hurt your chances. For example, Applicants A and B are both applying to internal medicine and interview at the same program. The program is very interested in Applicant B but does not plan to rank Applicant A highly. Knowing that they are couples matching, the program may assume that Applicant B will not come without Applicant A and rank B lower as a result. In that case, disclosing the couples match may hurt Applicant B’s chances, even though the program would otherwise have ranked B highly. Fortunately, there is another way to participate in the couples match without disclosing it to programs.
Participating in the NRMP Match as a couple simply allows two applicants to link their rank order lists so they can try to match in the same/preferred location. The system treats their lists as pairs of program choices, and they match to the highest pair on their list where both applicants receive a position (the NRMP discusses this in more detail here). Programs are not informed you have entered as a couple, and it is not something you’re required to tell them about.
Registering as a couple with NRMP but not with ERAS is a “no harm, no foul” situation. Applicants can structure their lists to prioritize matching together, while still having the opportunity to match individually if a paired match isn’t possible.
The way to do this is by using the NRMP’s “No Match” code (999999999), which allows one partner to match while the other does not. Using the example from above, Applicants A and B have 50 pairs on their ROLs. Applicant A has 15 individual program choices underneath the paired ones, and Applicant B puts the no match code for all 15 of those programs. Likewise, Applicant B ranks 15 individual program choices, and Applicant A puts the no match code for those programs.
The algorithm first attempts to match the pair to one of their ranked program combinations. If none of those pairings result in both applicants securing positions, the algorithm continues down the list to any entries that include individual program choices. At that point, each applicant is effectively considered on their own, just as they would be if they hadn’t participated in the couples match.
All in all, applying to the match as a couple via NRMP only but skipping ERAS means you don’t have to hold each other back! It is possible for both applicants to match at different programs in different locations, or for one applicant to match while the other does not.
The Couples Match does not have to mean choosing between matching together or matching at all. If you use the system strategically, you can make informed choices that support both your shared goals and individual chances.
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