Residency Still Interested Email: How to Reply

Residency Still Interested Email: How to Reply

Reply in two to four sentences: say you are still interested, name one specific reason, and stop. The 2027 NRMP Match Participation Agreement lets you volunteer interest; it does not authorize a program to ask where you will rank it, and you never have to say.

A "still interested?" email is easy to read as a loyalty test. The rules point the other way. Internal medicine's own specialty guidance asks programs to message whole groups, not individuals, so the email in your inbox may have gone to every interviewee. This page gives you the rules, four constructed replies and what to do when the question turns into "where will you rank us?". If you want a second read before you send, run the reply through the residency letter of intent rubric.

Every NRMP and program page quoted below was checked on November 7, 2026, against the 2027 Main Residency Match documents. The Rank Order List Certification Deadline is 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 3, 2027.

What NRMP allows each side to say

The rules sit in §6.4 and §6.5 of the 2027 Match Participation Agreement for applicants and in NRMP's Match Code of Conduct for Applicants.

The Code of Conduct adds the line that governs your reply:

"Applicants may request and exchange clarifying information with programs following the interview but must not solicit or engage in post-interview communication for the purposes of influencing or ascertaining a program's ranking intentions."

So your reply may answer the question, state interest and ask a clarifying question. It may not ask "where am I on your list?" and it may not bargain.

Why you got this email

In internal medicine, the email is more likely a list than a signal. The 2026-2027 Program Director Associations Guide for Internal Medicine records this guidance from the internal medicine program directors' association (AAIM):

"AAIM strongly discourages programs from sending tailored, individualized post-interview communication."

It goes on: "programs are strongly encouraged to message all applicants or all candidates within a specific group, rather than individuals", and faculty and staff "are prohibited from communicating the candidate's odds of ranking or matching to their program."

Some programs say outright that they do not track contact. UTHealth Houston's internal medicine page says: "Post-interview communication, second looks, visits to Houston, etc., on the part of the applicant are not expected, encouraged, or tracked." (UTHealth Houston IM, How to Apply)

Our view: answer every "still interested?" email the same way, briefly and honestly, and do not read your rank into it. A program that sent the same message to every interviewee learns nothing from a long reply, and a program that sent it to you alone is still not allowed to ask for your rank.

The countercase: if this program really is your first choice, a two-sentence reply undersells that. The agreement lets you say so voluntarily, and the right vehicle is a separate, deliberate residency letter of intent sent to one program. Whether letters move rank lists at all is a separate question, covered in does a letter of intent change your rank list.

Reply templates

Four constructed examples, written by us, not real applicant emails. Each one answers the question asked and nothing more. Under each is what every sentence commits you to.

Constructed example: still interested, with one reason

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant email.

Dear Dr. [Surname],

Thank you for checking in. I remain very interested in [Program name]. The resident-run [named clinic] I saw on my interview day on [date] is the kind of continuity clinic I want to train in.

Best regards, [Your name], AAMC ID [number]

What it commits to: interest, which is true and allowed. It names one thing you saw, so it is not a form reply. It says nothing about rank.

Constructed example: no longer interested

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant email.

Dear Dr. [Surname],

Thank you for your note and for the interview on [date]. I have decided to withdraw my application from [Program name] so the place can go to another applicant. I am grateful for the time your team gave me.

Sincerely, [Your name], AAMC ID [number]

What it commits to: that you will not train there. You are volunteering a preference, which §6.4 allows. Send it only if you have truly decided not to rank the program.

Constructed example: the program asks about your visa or ECFMG status

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant email.

Dear [Coordinator's name],

Thank you for asking. I will require [visa type] sponsorship to begin training. My ECFMG status as of [date] is [status as shown on your ECFMG record], and I will tell you promptly if anything changes before July 1.

Best regards, [Your name], AAMC ID [number]

What it commits to: facts. Section 6.3 of the agreement makes you responsible for "information relevant to licensure status or visa status", and says "The omission of any information pertinent to a program's decision to rank an applicant may be deemed a violation of this Agreement." State the status exactly. Do not plead, and do not promise a status you do not yet have. For the wording of visa sentences in general, see visa wording in residency letters and interviews; for a later credential change, see the IMG update email for ECFMG and Step 3.

Constructed example: the program says it will rank you highly

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant email.

Dear Dr. [Surname],

Thank you for letting me know, and for a very helpful interview day. I enjoyed meeting your residents and learning about [one specific feature].

Sincerely, [Your name], AAMC ID [number]

What it commits to: thanks, nothing else. A program is allowed to say you "will be ranked", and that statement binds no one. What those messages mean, phrase by phrase, is decoded in ranked to match emails.

If a program asks where you'll rank it

This is the one version with a clear rule. MPA §6.5 says programs are not authorized to "Request that applicants reveal their ranking preferences". You do not answer it, you do not hint, and you do not offer a conditional ("I would rank you first if…").

A one-line decline is enough, for example (constructed, written by us): "Thank you for asking. I am keeping my rank list confidential, as the Match agreement allows, and I will rank programs in order of where I most want to train." A fuller decline email, and how to report the request, are in the section on programs asking where you will rank them. The agreement's reporting address is in §7.5: "Violations of any policies pertaining to communication between programs and applicants must be reported to the NRMP at policy@nrmp.org." Section 12.0 adds: "Reports of a violation of Match and/or SOAP policy may be made anonymously."

Never invent a commitment to end an awkward conversation. A false "you are my first choice" is false information given to a program, and MPA §6.3 lets NRMP treat false information as a violation of the agreement.

IMG notes: time zones, signatures and tone

These are our recommendations, not NRMP rules.

1. Reply within one working day of the program's time zone. If the email arrives at 4 p.m. in the program's city and that is 2:30 a.m. where you are, a reply the next morning is fine. Do not reply at 3 a.m. half awake.
2. Sign with your full name as it appears in ERAS and your AAMC ID. A coordinator matching your reply to your file should not have to search.
3. Keep visa and ECFMG status to one factual sentence, and only when asked or when it changed. A "still interested?" email is not the place to argue for sponsorship.
4. Answer the question in the subject line. Plain "Thank you for checking in" is clearer than formal stock phrases such as "kindly revert". More on this in residency email phrases for IMGs.
5. Do not send a second, longer email a week later. If something new happened, that is an update, not a reply. See the residency update letter after an interview.

A three-question check before you hit send

1. Does the reply answer exactly what was asked? If the email asked "are you still interested?", the first sentence says yes or no.
2. Does any sentence state, hint at or bargain with a rank position? If yes, delete it.
3. Is every fact (visa type, ECFMG status, scores) exactly what your records show today? If not, fix it before you send.

Questions about "still interested" emails

Is a "still interested?" email an NRMP violation?

No, not by itself. The §6.5 list bars requests for your ranking preferences, not a check on whether you still want to be considered. If the email asks where you will rank the program, that part is on the list.

Do I have to reply?

The agreement does not require a reply. Our recommendation is to reply anyway, briefly, because the program asked a direct question and silence leaves it unanswered.

Can I say a program is my first choice in the reply?

Yes, if it is true. §6.4 lets you "voluntarily communicate" interest. Say it to one program only, and only if you will rank it first.

Should an IMG mention visa needs in a "still interested?" reply?

Only if the program asked, or if your status changed. Then state it as one factual sentence. Section 6.3 makes you responsible for accurate visa-status information.

Get a free review of your letter of interest

Get a free Quick Review of your letter of interest against GradPilot's residency letter of intent rubric. It reads whether your reason for the program comes from what you learned there, whether your interest is stated at a strength the rest of the email supports, and whether any sentence asks the program about its ranking.

More residency email and letter guides:

• IMG letter of intent example: a full letter for the one program you will rank first.
• IMG rank order list for 2027: how many programs to rank and the visa check before you certify.
• Questions residency programs can't ask: the same rule, in the interview room.
• Medical school and residency essay guides: every residency writing guide in one place.

Sources

Retrieved November 7, 2026, except where noted.

• National Resident Matching Program, 2027 Main Residency Match Participation Agreement for Applicants (2027 Match): §6.3 accuracy and visa-status disclosure, §6.4 voluntary interest and confidentiality, §6.5 restrictions on persuasion, §7.5 reporting address, §12.0 anonymous reports.
• National Resident Matching Program, Match Code of Conduct for Applicants (undated PDF, posted 2023): privacy of ranking intentions and limits on post-interview communication.
• National Resident Matching Program, 2027 Main Residency Match Calendar (2027 Match): Rank Order List Certification Deadline, March 3, 2027, 9 p.m. ET.
• Program Director Associations Guide for Residency Applicants, Internal Medicine 2026-2027: AAIM guidance on group messages and on not communicating odds.
• UTHealth Houston, Internal Medicine Residency: How to Apply (2026-2027 interview season): post-interview communication "not expected, encouraged, or tracked."