Supplemental Rank Order List: Prelim and Advanced

Supplemental Rank Order List: Prelim and Advanced

A supplemental rank order list holds preliminary or transitional PGY-1 programs, and the 2027 Match reads it only after you match an advanced (PGY-2) program it is attached to. If no prelim on that list takes you, you stay matched to the advanced program and look for a PGY-1 year in SOAP.

The algorithm does not drop an advanced match because the intern year fell through, and it does not go back to try the categorical program you ranked below it. So the real decision on a supplemental list is not which prelim you like best. It is whether you would rather be partially matched at your first advanced program or fully matched at a categorical program you ranked lower. This page shows how to make that call before February, with a constructed list and its outcomes. For the main list itself, start with residency rank list strategy.

Every NRMP page, support guide and the 2027 Match Participation Agreement quoted below were checked on November 7, 2026, for the 2027 Main Residency Match.

What the supplemental list does

NRMP's supplemental list FAQ: "Those who rank advanced (PGY-2 level) programs on their primary ROLs also can submit supplemental ROLs of preliminary PGY-1 programs that are linked to one or more advanced programs on the primary ROL, offering applicants the ability to obtain a 'full course of training' by securing both PGY-1 and PGY-2 positions."

NRMP's 2027 introduction for applicants dates it: "Advanced positions in the 2027 Match are PGY-2 positions that begin in 2028." A preliminary position is "Training that is one year in length in transitional, medicine, surgery, or other specialty programs and provides the prerequisite training for advanced programs."

The R3 support guide for supplemental lists sets the mechanics:

One special case: joint advanced/preliminary programs. The guide says "Only applicants who rank the advanced program can rank the joined preliminary program in a Joint A/P arrangement, and only applicants who match to the advanced program can match to the preliminary program." If you rank that linked prelim, "the associated advanced program must have a unique supplemental rank order list of preliminary programs assigned."

How to order the primary and supplemental lists

Your primary list mixes advanced programs, categorical programs that include the intern year, and any backup. Order it in true preference, as for any list. Then make one decision for each advanced program: would you rather match it with no intern year settled, or match the next categorical program on your list with both years settled? Put the advanced program above the categorical one only if the answer is the first.

On each supplemental list, rank prelims in true preference too. NRMP's guide says "applicants generally consider geographic location in developing supplemental rank order lists for specific advanced programs." If two advanced programs sit in different cities, give each its own list.

Constructed example: an anesthesiology list with a supplemental list

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant's list.

Context (invented): a fourth-year student applying in anesthesiology, with internal medicine as a backup. Ashbury University and Thornbay Health are in the same metro area.

Primary list:

1. Anesthesiology, Ashbury University (advanced, PGY-2 start in 2028), supplemental list A attached
2. Anesthesiology, Kestrel Medical Center (categorical, starts with PGY-1 in 2027)
3. Anesthesiology, Thornbay Health (advanced), supplemental list A attached
4. Internal Medicine, Kestrel Medical Center (categorical)

Supplemental list A ("A-Ashbury metro"):

1. Transitional Year, Ashbury University
2. Internal Medicine Preliminary, Ashbury University
3. Internal Medicine Preliminary, St. Wendeline Hospital

What happens in each outcome:

The applicant looks at row 2 and asks whether a partial match at Ashbury beats a full match at Kestrel. They decide it does, because Ashbury's anesthesiology program is the reason they applied, and three prelims in one metro is a list they trust. A student who would hate a scramble for an intern year makes the opposite call and puts Kestrel first.

Fees for this list (our arithmetic): 4 unique codes on the primary list and 3 on the supplemental list, both under the 20 that registration covers, so no extra rank fees.

Our view: settle the partial-match question for each advanced program before you rank prelims, and attach a supplemental list to every advanced program you rank. The basis is the guide's own outcome rule above: the supplemental list is the only way to have an intern year matched in March. The countercase: if your advanced program has a joint prelim or you have already arranged a PGY-1, a short or single-program list is enough, and the order decision above matters less.

Partial matches and SOAP

MPA §7.3 of the 2027 Match Participation Agreement defines it with this exact case. You are "Partially matched if not fully matched (e.g., applicant intended to enter a preliminary general surgery position and a three-year anesthesia position and only matched into the anesthesia position or the preliminary general surgery position but not both)". It continues: "Unmatched and partially matched applicants may be eligible to participate in SOAP."

What a partially matched applicant gets on Monday of Match Week, under MPA §7.5.2: "Partially matched applicants will receive email notification of the city, state, and zip code of their matched program to facilitate the applicant's participation in SOAP." NRMP's location FAQ says this appears "when the Match status notification is released on Monday of Match Week." That is 10:00 a.m. EDT on Monday, March 15, 2027, per NRMP's 2027 applicant calendar. Use the city to target prelim programs near your advanced program in SOAP.

Two rules to keep in view. Between the March 3 deadline and Match status, MPA §7.5.1 says "Applicants may not apply for, discuss, interview for, or accept any position that would run concurrent with positions offered in the Match." And under §7.4, matched applicants, fully or partially, "Are in a binding commitment and must accept the appointment(s) offered by the training program(s)". The SOAP hour-by-hour schedule is in the Match Week 2027 SOAP guide, and the statement you would send prelim programs is covered in the SOAP personal statement guide.

Fees for supplemental programs

NRMP's rank limits page: "The Match registration fee includes the listing of up to 20 unique NRMP program codes on the primary rank order list (and in the Main Residency Match, up to 20 unique NRMP codes on all supplemental rank order lists combined). Additional ranks are $30 per rank for both individuals and couples."

The supplemental allowance is pooled. If list A and list B each name 12 different prelims, you have 24 unique supplemental codes, 4 over the allowance, so $120 in extra rank fees (our arithmetic). The same prelim on two lists counts once: the 2027 introduction charges "$30 per unique program code". "Rank fees are NOT REFUNDABLE if a shorter list is certified later."

Couples with advanced programs

NRMP's couples page adds two rules. First, "supplemental rank order lists are considered individually by the matching algorithm, not as a unit, and only after a match is established to a pair of programs on the partners' primary rank order lists." Second, "Applicants who list the same advanced program more than once on the primary rank order list, must have the same supplemental list or no supplemental list attached to each instance of the advanced program."

In practice, the city you match as a couple is settled on the primary lists. Your prelim is then chosen alone, so a supplemental list for a couple should hold prelims in the pair's city. The couples match rank list guide builds the paired list.

Checklist for an advanced applicant

1. Every advanced program on your primary list has a supplemental list attached, or you have a PGY-1 arranged.
2. For each advanced program, you decided whether it sits above or below your best categorical option, using the partial-match question.
3. Each supplemental list holds only prelims you would attend, in true preference, near the advanced program. List length for both lists is covered in how many residency programs to rank.
4. Joint A/P prelims sit on a list unique to their linked advanced program.
5. Unique supplemental codes over 20 are counted; $30 each is due at certification.
6. Couples: each repeated advanced program carries the same supplemental list.
7. Both lists are certified before 9:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 3, 2027.

Questions about supplemental rank lists

Do I need a supplemental rank order list?

Only if you rank advanced programs and want a PGY-1 year matched in March. Applicants ranking only categorical programs never use one.

What happens if I match an advanced program but no prelim?

You are partially matched and committed to the advanced program. You look for a PGY-1 position in SOAP or after Match Week.

Can I put categorical programs on a supplemental list?

No. NRMP's guide says "only preliminary programs may be added to supplemental ROLs."

Can one supplemental list serve several advanced programs?

Yes. The same list can be attached to several advanced programs, and you can build up to 16 lists.

More residency guides are on the medical school essays hub.

Review the writing you send next

Before the deadline, the letter worth writing goes to the one advanced program you placed first. Get a free Quick Review of your residency letter of intent: it checks that the letter ties a named feature of the program to what you would do there and states your interest at its true strength. If you end up partially matched, your SOAP statement for prelim programs can go through the ERAS residency personal statement rubric. Name the track in any anesthesiology letter of interest if you interviewed for categorical and advanced positions.

Whether your first-choice prelim or TY program should get a letter is covered in the radiology residency letter of intent guide.

If your preliminary-year program director is writing for your PGY-2 application, point them to the letter for a prelim or transferring resident.

Sources

Retrieved November 7, 2026, except where noted.

• NRMP, Do I need a supplemental rank order list? (posted March 17, 2022): what a supplemental list is.
• NRMP, Creating a Supplemental Rank Order List, R3 support guide (no year stated; uploaded 2021): when the list is read, the partial-match commitment, 16 lists, reuse, prelims only, geography, joint A/P rules.
• NRMP, Introduction to the 2027 Main Residency Match for Applicants (2027 Match): position definitions; advanced positions begin in 2028.
• NRMP, 2027 Main Residency Match Participation Agreement for Applicants (2027 Match): §7.3 partial match, §7.4 binding commitment, §7.5.1 and §7.5.2 Match Week communication.
• NRMP, Can I find out the geographic location where I matched? (posted February 23, 2023): city, state and zip for partially matched applicants.
• NRMP, 2027 Main Residency Match Applicants Calendar (2027 Match): certification deadline and Match status time.
• NRMP, How many programs can I rank? (posted March 17, 2022): 20-code allowances and $30 fee.
• NRMP, Couples in the Match (no year stated): supplemental lists for couples.