AUC Residency Match Results 2026: What the Numbers Show

What were AUC's NRMP residency match results in 2025 and 2026?

AUC's 2025-26 cohort achieved a first-time residency attainment rate of over 98%. The three-year weighted average across 2023-24 through 2025-26 sits above 97%. On Match Day, 20 March 2026, 295 positions were filled across 20 specialties and 35 US states and territories.

These figures count graduates who secured a residency position on their first attempt — through the main NRMP match or directly outside it. They include categorical and preliminary year positions and reflect a consistent upward trend over four cycles. AUC defines "first-time attainment" as achieving a position within the same academic cycle, which is a stricter measure than some Caribbean schools apply.

Sources: AUC School of Medicine official outcomes data (2026); NRMP 2026 Main Residency Match results report. AUC 2022–24 figures estimated from published three-year weighted average. US citizen IMG category includes Caribbean graduates with US citizenship or permanent residency.

How do AUC match rates compare to other Caribbean medical schools?

Among the four largest Caribbean schools, AUC's 2025-26 figure of over 98% is competitive with the top published rates. Each school calculates these rates differently. Comparisons require caution.

St. George's University (SGU) in Grenada reports a ~95% US placement rate for active candidates. Ross University School of Medicine in Barbados cites ~96% first-time attainment. Saba University, with a smaller graduating cohort, publishes exceptionally high Step 1 pass rates approaching 98% but a more limited match sample size. All four schools outperform the broader US citizen IMG average of 70% in 2026 — a gap that exists partly because these schools actively curate which students sit USMLE exams and apply to the match.

One variable most guides overlook: attrition before the match. A school that admits 150 students per cohort but sends 60 to the match can report a 97% rate on those 60, while the implied outcome for the original 150 looks markedly different. AUC's 295 matched positions in 2026 represents a meaningful absolute cohort size by Caribbean standards.

What USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK pass rates does AUC report?

AUC's five-year first-time pass rates (2021–2025) are 79% for USMLE Step 1 and 92% for USMLE Step 2 CK. Third-party analysis of the same cohort cites 81% and 93% respectively. Step 2 CK performance is the stronger figure — notably closer to US MD school averages than to the broader IMG group.

For context: the overall Step 1 first-time pass rate across all school types sat near 91% in 2024. Caribbean school graduates as a group have historically trailed that benchmark. A Step 1 failure adds months and real cost to the pathway, and some residency programmes screen applications by pass history. The 79–81% figure is honest: roughly one in five AUC students fails Step 1 on first attempt.

Sources: AUC facts and figures (2026); DedicatedPrep Caribbean USMLE analysis (2024); NRMP 2026 Main Residency Match report. Caribbean school figures are approximate 5-year first-time averages. Attrition before exam-sitting is not reflected.

Which residency specialties do AUC graduates most commonly match into?

Primary care dominates. In 2026, 56% of AUC's 295 matched positions were in primary care — Family Medicine, Internal Medicine (categorical and primary care tracks), and Pediatrics. This aligns with the pattern for US citizen IMGs across the country, where primary care programmes have higher fill-rate pressure and more IMG-open slots.

AUC graduates in 2026 also secured positions in Psychiatry, Emergency Medicine, General Surgery, Anesthesiology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Neurology, Ophthalmology, Diagnostic Radiology, and Pathology, plus eight additional fields. Ophthalmology and Neurology placements are notable — both carry competitive entry and are frequently closed to IMGs at many programmes. Their presence in the 2026 list reflects strong individual candidates rather than systematic access.

Prospective students targeting Dermatology, Orthopedic Surgery, Plastic Surgery, or ENT should calibrate carefully. Positions exist. The path requires top USMLE scores above 250, US-based research output, and usually at least one meaningful publication. Achievable. Demands more than a strong match rate alone.

How long does it take from AUC enrolment to US residency start?

Four to five years is the minimum under ideal conditions. It rarely runs that cleanly.

The basic science curriculum spans approximately two years on Sint Maarten. Clinical rotations at AUC's affiliated US hospitals take a further one to two years. USMLE Step 1 is typically attempted near the end of the basic sciences phase; Step 2 CK is completed during or after clinical rotations. ECFMG certification — required before any US residency start date — follows both exams.

A USMLE Step 1 retake adds a minimum of three months and often more. ECFMG documentation processing can take four to eight weeks. A missed match cycle means waiting until the following March — an entire calendar year. Students navigating academic difficulty, leave of absence, or repeated exam attempts frequently find themselves at six or seven years from first enrolment before they start PGY-1.

What are the costs of the USMLE exam pathway from AUC?

Exam and application fees alone run into five figures. Tuition and living costs are separate and substantial. Below is a worked example of licensing and application costs only, based on 2025–2026 fee schedules.

• USMLE Step 1 registration: $670 (US/Canada testing centre)
• USMLE Step 2 CK registration: $670
• ECFMG application and MyECFMG fee: ~$200 + document fees ~$100–200
• ERAS application — first 30 programmes: $726 (2025 schedule)
• ERAS — programmes 31–50: +$32 each
• ERAS — beyond 50 programmes: +$41 each (IMGs applying to 100 programmes pay ~$2,600+ in ERAS fees alone)
• NRMP registration: $85
• Interview costs (travel, accommodation if in-person): $500–2,500

Realistic one-cycle total (exam fees + applications to ~80 programmes): approximately $4,000–5,500, before retakes. Each Step 1 retake adds $670 plus preparation costs and lost months. Students who apply broadly — standard IMG practice — regularly spend more on ERAS fees than on the exams themselves.

What steps do AUC students take to maximise residency match chances?

Five factors consistently separate AUC graduates who match into competitive programmes from those who do not. None is a secret. All require sustained effort over years.

1. Pass Step 1 first time, aim above 230. Step 1 is now officially pass/fail, but the preparation required to pass reliably overlaps with what is needed to score well on Step 2 CK.
2. Score Step 2 CK above 250. Step 2 CK is the primary numeric screen at competitive programmes. AUC's 92% first-time pass rate places most students in a position to sit it — but passing and scoring above 250 are different targets.
3. Secure strong letters from US programme directors. AUC's affiliated US hospital network spans 35 states. Letters from US-based attending physicians carry more weight than Caribbean-based letters, regardless of content.
4. Apply early and broadly. ERAS transmits applications on October 1. Applications submitted in the first two weeks consistently receive more interview invitations than those sent later. Applying to 80–120 programmes is common for IMG applicants in Internal Medicine and Family Medicine.
5. Add research exposure. A single publication or conference poster meaningfully strengthens applications for specialties beyond primary care. The research does not need to be in the target specialty.

Month-by-month: the AUC-to-residency timeline

The Match Day result on 20 March 2026 was the culmination of decisions made eighteen months earlier. Students who submitted ERAS applications on 1 October 2025 consistently reported more interview invitations than those who applied in late October or November. Applying late is one of the most common and most avoidable reasons an otherwise strong IMG candidate goes unmatched.

What most residency match guides miss about the AUC pathway

Three things rarely appear in standard guides.

The denominator problem. AUC's 98%+ rate is calculated on active NRMP applicants — students who graduated, completed both USMLEs, and entered the match. Students who left AUC, failed Step 1 twice, or chose not to apply are excluded from the denominator. No Caribbean school is required to publish a match rate relative to the entering class. Published figures are best read as conditional: "if you reach the match, here is your likelihood." Reaching the match itself requires significant achievement.

Preliminary versus categorical residency. Some positions counted in match statistics are preliminary-year slots (typically one year of Internal Medicine or General Surgery), not categorical residencies. A preliminary year does not guarantee a categorical programme follows. Students in preliminary positions must re-enter the match for a full categorical slot. AUC's 295 positions in 2026 include both types.

A more crowded IMG field. The 2026 NRMP data records approximately 12,000 non-US citizen IMG applicants — a 50% increase since 2021. US citizen IMGs (the category most AUC students fall into) fared better: match rates rose from roughly 64% in 2022 to 70% in 2026. But programmes willing to interview IMGs have not multiplied at the same pace. The pool is larger. Applications require a more targeted strategy than they did five years ago.