Wright State University medical students were joined by their families and friends on Friday, March 21, for Match Day 2025 to find out which school or program they were accepted into to begin their residency in the fall.
The Boonshoft Medical Center
The Boonshoft School of Medicine is a part of WSU specifically to get students prepared for medical school. There are many different majors students can take as an undergraduate to be able to get into a program for residency.
One of these program options is through WSU, as the Boonshoft Center also offers 12 residencies and 16 fellowship programs, in addition to having Master’s programs in the school of medicine, such as anatomy, medicine and nursing.
While medical students are working towards their undergraduate degrees, there are a number of resources available specifically to aid med students. Some of these include mentorship programs, clinical experiences, research opportunities and more.
Match Day 2025
WSU has been hosting a Match Day event for students for many years by partnering with the National Residence Matching Program, or NRMP. This organization decides which student will be part of which program and sends letters to schools to hand out to the students.
Students, and their friends and families, gathered in the Apollo Room to receive their letters. Students were not aware of what program they got into before the event. Each student was called individually to receive their placement and then celebrate with their loved ones.
Avery Ferguson, the Director of Student Affairs and Admissions for the School of Medicine, helped set-up the Match Day event, and she shared what the purpose of the event is.
“It’s a moment of celebration, reflecting years of hard work, dedication and perseverance. Watching them take this next step in their careers is truly inspiring and a testament to their resilience and commitment to medicine,” Ferguson said.
The decision of which student gets assigned where is made by a computer program designed by members of the NRMP. Before the event, students filled out forms about their preferences for medical school so the system could most accurately assign each student to the school or program that would fit them best.
Not everyone will get paired with their first choice preference because there are so many students applying for the same slot. They also look at the medical schools’ preferences before assigning a student to them.
Melissa McCray is the Manager of Medical Student Career Services at WSU. She shared a video that offers a deeper explanation as to how the matching process works.
“Matches are considered tentative because an applicant who is matched to a program at one point in the matching process may be removed from the program later to make space for an applicant ranked higher by the program,” the video explains.
This is why students are not made aware of their match until the official event to ensure all students were paired to their correct school and avoid any confusion on the day of the event.
The medical field is continuing to grow and the job market is reflecting that. The American Medical Association has been tracking data of Match Day events at different schools across the country.
“The 2025 Main Residency Match was the largest ever in the program’s 73-year history, with 43,237 total positions offered—up 4.2% over 2024. There were 1,734 more certified positions offered this year compared with last year, 231 more certified programs and 877 more positions in primary care,” the website reads.
Through resources like the Boonshoft Medical Center, mentorship programs and more, WSU has many ways of supporting students on their medical journey. Match Day was created to recognize the hard work and dedication of these students and celebrate this milestone in their careers.
