Are you wondering how IMG-friendly (or unfriendly) radiation oncology is as a US medical specialty? Do you want to know your chances of matching in this highly competitive field? Would you love to figure out what radiation oncology programs an IMG would stand the best chance?
This article will give you the most up-to-date information on IMG-friendly radiation oncology programs. Use this information to strategize on whether – and where – to apply to maximize your chances of matching as an IMG in radiation oncology.
Summary:
- Radiation oncology is a moderately IMG-friendly US medical specialty.
- Some of the top radiation oncology programs count IMGs among their residents.
- Eight radiation oncology residencies filled all of their available positions with IMGs.
- See the full list of searchable residency programs to strategize where IMGs have recently been the most welcome.
- Be sure to bookmark this page – and sign up for the newsletter – to keep up with the latest residency and USMLE trends and maximize your chances of matching.
Table of Contents
What is an IMG Again?
Let’s start with some definitions.
IMG: International Medical Graduate
- You attended a medical school outside of the United States and Canada
US- vs. Non-US IMGs
IMGs consist of two sub-groups:
- US-IMGs: US Citizens or permanent residents who attended a “foreign” medical school. Example: someone born in the US but went to a Caribbean medical school (a non-US school).
- Non-US IMGs: Non-US citizens or permanent residents who attended a “foreign” medical school. Example: someone born in South Korea, who does not have US citizenship or a green card, and who went to medical school in South Korea.
NRMP: “National Resident Matching Program®”
- The organization that administers the “Match.” In the Match, the NRMP pairs residency applicants with a residency program.
Note that “International Medical Graduate” (IMG) refers to the medical school you attended. Thus, a foreign citizen who attends a US medical school is NOT an IMG. However, a US citizen attending a med school outside the US would be considered an IMG. (Technically, s/he would be a US IMG).
For more on how IMGs can attain residency in the US, see The IMG’s Guide to Obtaining Residency in the United States (2022).
Radiation Oncology is Moderately IMG-Friendly
Looking at the percentage of spots filled by IMGs in the 2022 Match, we can see radiation oncology is relatively IMG-friendly. The proportion of positions filled by IMGs are average compared to other specialties.
However, the match rate for IMGs in radiation oncology is among the highest of all the specialties in the 2022 Match:
Here are the same data represented in a table:
| % Spots Filled by IMGs | % Spots Filled by US IMGs | % Spots Filled by non-US IMGs | Total Positions Offered | Total # All Applicants | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anesthesiology | 8% | 3% | 4% | 1,969 | 2,560 |
| Child Neurology | 15% | 4% | 11% | 188 | 182 |
| Dermatology | 3% | 1% | 1% | 544 | 834 |
| Diagnostic Radiology | 8% | 2% | 6% | 1,155 | 1,568 |
| Emergency Medicine | 7% | 6% | 1% | 2,921 | 2,813 |
| Family Medicine | 21% | 13% | 8% | 4,916 | 5,055 |
| General Surgery | 9% | 3% | 5% | 1,622 | 2,400 |
| Internal Medicine | 36% | 9% | 25% | 9,809 | 11,598 |
| Internal Medicine/Pediatrics | 5% | 2% | 2% | 392 | 458 |
| Interventional Radiology | 2% | 0% | 2% | 169 | 226 |
| Neurological Surgery | 8% | 1% | 7% | 240 | 379 |
| Neurology | 25% | 5% | 18% | 1,014 | 1,249 |
| Obstetrics and Gynecology | 5% | 2% | 3% | 1,503 | 2,044 |
| Orthopaedic Surgery | 2% | 1% | 1% | 875 | 1,435 |
| Otolaryngology | |||||
| Pathology | 41% | 7% | 31% | 631 | 827 |
| Pediatrics | 18% | 7% | 11% | 3,016 | 3,153 |
| Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | 6% | 2% | 3% | 532 | 725 |
| Plastic Surgery | 6% | 1% | 4% | 194 | 340 |
| Psychiatry | 15% | 7% | 6% | 2,047 | 2,560 |
| Radiation Oncology | 11% | 5% | 7% | 185 | 162 |
| Vascular Surgery | 7% | 0% | 7% | 84 | 143 |
For more on the most IMG-friendly medical specialties, see this article.
The Most IMG-Friendly Radiation Oncology Residency Programs
Consistent with the results above, several radiation oncology residency programs are IMG-friendly. For example, eight radiation oncology residencies in the most recent GME census had IMG percentages of 100%. In addition, three other radiation oncology residencies had IMG rates of 90% or higher.
Here is a list of the most (and least) IMG-friendly radiation oncology programs. It includes data from the most recent National GME Census Survey. Percentages are of all residents in the program in 2020.
| ACGME residency program code | Residency program name | City | State | % residents IMG (US + Non-US) | % residents US-citizen IMGs | % residents non-US-citizen IMGs | % residents US MD graduates | % residents US DO graduates | Program consider applicants with J-1 visa? | Program consider applicants with H-1B visa? | Program consider applicants with F-1 Visa (OPT 1st year)? | # categorical positions offered (2021 NRMP Main Match) | # categorical positions filled (2021 NRMP Main Match) | # advanced positions offered (2021 NRMP Main Match) | # advanced positions filled by (2021 NRMP Main Match) | # applications submitted (2021 NRMP Main Match) | % applicants interviewed (2020 NRMP Main Match) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4302811054 | Washington University/B-JH/SLCH Consortium Program | St Louis | MO | 100 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | No | Yes | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 122 | 28.8 | |
| 4303521063 | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Program | New York | NY | 100 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 139 | 26.1 |
| 4303521119 | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Program | New York | NY | 100 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 117 | 25.9 |
| 4303621074 | Duke University Hospital Program | Durham | NC | 100 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 148 | 44.6 |
| 4304121087 | University of Pennsylvania Health System Program | Philadelphia | PA | 100 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 150 | 28 |
| 4304812134 | University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Program | Dallas | TX | 100 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 129 | 40.5 |
| 4304822099 | University of Texas M D Anderson Cancer Center Program | Houston | TX | 100 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 142 | 27.1 |
| 4305421107 | University of Washington Program | Seattle | WA | 100 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 136 | 36 |
| 4300811017 | Yale-New Haven Medical Center Program | New Haven | CT | 93 | 93 | 0 | 7 | 0 | Yes | Yes | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 141 | 23.9 | |
| 4300121002 | University of Alabama Medical Center Program | Birmingham | AL | 92 | 92 | 0 | 8 | 0 | No | Yes | No | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 105 | 23.8 |
| 4303812078 | Cleveland Clinic Foundation Program | Cleveland | OH | 91 | 91 | 0 | 0 | 9 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 143 | 29.8 |
| 4301021112 | MedStar Health/Georgetown University Hospital Program | Washington | DC | 0 | Yes | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 125 | 7.7 | ||||||
| 4301021113 | National Capital Consortium Program | Bethesda | MD | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 4301112022 | University of Florida Program | Gainesville | FL | 0 | Yes | No | Yes | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 122 | 14.2 | ||||
| 4302731140 | University of Mississippi Medical Center Program | Jackson | MS | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 40.5 | ||||
| 4303021142 | University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine Program | Omaha | NE | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 57 | 5.1 | ||||
| 4303200002 | Dartmouth-Hitchcock/Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital Program | Lebanon | NH | 0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 85 | 13.8 | ||||
| 4303313135 | Rutgers Health/Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Program | New Brunswick | NJ | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 113 | 32.7 | ||||
| 4303500146 | Stony Brook Medicine Program | Stony Brook | NY | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 245 | 16.7 | ||||
| 4303511068 | New York Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia Campus) Program | New York | NY | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 131 | 32.1 | ||||
| 4303511071 | University of Rochester Program | Rochester | NY | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 278 | 32.5 | ||||
| 4303511072 | SUNY Upstate Medical University Program | Syracuse | NY | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 75 | 8.5 | ||||
| 4303512145 | Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Program | New Hyde Park | NY | 0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 70 | 52.6 | ||||
| 4303521061 | Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine Program | Bronx | NY | 0 | Yes | Yes | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 108 | 42.6 | |||||
| 4303521067 | NYU Grossman School of Medicine Program | New York | NY | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 121 | 28.9 | ||||
| 4303521070 | SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University Program | Brooklyn | NY | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 298 | 6.5 | ||||
| 4303521122 | University at Buffalo Program | Buffalo | NY | 0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 279 | 8.2 | ||||
| 4303522064 | New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital Program | Brooklyn | NY | 0 | No | No | No | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 309 | 42.9 | ||||
| 4303611073 | University of North Carolina Hospitals Program | Chapel Hill | NC | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 132 | 25.7 | ||||
| 4303611075 | Wake Forest University School of Medicine Program | Winston-Salem | NC | 0 | Yes | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 110 | 11.8 | ||||||
| 4303811077 | Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center Program | Cleveland | OH | 0 | No | No | No | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 158 | 9.3 | ||||
| 4303811079 | Ohio State University Hospital Program | Columbus | OH | 0 | Yes | No | Yes | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 112 | 41.4 | ||||
| 4303821076 | University of Cincinnati Medical Center/College of Medicine Program | Cincinnati | OH | 0 | No | No | No | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 87 | 33 | ||||
| 4303912137 | University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Program | Oklahoma City | OK | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 243 | 42.1 | ||||
| 4304021081 | Oregon Health & Science University Program | Portland | OR | 0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 127 | 0 | ||||
| 4304111086 | Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University/TJUH Program | Philadelphia | PA | 0 | Yes | No | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 303 | 39.4 | |||||
| 4304121123 | Temple University Hospital/Fox Chase Cancer Center Program | Philadelphia | PA | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 121 | 33.6 | ||||
| 4304121129 | UPMC Medical Education Program | Pittsburgh | PA | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 120 | 32.4 | ||||
| 4304131127 | Allegheny Health Network Medical Education Consortium (AGH) Program | Pittsburgh | PA | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 74 | 13.3 | ||||
| 4304521092 | Medical University of South Carolina Program | Charleston | SC | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 83 | 6 | ||||
| 4304700129 | University of Tennessee College of Medicine Program | Memphis | TN | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 165 | 18 | ||||
| 4304712128 | Vanderbilt University Medical Center Program | Nashville | TN | 0 | No | No | No | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 132 | 13.9 | ||||
| 4304811097 | University of Texas Medical Branch Hospitals Program | Galveston | TX | 0 | No | No | No | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 66 | 21.9 | ||||
| 4304821098 | Baylor College of Medicine Program | Houston | TX | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 106 | 89.9 | ||||
| 4304821100 | University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio Joe and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine Program | San Antonio | TX | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 13.6 | ||||
| 4304831144 | Texas A&M College of Medicine-Scott and White Medical Center (Temple) Program | Temple | TX | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 4304912102 | University of Utah Health Program | Salt Lake City | UT | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 117 | 27.1 | ||||
| 4305111104 | University of Virginia Medical Center Program | Charlottesville | VA | 0 | Yes | Yes | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 277 | 3.5 | |||||
| 4305111106 | Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Program | Richmond | VA | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 285 | 15.7 | ||||
| 4305500001 | West Virginia University School of Medicine Program | Morgantown | WV | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 185 | 5.5 | ||||
| 4305621108 | University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Program | Madison | WI | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 119 | 36.8 | ||||
| 4305621109 | Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals Program | Milwaukee | WI | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 91 | 10.6 |
Concluding Thoughts
Radiation oncology is a moderately IMG-friendly specialty field. Many radiation oncology residency programs fill a high ratio of their available positions with IMS. Moreover, some of the most prestigious programs (e.g. Yale) count IMGs among their residents. However, with 42% of applicants rejected, radiation oncology remains a competitive specialty field for IMGs.
Are you despairing at your chances of matching into radiation oncology as an IMG? Then, check out Never Forget, where you can learn how to master – not memorize – for the impressive USMLE scores to match at your dream residency. And if you’re looking for a residency advisor, look at our residency advisory services.
