Fourth-year medical students at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville celebrated Match Day on March 20.  

At noon sharp, medical students opened sealed envelopes containing the official letters of where they will train for residency programs — the next pivotal step in their journeys to answer the call as future physicians.  

USC School of Medicine Greenville achieved a 99% match rate in 2026, with 87 students matching to residency programs in 26 states and Washington D.C.. Many of the medical students matched in South Carolina and will be training in specialties that the communities desperately need.  

“Match Day symbolizes the culmination of years of hard work these students put in from the time they decided to study and dedicate themselves to the field of medicine,” said Phyllis MacGilvray, SOMG dean.

Primary Care was a central focus this year, with 39% of students matching into this speciality, which includes family medicine, internal medicine, internal medicine-pediatrics, and pediatrics. 

In this class, 18 students placed within the state of South Carolina. This includes 12 within the Upstate, for residency with Prima Health – University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville.

Classroom study, exams, clinical training, research projects, community service, and residency program interviews have accounted to countless hours of hard work over the past several years for the USC School of Medicine Greenville fourth-year students.  

Residency training is the next step, putting students’ academic knowledge and clinical preparation into practice in an intense full-time clinical setting within their specified fields of medicine.

Match Day is an annual ceremony when tens of thousands of graduating medical students simultaneously find out where they will spend the next several years in a United States medical residency program learning a specialty, ultimately leading to M.D. board certification in their area of medicine. Through the National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®), applicants and residency programs are paired based on mutual preferences, creating a day filled with anticipation, celebration, and unforgettable moments. Today's celebration also included students who matched prior to today's ceremony but were able to join and celebrate with their classmates. 

At noon on March 20, the students opened sealed envelopes to discover where they matched for their post-graduate residency program. In addition, they learned which medical specialty they will be training in over the next several years.   

“Today marks a special moment for our students — the day they transition from being medical students to becoming pediatricians, surgeons, family physicians, obstetricians, psychiatrists, and much more,” said MacGilvray.  

“Match Day affirms their career choice,” added MacGilvray. “The next phase of their training continues with a yearlong internship followed by a residency completion.”

Students are headed to residency programs all across the country, from major academic institutions to rural health programs at community hospitals to military bases in alignment with their career goals. The class of 2026 has matched into 19 specialties across the country and right here in the state of South Carolina, and we are excited for this milestone in their journeys and what the future holds. 

Click here to see the full list here of where SOMG students matched »