Medical school ranking and dermatology match results: an analysis of the 2018 match data

Dermatology is a specialty with fewer residency positions each year than total applicants, leading to increased competition in the match. Applicants tend to have substantial research experience and high national board scores. This study sought to explore whether there is a difference in the percentage of graduates matching into dermatology residencies based on the rank of the medical school. Publicly available match lists from highly ranked medical schools were compared to match lists from other allopathic schools to determine the proportion of graduates matching into dermatology. The data was analyzed using a chi square test and a significant difference was found between the percentage of students matching into dermatology from top schools (5.19%) compared to control schools (1.92%), (P<0.0001).