Overview
In December, academic programs receive personalized login credentials and instructions for accessing the Extern Match Portal. Within the Extern Match Portal, academic programs can monitor which of their students have registered for the Extern Match, the sites they have applied to, the interviews they have been invited to and scheduled, the tracks they have ranked, and their results in the Extern Match.
Academic Programs are responsible for verifying student eligibility and ensuring students comply with the Extern Match Guidelines.
Student Registration
December 1, 2025 - January 23, 2026
Students register individually for the Extern Match using the Extern Match Portal. Each student must pay a registration fee of $100 to participate in the Extern Match. Students must be registered before they can submit applications, receive interview invitations, submit a Rank Order List, and be ranked by sites.
Some academic programs may choose to pay the registration fees on behalf of their students. If your academic program plans to pay for all students through a consolidated invoice, it is essential that you instruct your students not to register until they receive a coupon code from you. If a student pays the fee personally, the payment cannot be refunded or transferred back to the school.
Once registration is complete, students are assigned a 5-digit Match Code Number which should be used for all future correspondence related to the Extern Match. Registered students can log into the Portal to update their profile and start preparing applications.
Application Process
December 1, 2025 - January 23, 2026
The application process includes three key steps:
1. Research Sites of Interest
Students should consult the Site Directory to identify participating sites they may be interested in and review each site's application requirements.
When a student finds a site of interest, they should add the site to their list of pending applications in the Portal. This allows the site to view the student's contact information, including their email address and phone number, in case they wish to reach out with additional information about the site. Full application materials will remain hidden until the student submits the application.
2. Prepare Application Materials
Applications are submitted through the Extern Match Portal and must include a PDF Cover Letter, CV, and DCT Verification Letter. Some sites may request additional materials such as reference letters, deidentified assessment reports, case summaries, or transcripts. Individual site application requirements are listed in the Site Directory. All documents are uploaded to the Portal in PDF format.
- Cover Letter: Students can upload multiple cover letters, allowing them to customize each one for a specific site.
- CV: Students can upload multiple CVs, allowing them to customize each one for a specific site.
- DCT Verification Letter: You must prepare a Verification Letter and provide it to each student.
- Reference Letters: Some sites may require reference letters. Students should obtain the email addresses of their letter writers and submit reference requests through the Extern Match Portal. Students can submit different reference letters to each site. Students can monitor the submission of reference letters by their reference writers but students cannot see the actual reference letters.
- Supplemental Materials: Some sites may request additional materials, such as a deidentified assessment report, case summary, transcript, or other documents. Students can submit one supplemental document per application, so must combine all supplemental information requested by a site into one PDF document. However, they can prepare and upload multiple versions of the supplemental materials document, allowing them to customize each one for a specific site.
3. Submit Applications
Each student's registration includes credits to submit applications to 12 sites. Submitting applications to additional sites costs $15 USD per application. Once an application is submitted, core materials in that application cannot be changed. However, the supplemental materials document submitted as part of an applications can be updated after submission. Sites receive immediate access to applications once they are submitted.
The application deadline for all sites participating in the Extern Match is January 23, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Students should submit their applications well before this date to allow time to address any unforeseen issues.
Interview Process
January 26, 2026 - March 9, 2026
Sites send interview invitations to students using the Extern Match Portal. Invitations are sent via email and are also visible in the Extern Match Portal. Students may receive invitations from multiple sites and for multiple interview types at a site.
Once invitations are received, students can scheduling interviews through the link provided in the invitation email or directly in the Portal. If a student needs to change a scheduled time, they may rebook into another available timeslot before the interview event's lockout date, or contact the site for accommodation if necessary.
Monitoring Your Student's Interviews
For each registered student, the List of Registered Students will automatically update to reflect all interview activity. This includes both the total number of interviews attended and scheduled. This allows you to easily monitor student participation and completion throughout the interview process.
You will be able to view each student's interview invitations, both Scheduled and Not-Scheduled, by selecting the View button from the List of Students.
Ranking Process
March 2, 2026 - March 24, 2026
DCTs can review and discuss each student's Rank Order List (ROL) with them before the student certifies it in the Extern Match Portal.
After interviews are completed, students must enter and certify their ROL in the Extern Match Portal. Rankings open on March 2, 2026, and the deadline to submit and certify all ROLs is March 24, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Students who do not intend to submit a ROL must withdraw from the Extern Match through the Portal.
Each site may offer one or more tracks in the Extern Match. A track represents a distinct training opportunity within a site. A student ranks and is matched to a specific track offered by a site. Students should only rank tracks that are acceptable to both the DCT and the student. Students should rank tracks on their ROL in true preference order. Students cannot be matched to any track not listed on their certified ROL.
Students must certify their ROL in the Portal for it to be included in the Match. ROLs can be changed and recertified at any time up to the deadline.
Monitoring Your Student's Ranking Process
For each registered student, the List of Registered Students will automatically update to reflect their Rank Order List activity. This includes both the total number of rankings and the current status of their list, Not Certified or Certified. This allows you to easily monitor student participation and completion throughout the ranking process.
You will be able to view the content of each student's Rank Order List by selecting the View button from the List of Students.
Match Results and Post-Match Process
March 31, 2026
Results
The results of the Extern Match will be released in the Extern Match Portal at 12:00 p.m. noon Eastern Time on March 31, 2026. Students, sites and academic programs will also receive the results by email. academic programs will receive a report with the results for their students. Matched students will be notified of the site and track to which they have matched, and sites will receive a list of which students matched to each track and whether any positions remain unfilled.
Academic Programs should inform students that successful placement at an externship site is contingent on the execution of an affiliation agreement and successful completion of the onboarding process. This may be a requirement of the site and/or the university.
Post-Match Process
After the release of results, sites with unfilled positions may fill their available positions during the Post-Match Process with any individual who did not obtain a position through the matching process, including students from academic programs that are not members of NYNJADOT or PENDELDOT. Likewise, students may pursue positions with sites that did not participate in the Extern Match, provided those sites are approved by their academic program.
Registered students participating in the Post-Match Process may submit new applications using the Extern Match Portal to sites that are registered for the Extern Match. Students who did not register for the Extern Match must send their applications directly to sites. Questions about a site's application procedures during the Post-Match should be directed to the site.
To ensure all Post-Match participants have time to consider their options, Post-Match offers open on April 14, 2026 for both sites and students. Beginning that day, sites may extend Post-Match offers directly to students via email, copying the student's DCT to confirm the offer.