ORMatch Application Service Overview
Access
ORMatch will open for applications on October 2, 2024.
You must be registered for ORMatch and use the NMS Match System to send applications to residencies that are participating in ORMatch.
Timing
Each residency sets its own application deadline date and requirements. Once the application deadline has passed for a residency, you are not able to send an application to the residency.
Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the application deadline date specified by the residency.
We strongly recommend that you submit all of your applications before January 31, 2025 as this is the NBEO score cutoff date. Applicants who submit applications before January 31 will have their verified NBEO scores sent by ORMatch in February to the residencies where they applied, so residencies will have this information when they determine their rankings. Any application submitted after January 31 will not have verified NBEO scores sent to the residency by ORMatch.
The ORMatch Application Service closes on the Rank Order List deadline. You are not able to submit any applications using the NMS Match System after the Rank Order List deadline, even if the application deadline date for the residency is shown as being after the Rank Order List deadline. Residencies require a significant amount of time to review, interview, and evaluate your application before making their ranking decision. Therefore, you should submit your applications as soon possible, and well before the Rank Order List deadline.
Application Process
Consult the Application Service User Guide for detailed instructions for submitting applications.
1
Research Programs of Interest
The List of Participating Programs identifies all optometry residency sites that are registered for ORMatch and provides the application deadline date for each residency. Please note that application deadline dates are subject to change.
Consult the ASCO Residency Directory for information about the residency, its application procedures, and any supplemental material that is required for an application.
Tip: As soon as you find a program of interest, add the residency to your list of pending applications in the NMS Match System. The Program Coordinator will be notified of your interest and will have access to your contact information, even before you submit your application, so they can reach out to you with information about their residency, if they choose to do so.
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Other Sources of Information on Optometry Residency Sites
- The residency's website
- The Program Coordinator
- Past or current residents at the residency. Find them in the OD Resident Directory.
- The Director of Residencies at your OD school
2
Prepare Your Application Materials
Gather Your Applicant Information
Some of your ORMatch registration information is prepopulated into your application. Other information that is required to complete your application includes:
- OD School GPA
- Undergraduate Major
- US Citizenship Status (Yes/No)
- Gender
Obtain your NBEO Score Report
You need to report your NBEO Board scores on your application. The NBEO Part I examination score is required for all applications to US-based residencies. You will also be required obtain a copy of your unofficial online NBEO score report and upload it to the NMS Match System as a PDF document. The score report is available for download from the NBEO website.
If you are applying to Canadian residencies only and are not taking the NBEO examinations, contact ORMatch for an exemption from this requirement.
Part II, Part III, ISE, and TMOD results should be entered into the system if they are available, but they are not required to submit an application. If you do not know your NBEO scores, you can obtain them from the NBEO website.
Compose a Letter of Intent and CV
A Letter of Intent and CV must be included in each application you submit. You should start working on those documents as soon as possible and upload them to the NMS Match System in PDF format when they are complete.
Obtain a Copy of Your OD Transcript
A copy of your OD transcript must be included in each application you submit. You must obtain a copy of your OD transcript and upload it to the NMS Match System in PDF format.
Reach Out To Your Reference Letter Writers
Each application must have 3 letters of reference. You can add a 4th letter of reference if desired. Many reference writers will want to customize their letters for each residency where you apply. You should contact your reference writers to discuss how many letters they will write for you. Requests for individual reference letters are made using the NMS Match System, and your references will upload their letters directly to the NMS Match System.
Prepare any Supplemental Material
Check with each program as soon as possible regarding its application requirements. If a residency requires additional information included as part of its application, you can prepare this information and upload it to the system as a Supplemental Material PDF document.
3
Submit an Application
Your ORMatch registration fee provides you with 10 credits to send applications to residencies. Each credit allows you to send one application to one residency, regardless of the number of programs or tracks offered by that residency. If a residency offers more than one track in ORMatch, you can specify the tracks you are interested in when you submit your application.
If you want to send applications to more than 10 residencies, you will have to pay an additional fee of $25 USD per application.
You do not need to send all applications at once. You can send 1 application on one day and 5 applications the next day. However, once an application is submitted to a residency, the core components of the submitted application cannot be changed or withdrawn. You will be able to update Supplemental Material after an application has been submitted, so any corrections to application information can be included as Supplemental Material.
Once you submit an application, the Program Coordinator will have access to your application information immediately. The Director of Residencies at the program's affiliated school or college of optometry will also have access to your application.
It is your responsibility to monitor the status of any outstanding reference letters and ensure they are submitted in the NMS Match System by the residency's deadline.
Interviews
In order to submit your Rank Order List by the deadline (February 25, 2025), all your interviews should be completed before that deadline date.
You may freely discuss any matter with a program and both you and the program may express a high level of interest in each other. An applicant may voluntarily inform a program that they intend to rank the program. Similarly, a program may voluntarily inform an applicant that it intends to rank the applicant. However, neither the applicant nor the program may ask or prompt the other side for this information.
Furthermore, neither applicants nor programs may solicit or disclose information about rank positioning. For example, it is prohibited to make statements like "I will rank you first" or "You are at the top of my list".
