Breast Match Eligibility & Rules

Eligibility Requirements

• Applicants

  Any applicant seeking an appointment in the 2026-2027 fellowship academic year in a breast surgical oncology fellowship training program that participates in the Breast Match must register to participate in the Breast Match.

  Applicants are encouraged to contact individual programs for more information regarding institution and program eligibility requirements.

• Programs

  Only programs that are approved by the BSO Training Committee may participate in the Breast Match. Programs that participate in the Breast Match must offer all approved fellowship positions through the Breast Match.

  The BSO Training Committee reviews and approves breast oncology fellowship training programs yearly and accepts new applications up to January 15 each year. Email fellowship@surgonc.org for more information about submitting an application.

  • Fellowship Curriculum and Minimum Training Requirements

Breast Match Agreements

Each participating applicant and program accepts the terms of the Breast Match Agreements when they register to participate in Breast Match.

Rules of the Breast Match

The Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship Match is overseen by the Breast Surgical Oncology (BSO) Training Committee. The BSO Training Committee has set the following rules for participants in the Breast Match:

• Activities pertaining to the Breast Match are governed by the Schedule of Dates.
• Participating programs must offer through Breast Match all BSO-approved breast surgical oncology fellowship positions available in the 2026-2027 fellowship academic year. Positions which cannot be assured, either for funding or other reasons, by the Rank Order List deadline should not be offered in the Breast Match. Programs may take no action to fill non-participating positions before 12:00 p.m. noon Eastern Time on the day the Breast Match results are released. If the program plans to take less than the full BSO-approved fellowship complement, the Program Director must submit the Fellowship Complement Decrease form to the BSO Training Committee by March 1, 2025 that must be approved by the Training Committee prior to the Rank Order List deadline.
• Programs and applicants must fulfill the Eligibility Requirements of the Breast Match. A program must be an BSO-approved training program to register for and participate in the Breast Match.
• Programs must provide complete and accurate information to applicants prior to the Rank Order List deadline concerning the position(s) being offered in the Breast Match, including all institution and program policies related to eligibility requirements for appointment, compensation for fellows and approval status of the program.
• The Breast Match Application Service will provide information submitted by each applicant to the programs designated by the applicant. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information to the Breast Match and to the programs to which they apply.
• Programs may accept and consider only applications submitted through the Breast Match Application Service, and applicants must submit all applications to participating programs only through the Breast Match Application Service, prior to the release of the Breast Match results.
• Participants must demonstrate professional behavior throughout the application, interview, and matching processes by observing practices that protect the right of applicants and programs to determine their selections in the absence of unwarranted pressure and by respecting the binding nature of a Match commitment.
• Programs may not make a commitment to any applicant regarding an offer of appointment, or require a commitment from any applicant, prior to the release of the Breast Match results. Programs may rank on their Rank Order Lists only those applicants registered in the Breast Match.
• Similarly, applicants may not make a commitment to, or require a commitment from, any participating program prior to the release of the Breast Match results. If a registered applicant wishes to accept a position at a program that is not participating in the Breast Match or decides not to participate in the Breast Match for any other reason, then the applicant must submit a withdrawal from the Breast Match prior to the Rank Order List deadline. Applicants may rank on their Rank Order Lists only those programs registered in the Breast Match.
• Programs and applicants may express a high level of interest in each other and may freely discuss any matter that does not include ranking information. A program may voluntarily inform an applicant as to whether or not it intends to rank the applicant, and an applicant may voluntarily inform a program as to whether or not the applicant intends to rank the program. However, neither programs nor applicants may solicit such information. In addition, applicants and programs may not disclose or solicit any information regarding the positioning of any applicant or program on a Rank Order List prior to the release of the Match results. The Rank Order Lists submitted by each program and applicant are the sole determinants of their respective order of preferences for the Match.
• The results of the Breast Match constitute a binding obligation between the applicant and the program. Programs must send letters of confirmation of the Match result to each matched applicant within 10 days of the release of the Match results, and applicants must sign and return the letters to the programs within 30 days of the release of the Match results.
• Appointment of an applicant to a position may be contingent on the applicant satisfying any institution and program eligibility requirements for appointment specified to the applicant by the program prior to the Rank Order List deadline.
• If an unmatched applicant accepts a position in a program during the Post-Match Process, the program must notify the BSO Training Committee in writing within 30 days of the acceptance of the unmatched applicant. It is the responsibility of the Program Director to notify the BSO Training Committee of any fellow taken outside of the Match or of any changes in the status of a matched fellow.
• Release from the Breast Match results can only be achieved by written approval of the BSO Training Committee. Even if a participant is released from their Match obligation, they may be subject to legal action by the affected program or applicant with whom they matched if they do not accept their Match obligation. Programs must not offer a position to any applicant who was matched elsewhere and has not received a formal written release from the Match commitment from the BSO Training Committee.
• If an applicant or program allegedly violates any of the terms of the Match Agreements or the Breast Match Rules or Policies, such as refusing to honor the Match obligation, the BSO Training Committee will follow its Violations Policy. The Committee may impose penalties on the violators, including barring them from future participation in the Breast Match.
  • Breast Match Violations Policy