Introduction
The APPIC Internship Matching Program (the "Match") provides an orderly process to help applicants obtain positions in psychology internship programs of their choice, and to help internship programs obtain applicants of their choice. Similar matching programs are in use in many other health professions, including medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, podiatry, optometry, and others.
The Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) is responsible for establishing the policies of the Match and for monitoring the implementation of the Match. The Match is administered by National Matching Services Inc. (NMS) on behalf of APPIC.
How It Works
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1. Register for the Match
Applicants and programs must register online in the NMS Match System.
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2. Apply to Internships
Applicants must apply to internship programs they are interested in using the AAPI application service. AAPI is a separate and distinct service from the Match, run by a different organization. You must register to use AAPI separately from registering for the Match. Check the APPIC Directory for information about each internship program's application requirements and deadline date.
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3. Interview with Internships
Programs evaluate applications and invite acceptable applicants to interview.
The APPIC Board recommends that programs use NMS Interview to schedule their interviews, but programs are free to schedule interviews in any manner they like. NMS Interview is an online, real-time, scheduling service integrated into the NMS Match System that is available to programs and applicants at no cost.
No offers are made by programs during the interview period. Applicants and programs can evaluate each other fully before the programs must decide on their preferences for applicants, and before applicants must decide on their preferences for programs.
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4. Submit Your Rank Order List of Preferred Placements
After all interviews are completed, each applicant submits a Rank Order List on which the applicant lists the desired programs, in numerical order of the applicant's preference (first choice, second choice, etc.). Similarly, each internship program submits a Rank Order List on which the program lists the desirable applicants, in order of the program's preference. Each program also indicates the number of positions the program has available.
All Rank Order List information is submitted online in the NMS Match System and is confidential.
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5. The Matching Algorithm is Run
The Match then places individuals into positions based entirely on the preferences stated in the Rank Order Lists.
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6. Get Your Result
The result of the Match is that each applicant is placed with the most preferred internship program on the applicant's Rank Order List that ranks the applicant and does not fill all its positions with more preferred applicants. Similarly, each program is matched with the most preferred applicants on its list, up to the number of positions available, who rank the program and who do not receive positions at programs they prefer.
Phases of the Match
The Match is conducted in two Phases. The two Phases of the Match proceed as follows:
Phase I
All applicants and programs that intend to particpate in Phase I must submit their Rank Order Lists by the Rank Order List deadline for Phase I of the Match on February 2, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. The matching process will be carried out using those Rank Order Lists to place applicants into positions. The results of Phase I of the Match will be distributed on Phase I Match Day, February 16, 2024. Applicants who certified a Rank Order List for Phase I will be told whether or not they matched and to which program they matched. Directors of Clinical Training (DCTs) of academic programs will be provided with the Match results for their students. Internship Training Directors will be told which applicants matched to their program, as well as the result obtained by each applicant they ranked.
Programs that did not fill all their positions in Phase I will offer their unfilled positions to applicants in Phase II of the Match. A List of Participating Internships for Phase II of the Match will be provided on the Match website beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Friday, February 16, 2024
Phase II
Programs with positions available will offer those positions to applicants in Phase II of the Match. Applicants who register for the Match before the Rank Order List deadline for Phase I of the Match but do not obtain a position in Phase I (e.g., those who withdraw or remain unmatched), as well as applicants who register after the Rank Order List deadline for Phase I, will be eligible to participate in Phase II. Those applicants may apply to programs that are participating in Phase II. All applicants and programs must submit their Rank Order Lists by the Rank Order List deadline for Phase II of the Match, March 13, 2024. A second match will be carried out using those Rank Order Lists, and the results of Phase II of the Match will then be distributed on March 20, 2024.
Post-Match
It is possible that, after completion of both Phases of the Match, some programs will be left with unfilled positions and some applicants will remain without internship placements. APPIC will operate a Post-Match Vacancy Service for unplaced applicants and programs with available positions, which will begin operation shortly after the distribution of the results of Phase II of the Match.
Read more about each stage of the Match process:
Advantages of the Match
The Match simplifies the process of making and accepting offers. Since all offers, acceptances, rejections and final placements occur simultaneously, the Match is an effective and fair means of implementing a standardized acceptance date. The Match guarantees that each applicant and program will get the best possible result that is available to them.
The Match allows programs and applicants to evaluate each other fully before determining preferences, so there is no pressure to make premature decisions based on incomplete information. Applicants and internship programs do not receive information about the rankings submitted by other applicants and programs. Applicants and programs can list their desired placements in order of their true preference, without worrying about how they will be ranked by the other party.
The Match ensures that programs will not overfill their positions. It also eliminates unfair behavior that occurs in many typical recruitment processes, like programs issuing extremely time-limited offers, applicants hoarding multiple offers, and programs or applicants reneging on a prior acceptance because a more preferred option has become available.
Governance
The Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) established the Match and is responsible for setting and enforcing the Match Policies and for monitoring its implementation.
The administration and conduct of the Match is carried out by National Matching Services Inc. (NMS), on behalf of APPIC.
