Interventional Radiology Career Outlook 2026
September 14, 2026
Integrated IR offered 238 positions in the 2026 NRMP Match, up 18% from 2025 and 42% since 2022. What the growth means for residents, and the next match dates.
RadiologyJobs Editorial Team | Published September 14, 2026 | Last updated September 14, 2026
Integrated interventional radiology offered 238 positions in the 2026 NRMP Main Residency Match, up about 18% from 202 in 2025 and roughly 42% from 168 in 2022. For residents and medical students weighing IR, that is the clearest signal the field has produced this year: training capacity is expanding, the new positions are filling, and the next entry points are already on the calendar.
This post covers what the 2026 numbers show, how the two IR training paths differ, when the next fellowship match runs, and what to expect from the market when you finish.
How many integrated IR positions were in the 2026 Match?
According to the NRMP Results and Data: 2026 Main Residency Match, integrated IR offered 238 positions across its two entry points. The PGY-1 track rose to 70 positions, from 52 in 2025. The PGY-2 track rose to 168, from 150 in 2025, a 12% year-over-year increase, and 162 of those 168 positions filled, a 96.4% fill rate (AuntMinnie, Match Day 2026 IR report). Across all of diagnostic radiology, 1,478 positions were offered (1,241 DR plus 238 IR) and 97.6% filled, leaving 35 unfilled (NRMP, 2026 Main Residency Match).
| Match year | Integrated IR positions (PGY-1 + PGY-2) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 168 | Baseline |
| 2025 | 202 | +20% from 2022 |
| 2026 | 238 | +18% year over year; +42% from 2022 |
What does the growth in IR positions tell you?
Two things, and both are in the data rather than in anyone's forecast. First, capacity is growing faster in IR than in the specialty as a whole: a 42% rise in integrated IR positions since 2022, inside a specialty that already fills nearly every seat it offers. Second, the added positions are finding applicants. A 96.4% fill rate on a larger PGY-2 base means the expansion produced trained interventionalists, not empty chairs.
What the Match data cannot tell you is why. It measures training capacity and applicant interest, not procedural demand or hiring, so read the numbers as a signal about the pipeline rather than a forecast of the job market you will enter in six or seven years.
Integrated IR or independent IR: which training path fits you?
IR training runs on two tracks, and the right one depends mostly on when you decide.
- Integrated IR residency. Entered directly from medical school through the NRMP Main Residency Match, with PGY-1 and PGY-2 entry points, and combines diagnostic and interventional training in a single program. This is the track behind the 238 figure above.
- Independent IR residency. Entered after diagnostic radiology residency and filled through the NRMP Radiology Fellowship Match, which lists independent interventional radiology as a two-year program (NRMP, Radiology Fellowship Match).
If you know you want IR before you apply to residency, the integrated route is now the more common entry. If you decide during DR residency, the independent route stays open, and its match runs on its own calendar.
When is the next IR fellowship match?
The NRMP Radiology Fellowship Match cycle for July 2027 appointments has already closed. The next cycle, for July 2028 appointments, runs in 2027 on the following NRMP calendar:
- Match opens: February 10, 2027
- Ranking opens: March 10, 2027
- Rank order list certification deadline: April 21, 2027, 9:00 PM ET
- Match Day: May 5, 2027
Source: NRMP Radiology Match calendar, accessed September 2026. NRMP posts any changes on that page, so confirm the dates there before you build an application timeline around them.
If you are a DR resident deciding on IR now, that leaves the rest of the current academic year to line up rotations, letters, and program research before registration opens.
What does the IR job market look like when you finish?
Practice setting shapes compensation more than most trainees expect. In 2023, interventional radiologists in nonacademic practice earned 32% more in median total compensation than academic IR faculty, according to Malhotra et al., JACR 2025;22(4):486-494 (MGMA data, 2014 to 2023). The same study found the academic-to-nonacademic gap narrowing for diagnostic radiology over that period, so weigh the percentage against what an academic post offers in case mix, teaching, and research before you rule either setting out.
Geography is the second variable, and it is the one you control most directly. Our advice: start your search with the widest set of locations you would genuinely accept, then narrow. The broader the map, the more roles you can compare, and the stronger your footing when you negotiate. Treat that as guidance rather than a guaranteed premium; none of the sources here put a dollar figure on it for IR.
If you are an IR fellow or resident starting to look at attending roles, a free AI assistant on RadiologyJobs called RJ Recruiter can do the watching for you. Tell it what you want (subspecialty, locations, schedule, pay floor) and it checks each new posting against those preferences, emailing you at most once a day, never on weekends, and only when something fits. Every listing shows the pay range, postings expire at 60 days so you are never chasing a role that was filled months ago, and nothing reaches an employer until you say yes to that specific job.
Frequently asked questions
How many IR positions were available in the 2026 Match?
Integrated interventional radiology offered 238 positions in the 2026 NRMP Main Residency Match, up about 18% from 202 in 2025 and roughly 42% from 168 in 2022. That total is 70 PGY-1 and 168 PGY-2 positions; of the 168 PGY-2 positions, 162 filled, a 96.4% fill rate (NRMP; AuntMinnie).
What is the difference between integrated IR and independent IR training?
Integrated IR is entered directly from medical school through the Main Residency Match and combines diagnostic and interventional training in one program. Independent IR is a two-year program entered after diagnostic radiology residency and filled through the NRMP Radiology Fellowship Match. Integrated programs are now the more common route for students set on IR early.
Is interventional radiology competitive to match into?
The fill rates say yes. In 2026, 162 of 168 PGY-2 integrated IR positions filled (96.4%), and radiology overall filled 97.6% of 1,478 positions with 35 left unfilled, according to the NRMP 2026 Main Residency Match. A specialty that fills nearly every seat on a growing base is one where applicants compete for places.
When is the next IR fellowship match?
The NRMP Radiology Fellowship Match for July 2028 appointments opens February 10, 2027, with ranking open March 10, the rank order list certification deadline April 21, and Match Day May 5, 2027, per the NRMP Radiology Match calendar accessed September 2026. The cycle for July 2027 appointments has already closed.