BIDDEFORD — The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNE COM) will hold its annual Match Day celebration on the Biddeford Campus on Friday, March 17.

Match Day is the date each year when participating fourth-year medical students learn where they will be completing their medical residencies, and in what specialties, following graduation. At noon exactly, students in the UNE COM Class of 2023 will open envelopes listing their matches, surrounded by their closest friends and family.

UNE’s event is part of Match Day celebrations across the nation, as students vying for slots in the National Residency Match Program find out their placements.

Registration for the event begins at 11 a.m., with remarks starting at 11:30 a.m. on the first floor of the Danielle N. Ripich Commons. Students who have participated in a military match will learn their residency matches earlier, but they are encouraged to attend and celebrate.

“Residency is the final leg in the journey to becoming a physician. For most students, Match Day is the culmination of over a decade of hard work, commitment, and sacrifice,” said Jane Carreiro, D.O., vice president for Health Affairs and dean of UNE COM. “Our students, their families, and our faculty and professional staff have spent the recent months in anticipation and excitement to learn the results of so much hard work and dedication.”

An assortment of hors d’oeuvres will be provided, and a champagne toast will be offered.

UNE boasts a high match rate for its osteopathic medicine graduates. In 2022, 162 students were matched to residencies in 24 specialties — an incredible mate rate of 99.4%, higher than the national averages for allopathic medical schools (92.9%) and other osteopathic medical schools (91.3%).

The College of Osteopathic Medicine is also ranked in the Top 10 medical schools where graduates are most likely to match with their first-choice residency program and is ranked in the Top 20 medical schools nationwide for producing primary care residents. UNE is also ranked 12th in the nation for graduates practicing in rural areas.