FAIR Act of 2025

This bill aims to make the residency application process fairer for both DO and MD students. Hospitals with approved residency programs would have to report how many applicants they get from osteopathic (DO) and allopathic (MD) schools, and how many they accept from each group. They also must affirm that they consider both DO and MD applicants, and that if they require an exam score, they will accept either the COMLEX-USA or the USMLE, based on the applicant’s choice . The Department of Health and Human Services would post this information on a public website starting in fiscal year 2025, so applicants can easily see it . The bill also says it does not force programs to take any set number of DO or MD students or change who they must accept .

What this means for students and hospitals is more transparency and clearer rules. DO and MD applicants can use the exam they took, and everyone can see how programs treat applicants from both paths .

• Who is affected: Hospitals with approved residency programs; DO and MD residency applicants
• What changes: Required reporting of applicant and acceptance numbers by school type; required acceptance of COMLEX-USA or USMLE if an exam score is needed; public posting of data by HHS
• When: Public reporting begins with fiscal year 2025
• What it does not do: It does not require programs to admit any specific number of DO or MD students or federalize medical education