The Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) was developed by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) to allow medical school students and graduates to apply online for residency positions in accredited programs in the United States.
Note: A large majority of specialties/programs use ERAS as part of the match process, but some (like ophthalmology, OB-GYN, plastic surgery, and certain programs in anesthesiology, neurology, and urology) use other third-party application services.
“MyERAS” refers to the front end of ERAS. Essentially, it’s the user interface that applicants see and use to apply to U.S. residencies. It’s how you’ll commence along the ERAS timeline.
In this article, we’ll go into detail about every aspect of the ERAS timeline, so med school seniors and MD graduates will know when to apply and how to boost their chances of success with careful planning and expert tips.
There are only a few key dates for the ERAS application cycle:
Are you a fellowship applicant? We’re covering residencies in this article, but you can learn more about ERAS fellowship program applications here.
To start residency right after you graduate med school, you have to start the ERAS process right after you finish your third year of medical school. You should submit your residency application in September of your final year.
Taking gap years is fairly common between undergrad and medical school, but far less common for medical school graduates looking to continue their training. Still, it does occasionally happen — residency spots are also open to recent graduates who have earned their MD or DO in the past 1-5 years.
Let’s explore each stage of the ERAS timeline more in-depth while offering handy tips from someone who’s personally gone through the ERAS program and helped hundreds of students successfully match into a PGY-1 residency.
WATCH THIS WEBINAR: Stand Out on the ERAS!
On June 4, 2025, the 2026 ERAS season begins at 9 a.m. ET. Although you cannot submit your residency application at this time, MyERAS opens up for you to start work on your application. You’ll need your ERAS token to access MyERAS. Request your token from your registrar or career center.
Check out this handy applicant checklist from AAMC.
During the summer, you will need to take tests, draft essays, and start asking letter writers who can recommend you to residency admissions committees.
International medical graduates (IMGs) need to submit additional supporting documents to demonstrate eligibility. The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) Status Report confirms your ECFMG certification status. Learn more about additional IMG requirements.
On September 3, 2025, residency applicants may begin submitting MyERAS applications to programs at 9 a.m. ET. If you’re ready, we recommend submitting right away. Even if programs don’t want to admit it, earlier submissions are more likely to get interviews.
Your MSPE and transcript are to be uploaded by your Designated Dean’s Office, not by you. A Medical School Performance Evaluation (MSPE or “Dean’s Letter”) is a holistic evaluation of your clinical skills, academic history, and personal qualities. It’s not a letter of recommendation.
International medical graduates (IMGs) may need to request an MSPE; US med students shouldn’t have to. Read more about the MSPE here.
Learn More: How Many Residency Applications Should You Submit?
On September 24, 2025, residency programs may begin reviewing MyERAS applications, including Dean’s Letters, at 9 a.m. ET. Most experts estimate that waiting to submit your application after September 24 will crater your chances of getting an interview.
Interview invitations may be sent out as early as mid-October, with the bulk of invites sent out before Thanksgiving. Certain programs may send out invites as late as January, but this is usually to make up for any applicants who did not accept previous invites.
To increase your odds of interviewing somewhere specific, consider sending a letter of interest after submitting your application to MyERAS.
Residency interviews typically occur between November and January, with a few interview slots possibly in October. Be sure to review common interview questions and answers so you can ace your residency interview.
You’ll also want to sign up with NRMP before January 30th to avoid late application registration fees. NRMP administers The Match separately from the ERAS system.
You have the option of sending a letter of intent (binding, to your first choice) after interviews and before completing your ROL.
After interviews, you’ll create a rank order list (ROL). This tells the NRMP’s algorithm which residency programs you want to go to the most and pairs you with a spot based on each program’s list of applicants in whom they were most interested.
Main Residency Match Week occurs March 16 through March 20, 2026. This is when you find out which programs you received an offer from.
For those participating in the Couples Match — if the algorithm can’t match you and your partner at one of the program program pairs you’ve ranked, both you and your partner will fail to match and will be moved to the SOAP process.
Unmatched applicants may apply through the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP) at the last minute to up to 45 unmatched residency slots. Programs may contact you for a remote interview. SOAP begins Monday of Match Week and ends Friday with Match Day.
This ERAS timeline article does not cover much of the fabled NRMP Match process, but I discuss it in detail in my comprehensive guide to The Match, administered by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).
WATCH WEBINAR: How to Match Into Your Dream Residency Program
The 2026 ERAS season ends at 5 p.m. ET on May 31, 2026. This means you won’t be able to access MyERAS for this 2026 application cycle.
According to the AAMC site, the following sections or content have been added.
Certain residents will need to answer specialty-specific questions before sending applications to programs in these specialties:
Applicants who save programs in a specialty with additional required questions will be reminded that they need to answer these specialty-specific questions before submitting to programs in those specialties.
These specialty-specific questions must be answered during both the regular season and 2026 SOAP.
Post-graduate training can now be included on ERAS beyond just ACGME-accredited programs. If “other” is entered for accredited residency, you must include the accrediting body. Also, there is now an option to include a program’s accreditation ID.
The Interruptions and Extensions section has been retitled Interruptions or Extensions. Descriptions are only collected when you respond “Yes.” Additional language for each type of interruption or extension has been added for clarity.
Otolaryngology and Orthopedic Surgery programs will be able to opt out of listing geographic preferences. This is a pilot program and may be expanded to other specialties in the future.
For applicants to the specialties of Anesthesiology or Plastic Surgery-Integrated, you will have to “provide more context” in your program signals. This is a pilot program and may be expanded in the future.
AAMC is teaming up with Thalamus, an interview scheduling and management platform, to streamline the process of applying to residencies.
Important Thalamus information for ERAS applicants:
To track the status of your ERAS application, log into MyERAS and navigate to “View/Print MyERAS Application.” You can view or print a PDF of your submitted residency application.
There’s not much else you can track until you start getting interview invitations.
Most residency programs will be conducting virtual interviews for the 2025-2026 cycle. However, some programs – especially in ENT, neurosurgery, and other surgical specialties – may have returned to in-person formats.
Check with the specific residency program you’re asking about. This info is often on their website, but you can also send a message to their information email address.
No, you cannot certify a blank rank order list (ROL). That would mess up the NRMP’s algorithm. Instead, honestly assess which residency programs you’d like to go to the most and least.
If you don’t have any programs to rank, you won’t be required to submit an ROL.
You can do this! Applying to residency programs doesn’t have to be stressful or overwhelming. This guide helps you break down the steps and understand the timeline of what is expected of you.