Update from Leadership
Dear Colleagues,
As the 2025 Electronic Residency Application Service® (ERAS®) season ends – with more than 60,000 applicants participating – we’ve reflected on the progress made to better support our community. This year, we’ve shared more data than ever with applicants, schools, and programs, enabling everyone involved to make more informed decisions. We also saw nearly 90% of ERAS participating programs adopt Thalamus. These efforts, along with other enhancements, were highlighted in our most recent press release and reflect our commitment to leveraging technology to improve the applicant review and selection process.
With the 2026 ERAS season opening on June 4, I’m delighted to share the newest features and enhancements we have developed based on research and community feedback:
- Thalamus Cortex: Available as a complimentary benefit to all ERAS-participating programs to facilitate technology-assisted holistic review as well as a soon-to-be-launched sandbox environment to assist with change management and program and faculty learning.
- Program Signaling Expansion: Continued support for residency programs, plus new functionality for fellowships.
- Specialty-Specific Enhancements: Specialty pilots of short-answer questions, customized personal statement prompts, and program signal statements.
- Improved Dashboards and AI Tools: Enhanced data analytics, institution-level dashboards, and further refinements to transcript normalization tools.
- Holistic Review Training: New sessions to help programs integrate selection science and use data tools effectively.
- Applicant–Program Fit Development: Research to create decision aids that help programs identify well-matched candidates more efficiently.
Please visit our website to learn more about what’s in store for the 2026 season, register for upcoming events, and access our resources. We look forward to working with you in the 2026 ERAS season.
As always, feel free to share your questions or feedback on how we can better support you during the application season and all year long.
Patrick Fritz
AAMC Senior Director for Residency and Fellowship Services
New Video Explores the Future of Medicine and the ERAS Program
When specialty societies choose the ERAS program, they are investing in the AAMC’s mission of leading and serving academic medicine to improve the health of people everywhere. We have developed a new video to highlight the power of supporting the AAMC ERAS program and collaborating to bring the AAMC’s mission to life. Watch the video.
Coming Soon: New AAMC Virtual Community for Residency and Fellowship Programs
We’re pleased to share that the PDWS Community Site will be upgraded to a new AAMC Virtual Community designed to better support program directors, coordinators, and graduate medical education (GME) staff. This updated platform will enhance how we share resources, answer questions, and connect as a community. More information—including how to sign up—will be shared soon. Stay tuned for updates in the coming weeks.
Specialty Spotlight Webinars Series for Residency Applicants and Advisors
The AAMC is hosting a series of webinars featuring specialty-specific guidance for medical school advisors and residency applicants. Each webinar features a program director and an advisor who will share best practices in preparation for the 2026 ERAS application season. The webinars also include time for Q&A and will be recorded for later viewing. To see the full schedule, visit the AAMC website.
What We’re Hearing About the ERAS Program
“[The AAMC] ERAS [PDWS system] filters have progressed and filtering information from [the] ERAS [PDWS system] to Thalamus has worked great!! Love the new applicant layout as well.”
-- Marissa Hollensteiner, Program Coordinator, Southwest Indiana Internal Medicine
Thalamus Training and Resources for the 2025-26 Season
Thalamus is excited to launch three new webinar series to support every stage of your recruitment season. Join their Program Success team for practical tips, tool walkthroughs, and expert insights to optimize your process from start to finish.
Register Now:
- Preparing for Your Season
- Managing Your Season
- Wrapping Up Your Season - Coming soon!
You can also explore our updated resource guides to help you and your team stay organized and confident all season long:
- Thalamus Training for Fellowship Programs
- Thalamus Roadmap
- Cortex Roadmap
- Getting Started Checklist for Programs
- Applicant Checklist
Explore the suite of Thalamus training opportunities to equip your program with cutting-edge tools and techniques. Please contact the Thalamus Customer Experience Team if you have any questions.
AMA News Wire: What do Medical Students Need to be Ready for Residency?
A new article by the American Medical Association explores the Foundational Competencies for Undergraduate Medical Education released in December 2024. The competencies were developed by the AAMC, the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Learn about the competencies that medical students need to thrive in residency.
Academic Medicine: U.S. Medical School Graduates’ Placement in GME: A National Study
A new study describes GME placement outcomes for recent U.S. medical school graduates and examines racial and ethnic differences in GME placement among these graduates. Read more.
Coming Soon: Residency Explorer™ Tool Data Refresh
We're pleased to inform you that the Residency Explorer™ tool will be refreshed with updated data in June 2025. In the coming weeks, we'll be adding new information and updating existing data to enhance the tool's value for the upcoming application cycle, including:
- Updated Interview Invitation Data to reflect the most recent application cycle: Program-level interview invitation rates, invitee characteristics, and applicant pool composition.
- USMLE/COMLEX-USA Score Data: Newly added license exam score information by program.
- Main Residency Match® Data: Now includes more detail on number of positions offered and filled by applicant type.
- Broader Program and Specialty Inclusion: More specialties and programs represented across the platform.
In August 2025, we will be launching more updates to the tool, such as:
- Application and Match Services: Easily see which application and match systems each program uses.
- Eligibility and Requirements: Includes license exam thresholds for interview invitation, letter of recommendation needs, and away rotation requirements.
2025 VSLO® Application Season Wrap Up and Modernization Update
Visiting Student Learning Opportunities™ (VSLO®) student application activity is starting to slow down as we wrap up the busiest part of the season. Host institutions are now in the midst of making decisions while students decide the next steps in their career paths. Next, we are excited to share information about modernization of the VSLO application service, which reflects user feedback. We are on track to launch the new platform this winter and there will be ample training opportunities for institutions ahead of the next away rotation season. Stay tuned for updates in the coming months.
Events and Resources
The AAMC will be hosting several new webinars for medical schools, programs, and applicants throughout the year for the 2026 residency and fellowship application season. Below are registration details and more information for webinars in June. To see a list of all upcoming webinars, visit our website.
Supporting Your Students in the 2026 ERAS Season: DWS Training and Residency Explorer Tool Updates
View the recording
Optimal Strategies for Your Residency Application, with a focus on Pediatrics
Webinar for Residency Applicants and Advisors
Tuesday, June 3, 1 p.m. ET
Optimal Strategies for Your Residency Application, with a focus on Plastic Surgery
Webinar for Residency Applicants and Advisors
Thursday, June 5, 3 p.m. ET
Optimal Strategies for Your Residency Application, with a focus on Anesthesiology
Webinar for Residency Applicants and Advisors
Tuesday, June 10 at 1 p.m. ET
Kicking Off the 2026 ERAS Season: Setting Up the PDWS and an Intro to the Residency Explorer Tool
Webinar for Programs
Wednesday, June 11, 1 p.m. ET
Optimal Strategies for Your Residency Application, with a focus on Internal Medicine
Webinar for Residency Applicants and Advisors
Thursday, June 12 at 2:30 p.m. ET
Optimal Strategies for Your Residency Application, with a focus on Pathology
Webinar for Residency Applicants and Advisors
Tuesday, June 17 at 1 p.m. ET
Debunking the Research Arms Race: Navigating Publications in Medical School
Webinar for Residency Applicants and Advisors
Wednesday, June 18, 7 p.m. ET
Optimal Strategies for Your Residency Application, with a focus on Dermatology
Webinar for Residency Applicants and Advisors
Tuesday, June 24 at 12 p.m. ET
Navigating Your Residency Application: the MyERAS® Portal and Residency Explorer Tool
Webinar for Residency Applicants and Advisors
Wednesday, June 25 at 7 p.m. ET
Optimal Strategies for Your Residency Application, with a focus on Adult Neurology
Webinar for Residency Applicants and Advisors
Thursday, June 26 at 1 p.m. ET