Update from Leadership
Dear Colleagues,
Congratulations to all who participated in the 2026 National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®) Match®! This milestone in the residency recruitment cycle reflects months of planning and collaboration across programs and institutions. We are proud to support you throughout the recruitment season and during Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program® (SOAP®) week.
The NRMP reports that this year’s Match included 48,050 applicants who certified a rank order list and 44,344 certified positions in 6,809 certified program tracks. Additional details are available on the NRMP’s Key Match Data webpage, which offers valuable insight into this year’s outcomes.
Even as the current season continues, our focus is already shifting ahead. Planning for the 2027 AAMC Electronic Residency Application Service® (ERAS®) season is underway, with enhancements designed to strengthen the application and review experience. As part of this work, we recently hosted a webinar outlining updates to the ERAS Letter of Recommendation (LoR) process, including the introduction of the AAMC Letter Writer Portal. If you were unable to join us live, you can now access the recording to learn more about the new functionality and the integration of Standardized Letters of Evaluation (SLOEs) for three specialties.
These updates are part of a broader set of enhancements outlined on the What You Need to Know About the 2027 ERAS Season webpage. We encourage you to visit the page and stay informed as additional details are published.
Thank you for your continued collaboration and for the work you do to support the transition to residency. We look forward to working with you through the remainder of this season and into the 2027 ERAS season.
Patrick Fritz
AAMC Senior Director for Residency and Fellowship Services
What Programs Need to Know About Signals for the 2027 ERAS Season
Program signaling will continue to be available in the 2027 ERAS season for all programs in participating specialties. Specialties accepting signals from July fellowship applicants and September residency applicants are listed on our website.
Programs in participating specialties will be automatically opted in and do not need to take any action.
Program teams that plan to incorporate signals into their recruitment process can explore the following resources:
Program Signals: A Guide for the 2027 ERAS Season (PDF)
Program Signaling and Interview Invitation Findings from the 2026 ERAS Season (Video)
New On-Demand Webinar: 2027 ERAS Letter of Recommendation Updates: Introduction to the AAMC Letter Writer Portal
The AAMC recently hosted a webinar to provide an overview of upcoming updates to the 2027 ERAS LoR process, including the transition to the new AAMC Letter Writer Portal. If you were unable to join us live, you can now watch the recording to learn more about the new functionality for applicants, programs, and letter writers and the integration of SLOEs for three specialties for the 2027 season. Watch the recording.
Specialty Spotlight Webinars Series for Residency Applicants and Advisors
The AAMC is hosting a series of 20+ webinars featuring specialty-specific guidance for medical school advisors and 2027 residency applicants. Each webinar features a program director and an advisor who will share best practices in preparation for the 2027 ERAS application season. The webinars also include time for Q&A and will be recorded for later viewing. The series kicks off on Tuesday, April 28 with an inside look at Neurological Surgery. To see the full schedule, visit the AAMC website.
Join the ERAS Residency and Fellowship Recruitment Community
The Residency and Fellowship Recruitment Community has replaced the Program Director’s WorkStation (PDWS) Community Site and relocated to the AAMC Virtual Communities Network. This new community offers an easy-to-use discussion forum where ERAS users can connect, engage, and share best practices. Through this community, you can access webinar recordings, tutorials, job aids, and user guides.
Log in or create your new account on the AAMC Virtual Communities Network to access the community. After your account is approved, look for the Residency and Fellowship Recruitment Community in the list of "My Communities" at the top of the page to join. We look forward to connecting with you there!
What We’re Hearing About the ERAS Program
“The system is so easy to use and makes my life so easy!”
Raymee Marlin, Program Administrator, Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center
Celebrating Match 2026!
Our collaborators at Thalamus are incredibly proud to have supported nearly all applicants and programs across 800+ institutions this recruitment season, facilitating over 725,000 interviews!
Post-Match Surveys
Did you know you can gather anonymous post-Match surveys from applicants via Thalamus? Learn more!
Thalamus Appoints new Chief Academic Officer
Team Thalamus is thrilled to welcome Dr. Jeffrey Berns as its first Chief Academic Officer. Dr. Berns will guide Thalamus’ academic strategy and engagement across the broader medical education community, helping advance new research initiatives and physician leadership collaborations that support the future of physician recruitment and training. Learn more.
Thalamus AI Advisory Boards
The Thalamus team has kicked off initial meetings with their newly formed undergraduate medical education (UME) and graduate medical education (GME) artificial intelligence (AI) advisory boards, with the applicant advisory board to follow. If you are an applicant interested in joining, email them to express interest. Visit the Thalamus AI Hub to learn more!
Connect with the VSLO® Team: Office Hours and Upcoming Conferences
As we navigate the most active weeks of the away rotation season, please join us for Visiting Student Learning Opportunities™ (VSLO®) Office Hours and Refresher Trainings with any questions you or your teams may have. Register for Office Hours and Refresher dates.
It was wonderful to connect with attendees at the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Annual Conference last month. Later this spring, the VSLO team will be attending:
American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) Annual Conference
We would love to meet with you if you plan on attending these upcoming events! If you have any questions about the VSLO program or would like to connect before the meeting, please reach out via our contact form.
New AAMC Data on U.S. Medica School Graduate Readiness for Surgical Residency
The AAMC Resident Readiness Survey is a standardized process for program directors (PDs) to provide feedback about graduates’ readiness for residency. Analysis of four years of national data published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons shows 97% of surgical postgraduate Year 1 residents who graduated from U.S. MD-granting medical schools met or exceeded PDs’ expectations in their first six months of training. Graduates from schools with required specialty-specific transition courses were less likely not to meet or exceed PDs’ expectations, and non-categorical general surgery residents were more likely. Read more.
Evolution of AAMC Affinity Groups: Update on Group Governance and Administration
The AAMC has made important progress on the formation of its new affinity group structure, which will launch on July 1, 2026, with 11 new affinity groups that are more collaborative, easier to navigate, and more flexible and accessible. The AAMC has finalized governance and administration guidelines for each new group, which were recently shared with current group steering committees. Feedback from constituent leaders was essential in developing these guidelines, and the AAMC will continue to rely on their leadership as the new affinity groups are established. Information about this administrative guidance and other progress related to the evolution of affinity groups is available on the AAMC’s website. Read more.
AAMC Update on Reimagining the MSPE and New Guidance
In January 2026, the AAMC launched a multi-year national collaborative project to re-examine the purpose, format, and future of the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) in response to evolving assessment practices, increasing variation in grading systems, and residency programs’ need for clearer, more interpretable information about applicants. Phase I of the project, focused on developing targeted guidance for individuals preparing the MSPE for the 2026 cycle, is now complete. This initial phase has resulted in the recommendation that schools add a brief clarifying statement about how the Noteworthy Characteristics section is developed.
Phase II of the project is now underway and will conclude in June 2027. This next phase will engage the academic medicine community in a broader exploration of how the MSPE may evolve, including potential technology-enabled and learner-centered approaches to communicating learner strengths, developmental progress, and areas for continued growth across the UME/GME continuum. Updated guidance is available on the AAMC’s website and questions or comments can be directed to MSPE@aamc.org. Read more.
Virtual Events
Neurological Surgery Specialty Spotlight! Optimal Strategies for Your Residency Application
Tuesday, April 28, 1 p.m. ET
Register
Recent Webinar Recordings
2027 ERAS Letter of Recommendation Updates: Introduction to the AAMC Letter Writer Portal
Recording
Program Signaling and Interview Invitation Findings from the 2026 ERAS Season
Recording
ERAS Content Refresh: Evaluating Program Signal Statements and Specialty-Specific Essays Pilots
Recording
ERAS PDWS Q&A Session
Recording
Upcoming Meetings
The AAMC ERAS team will be presenting and/or exhibiting at the following meetings this spring.
Alliance of Independent Academic Medical Centers Annual Meeting
April 16-18, Carlsbad, CA
2026 Together We Lead Conference
April 16-18, Orlando, FL
Academic Internal Medicine Week 2026
April 19-22, Seattle, WA
AACOM Educating Leaders 2026
April 22-24, Las Vegas, NV
2026 American Medical Society for Sports Medicine Annual Meeting
April 23-29, Seattle, WA
2026 Annual Meeting of the Association for Surgical Education at Surgical Education Week
April 28-May 2, Atlanta, GA
2026 Association for Hospital Medical Education Institute
April 29-May 1, Reno, NV