ERAS Insights

The 2027 ERAS® Season Opens June 4: Key Updates for Programs and Institutions

May 29, 2026

Update from Leadership

Dear Colleagues,

With the 2027 AAMC Electronic Residency Application Service® (ERAS®) season opening June 4, this month marks an exciting transition from planning to action as programs, institutions, and advisors prepare for a new recruitment cycle.

Over the past several months, we have shared updates about enhancements coming to the 2027 season. Together, these changes reflect the AAMC’s continued commitment to work with you to evolve the ERAS program to align with the changing needs of specialties and the broader graduate medical education community.

That evolution can be seen across several new tools and enhancements launching this season. One example is the redesign of the MyERAS® Publications section into Scholarly Work, which creates a more flexible approach for applicants to present research, academic achievements, and other scholarly contributions while providing programs with richer context during application review.

The upcoming season will also introduce the AAMC Letter Writer Portal, designed to streamline the letter submission process and support ongoing specialty initiatives, including the integration of specialty-specific Standardized Letters of Evaluation. In addition, programs and institutions will have access to the reimagined ERAS Statistics webpage and expanded interactive dashboards ahead of the July and September cycle openings for the first time. These dashboards provide specialty-specific views, application trends, interview data, and other insights to help inform recruitment planning and decision-making throughout the season.

As the season gets underway, we encourage you to visit the What to Know for the 2027 ERAS Season webpage and continue sharing feedback with us in the months ahead. Your perspectives help guide the future of the ERAS program and strengthen the transition to residency for the entire community.

Thank you for your continued collaboration. We look forward to supporting you throughout the 2027 season.

Patrick Fritz
AAMC Senior Director for Residency and Fellowship Services

2027 ERAS Season Opens Next Week (June 4): Register Now

The 2027 ERAS season opens this Wednesday, June 4. Please register your program before the season begins. Simply log in to the Program Director’s WorkStation (PDWS), open the Program Management tab, and select your program. Refer to this job aid or contact the AAMC Support Center for additional guidance.

New AAMC Letter Writer Resources Available for the Upcoming Season

The AAMC is transitioning to the AAMC Letter Writer Portal for the 2027 ERAS season to support more consistent and reliable letter submissions for applicants, letter writers, schools, and programs. Also new this season is the introduction of specialty-specific standardized letters in collaboration with the dermatology, plastic surgery-integrated and urology specialty societies. Visit the ERAS for Letter Writers webpage to learn more about these changes, view the standardized templates, read the FAQ’s, and more.

Specialty Spotlight Webinar Series for Residency Applicants and Advisors

The AAMC ERAS team is hosting a series of webinars featuring specialty-specific guidance for medical school advisors and 2027 residency season applicants. Each webinar includes a program director and an advisor who will share best practices in preparation for the 2027 ERAS application season. The webinars also include a Q&A and will be recorded for later viewing. The series kicked off in April and continues on June 2 with an inside look at general surgery. See all webinars on the ERAS and Transition to Residency Webinars page.

What We’re Hearing About the ERAS Program

“I love ERAS. The system is clear, user-friendly and has good customer service.”

Tania Arana, Director-Graduate Medical Education, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University

Thalamus Cerebellum Specialty Dashboards Coming Soon!

New reports will equip program and specialty leadership with insights into interview distribution patterns and benchmarking for applicants and programs. Learn more.

VSLO® Spring Snapshot: Early Season Data and Application Movement

During our spring conference conversations, we shared early-season data on student activity in the Visiting Student Learning Opportunities™ (VSLO®) application service. March 2026 stood out with18,000 applicants, marking the highest monthly applicant volume in the program’s history. MD and DO student activity has remained consistent for several years, with MD students applying to an average of nine unique electives, and DO students applying to an average of 15 unique electives.

In this phase of the application season, Home institutions have released student applications, and Host institutions are now reviewing and rendering decisions on those applications. Thank you for your personal and professional commitment in ensuring a smooth and successful away rotation application season.

U.S. Physician Workforce Data

The U.S. Physician Workforce Data Dashboard provides the most current data available about the physician workforce across specialties in a series of interactive dashboards. The U.S. Physician Workforce Data Dashboard combines data previously published in two separate AAMC workforce studies reports, Physician Specialty Data Report and State Physician Workforce Data Report. Access the Reports.