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  • ERAS Insights

    From Fellowship to Residency: Preparing for the Months Ahead

    July 31, 2026

    Update from Leadership

    Dear Colleagues,

    The 2027 AAMC Electronic Residency Application Service® (ERAS®) July fellowship application season is off to a strong start. During the July opening, more than 12,000 applicants submitted applications, and fellowship programs across 61 participating specialties are now reviewing applications. Thank you to the program directors, coordinators, designated institutional officials, medical school advisors, and staff whose preparation and collaboration help make this important milestone possible each year.

    As fellowship recruitment moves forward, our focus is also turning to the September residency cycle. Supporting programs, institutions, medical schools, and applicants throughout every stage of the recruitment season remains a priority. We are committed to providing timely information, practical guidance, and resources to help you prepare for a successful season.

    A few helpful notes as you prepare:

    As always, the AAMC is committed to keeping the community informed as the U.S. recruitment landscape continues to evolve. We recognize the challenges presented by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s recently finalized changes to the longstanding Duration of Status (D/S) policy, and the AAMC is carefully evaluating the final rule to better understand its impact on applicants, programs, institutions, and the broader graduate medical education community. We will continue to share updates as more information becomes available, and we encourage you to review the AAMC statement for additional information.

    Thank you for your continued collaboration and for all you do to support future physicians. If you have questions, please reach out to the AAMC ERAS team. We wish you a successful 2027 recruitment season.

    Patrick Fritz
    AAMC Senior Director for Residency and Fellowship Services

    Program Reminder: Register Now for the 2027 ERAS Season

    As you are preparing to review applications for the 2027 ERAS recruitment season, please take time to complete your registration in the PDWS. Log in to the PDWS, open the Program Management tab, and select your program. Refer to this job aid or contact the AAMC Support Center for additional guidance.

    Specialty Spotlight Webinar Series for Residency Applicants and Advisors

    The AAMC 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 are recorded for later viewing. The next session in the series will take place on Tuesday, Aug. 4 with an inside look at internal medicine and pediatrics medical genetics. See all webinars on the ERAS and Transition to Residency Webinars page.

    Program Directors Association Guides for Residency Applicants

    The Program Directors Association Guide for Residency Applicants is a joint effort between the Organization of Program Directors Association (OPDA), the AAMC, and the American Medical Association to improve communication and provide program directors with guidance on key specialty-specific application information and resources. Each guide includes information on letters of recommendation, away rotations, program signals, USMLE/COMLEX-USA scores, interview format, and more. View the completed 2027 guides.

    Latest Updates for the 2027 ERAS Season

    As the 2027 season moves forward, we encourage you to explore the What You Need to Know About the 2027 ERAS Season webpage, which is designed to help the transition to residency community stay informed about evolving application features. Recent updates include the transition to the AAMC Letter Writer Portal, ongoing pilot projects, webinars, and more.

    What We’re Hearing About the ERAS Program

    "Love your system! It makes application season so easy!"

    Christine Kardiasmenos, Program Coordinator, TidalHealth

    Meet a More Connected Thalamus: A Faster, Smarter, and More Intuitive Applicant Experience

    Beginning Aug. 3, Thalamus will introduce a completely redesigned applicant experience across both web and mobile platforms.

    Built around the way interview season actually unfolds, the new experience is designed to help applicants spend less time managing logistics and more time preparing for the conversations that matter.

    Highlights include:

    • Redesigned Applicant Dashboard
    • New Smart Focus interview scheduling workflow
    • Enhanced calendar
    • Reimagined interview day schedules
    • Consistent web and mobile experiences

    Learn More.

    Coming Soon: Residency Explorer™ Interview Likelihood

    Launching in August, the new Interview Likelihood feature in Residency Explorer™ will provide personalized insights to help applicants understand how their application compares with applicants who received interview invitations from individual residency programs during the previous application cycle. Used alongside Program Alignment, Interview Likelihood can help applicants build a more informed and balanced application strategy by evaluating both competitiveness and alignment.

    We encourage applicants, advisors, student affairs professionals, and residency program personnel to attend one of our upcoming webinars to learn more about the new Interview Likelihood feature and how it can support application strategy decisions.

    2026 VSLO® Season Highlights

    As the primary application season for elective rotations comes to an end, we’re pleased to share the following Visiting Student Learning Opportunities™ (VSLO®) highlights from the 2026 season. Thank you for your commitment to students as they progress through another major milestone in their journey through medical school.

    Here are a few initial highlights of the 2026 season:

    • The VSLO program offered 739 new rotations this cycle thanks to the 31 new Host institutions that joined.
    • 28,906 unique applicants participated in the VSLO program.
    • The number of unique electives to which students applied remains consistent with prior years (MD: Median = 10, DO: Median = 14, Global: Median = 6).
    • 81% of all applications were submitted between Feb. 1 and April 30.

    We will share additional data from the 2026 season in the updated VSLO Student Infographic that will be available in August.

    DHS Finalizes Rule to Replace Duration of Status for F, J, and I Visa Holders

    On July 17, the DHS issued a final rule that removes duration of status, a long-standing regulation that allowed F, J, and I visa holders to stay in the United States until they finish their program of study. In its place, the department implemented a fixed-term policy that allows individuals to stay in the country based on the length of their training program, not to exceed four years. Individuals who wish to stay past this limit are required to file for an extension of status with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. 

    In a statement, the AAMC noted it “is concerned by the changes DHS has made to the longstanding D/S policy in the final rule published on July 17. As we said in our September 2025 comment letter to former Secretary Noem, we strongly believe there is no compelling need to change the current visa system for international students, trainees, and postdoctoral scholars.”

    ***Subscribe to Washington Highlights, a weekly newsletter produced by the AAMC to provide updates on the latest legislative and regulatory activities affecting medical schools, academic health systems, and their patients and communities. 

    New AAMC Data on Transition to Residency Courses at U.S. and Canadian Medical Schools

    Data from the 2023-2024 AAMC AACOM Curriculum SCOPE Survey reveal that most medical schools (68.7%) required at least one transition to residency (TTR) course. A new Data Snapshot explores required TTR course timing, duration, and content covered. It highlights common priorities as well as institutional differences and outlines future research needs to support this important learner transition.

    AAMC Submits Comment Letter to Office of Management and Budget  

    The AAMC has submitted a comment letter strongly urging the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to rescind its proposed rule that seeks to overhaul the Uniform Guidance, a framework that governs federal financial assistance awards including all federal research grants. In its letter, the AAMC emphasizes its deep concern about the impact of these proposed regulations on science, patients, and the academic medicine community. Read More.

    Celebrating the Launch of New AAMC Affinity Groups

    July 1 marked an important milestone in the AAMC’s 150-year history as the association launched its new affinity group structure that is even more collaborative, easier to navigate, and well-aligned with the priorities of the AAMC and its member institutions. After nine months of strategic transition planning, the AAMC welcomed thousands of constituents into 11 new affinity groups, continuing its commitment to being the premier source of convening, leadership development, and learning for the academic medicine community. The AAMC is continuing to finalize this transition across its digital platforms, including its website, membership database, and virtual communities. An updated FAQ includes more information about this transition, how to join the new groups, and additional details. Read More.

    Virtual Events

    2027 ERAS Season Webinars

    MyERAS® Q&A Session for Applicants
    Thursday, Sept. 3, 1 p.m. ET
    Register

    Navigating the PDWS to Drive Holistic Review
    Thursday, Sept. 10, 1 p.m. ET
    Register

    ERAS PDWS Q&A Session
    Tuesday, Sept. 22, 1 p.m. ET
    Register

    Specialty Spotlight Series

    IM and Peds Medical Genetics Specialty Spotlight! Optimal Strategies for Your Residency Application
    Tuesday, Aug. 4, 1 p.m. ET
    Register

    Child Neurology & Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Specialty Spotlight! Optimal Strategies for Your Residency Application
    Wednesday, Aug. 5, 1 p.m. ET
    Register

    Interventional Radiology Specialty Spotlight! Optimal Strategies for your Residency Application
    Thursday, Aug. 6, 1 p.m. ET
    Register

    Radiation Oncology Specialty Spotlight! Optimal Strategies for your Residency Application
    Tuesday, Aug. 18, 1 p.m. ET
    Register

    Diagnostic Radiology Specialty Spotlight! Optimal Strategies for your Residency Application
    Thursday, Aug. 20, 1 p.m. ET
    Register

    Recent Webinar Recordings

    View all Specialty Spotlight Recordings

    PDWS Overview Part 1 for New Users
    Access the Recording

    PDWS Overview Part 2 for Experienced Users
    Access the Recording

    ERAS PDWS Q&A Session
    Access the Recording

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