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  • ERAS Insights

    A Strong Start to the 2026 September Residency Cycle and a New Era of Data Transparency

    Update from Leadership

    Dear Colleagues,

    What an incredible start to the 2026 AAMC Electronic Residency Application Service® (ERAS®) season! Thanks to your preparation and collaboration, both the applicant and program openings were a tremendous success. Participation was strong across the board, setting the stage for a productive and impactful recruitment season. Here are a few early highlights:

    • Strong start to the season: More than 47,000 applicants and nearly 4,800 residency programs are already actively participating in the 2026 ERAS season.
    • Applicants are applying more strategically: Total applications are down nearly 7% compared to last year, continuing a trend toward more targeted application lists. Many applicants are using tools like the Residency Explorer™ tool to identify programs that best fit their goals.
    • Average applications per applicant are down across all groups, suggesting better use of program data, program signaling, and decision-making tools.
    • What this means for the community: Early data shows that applicants are leveraging available tools to apply more intentionally, which can reduce costs, lower stress, and allow programs to focus on fit when reviewing candidates.

    I’m also excited to highlight an important milestone happening tomorrow, when we will be publishing the new interactive ERAS data dashboards on the ERAS Statistics webpage. The dashboards represent a big step forward in our commitment to providing timely, transparent, and actionable information to the academic medicine community. We believe these enhancements will give programs, schools, and applicants valuable context for decision-making throughout the season. I invite you to explore the dashboards and see how they can inform your recruitment efforts.

    As the ERAS season progresses, I also encourage you to take advantage of:

    Thank you, as always, for your contributions to advancing a more transparent and data-informed recruitment process. We are excited for what this cycle holds and look forward to working alongside you in supporting the next generation of physicians.

    Patrick Fritz
    AAMC Senior Director for Residency and Fellowship Services

    New ERAS Tools and Data Promise to Improve the Residency Application Process

    As the 2026 ERAS residency application season kicks off, the AAMC has unveiled new data, tools, and interview support to improve the process for residency and fellowship applicants. Read More.

    Join Us at Learn Serve Lead 2025

    Learn Serve Lead 2025: The AAMC Annual Meeting will take place Nov. 1-5 in San Antonio, Texas. We hope to see you there! Please take time to visit the ERAS team in the AAMC Market Square and meet our collaborators in the Exhibit Hall at the Thalamus booth.

    You’re also invited to join us for a breakout session, ERAS: Our Continuing Focus on the Future, on Monday, Nov. 3 at 7 a.m. CT. We’ll share key takeaways from the 2025 ERAS season and preview what’s ahead for 2026, highlighting progress toward a more transparent, efficient, and effective process.

    Learn About Enhancements to 2027 MyERAS® Research and Publications/Scholarly Work during Oct. 22 Webinar

    Beginning with the 2027 ERAS application season, the MyERAS® Research and Publications/Scholarly Work section will be revised to better capture applicants’ academic, research, and scholarly contributions. The AAMC will host a webinar on Oct. 22 at 3 p.m. ET to provide an overview of the updates, including new fields, streamlined reporting, and guidance for applicants and advisors on how to effectively highlight scholarly experiences. Register now.

    What We’re Hearing About the ERAS Program

    As a new coordinator, ERAS has been easy to learn and operate. It is a great program.
    —Kara Easton, Program Coordinator, Indiana University School of Medicine

    Thalamus Support Resources and Expanded Product Experience Team

    In a continued commitment to the community, Thalamus's Product Support team brings a combined 200+ years of graduate medical education experience to support you this season!

    Here’s what’s new:

    Ready to Get Started for the Season with Cortex?

    New for the 2026 ERAS season, All ERAS-participating residency programs have complimentary access to Cortex™, powered by Thalamus to support technology-assisted holistic review. Cortex is fully updated for 2026 to incorporate an enhanced user interface and novel Sandbox to practice using the software.

    Be sure to:

    Introducing: Artificial Intelligence — The Thalamus Way

    The Thalamus mission has always been clear: to ensure the right doctor ends up at the right hospital to treat the right patients.

    As conversations about Artificial Intelligence (AI) in GME gain momentum, there is an opportunity to lead with transparency, ethics, and impact. Read the blog.

    All-New Thalamus Video: Faster. Smarter. Beautifully Designed.

    On Sept. 18, Thalamus launched the redesigned Thalamus Video platform, bringing all subscribed programs and their applicants a more seamless, reliable, and human-centered virtual interview experience. Read more.

    If your program or institution is interested in Thalamus Video, please submit this form.

    A Reminder for Programs: Keep Residency Explorer™ Data Current

    Accurate, transparent information is essential for applicants and advisors when making residency application decisions. The Residency Explorer tool is the most comprehensive resource available because it combines:

    • Source-verified data from national organizations, making the majority of the tool’s content uniquely reliable.
    • Self-reported program data (e.g., Eligibility and Application Details), which programs update directly in GME Track.

    Programs: Please take a moment to login and review your Residency Explorer data and your website, and let us know if updates are needed. Your attention helps ensure that applicants and advisors have the most accurate information possible.

    VSLO® Modernization Update: Key Dates

    The Visiting Student Learning Opportunities™ (VSLO) program concluded a week of modernization demonstration and review sessions with nearly 200 VSLO institution users in these sessions.

    As the launch date for the modernized VSLO software gets closer, we want to share key dates:

    • Institution users will not have access to the system from Monday, Nov. 10 through Monday, Dec. 8.
    • Institution users will gain access to the new system on Tuesday, Dec. 9.
    • Students will have access on Monday, Dec. 15.

    We will be sharing updates about the VSLO program and showcasing the modernized system during our presentation at Learn Serve Lead 2025: The AAMC Annual Meeting.

    Academic Medicine: Program Director Perspectives on the Utility of the Medical Student Performance Evaluation Shared During the Transition to Residency

    A new study published in Academic Medicine of nearly 1,900 program directors finds 83% view the Medical Student Performance Evaluation as useful for residency transition, but cite a lack of standardized assessment tools, insufficient differentiation among learners, and inadequate emphasis on areas for professional development. Read More.

    AAMC Artificial Intelligence Resources for Admissions and Selection

    With the residency application and recruitment season underway, this is a good time to review the AAMC AI Resources for Admissions and Selection. Utilizing the AAMC’s Principles for Responsible Use of AI in Medical School and Residency Selection, the AAMC — together with its AI in Admissions and Selection Technical Advisory Committee — developed a collection of resources designed to support medical schools and residency and fellowship programs in effectively understanding and integrating AI into their selection processes. Review the resources.

    Upcoming Events

    ERAS Program Director’s WorkStation (PDWS) Q&A Session
    Tuesday, Oct. 2, 1 p.m. ET

    The Data Landscape: Continuing to Deliver Insights with the New ERAS Statistics Dashboard and Thalamus Data Analytics
    Wednesday, Oct. 15, 1 p.m. ET

    2027 MyERAS Enhancements: Highlighting Research and Scholarly Work
    Wednesday, Oct. 22, 3 p.m. ET

    Recent Webinar Recordings

    ERAS PDWS Q&A Session
    Recording

    Navigating the PDWS to Drive Holistic Review
    Recording

    Transition to Residency Research Series: The Role of Geography in the Application and Interview Process
    Recording

    Join the ERAS Team

    Plastic Surgery The Meeting
    Oct. 9-12, New Orleans
    ERAS-focused session: AAMC-Thalamus Update, Oct. 11, 10:30 a.m. ET, Convention Center, 270, Level 2

    NRMP Transition to Residency: Conversations Across the Medical Education Continuum Conference 2025
    Oct. 11-12, Washington, DC