The AAMC integrated program signaling into the ERAS® application beginning in the 2024 ERAS residency application season. Program signaling gives applicants the chance to indicate their interests in participating programs and offers those programs an added tool in their holistic review toolkit. The information presented here will help specialty and program leaders learn more about program signaling and provide them guidance on how to participate for the 2025 ERAS residency season.
What is a Program Signal?
A program signal is an applicant’s opportunity to express their genuine interest in a residency program. A program signal only indicates the applicant's interest at the time of application. It should be understood that their interest could change throughout the cycle, after interviews, life events, or interactions with a given program.
Program signals are designed to be used by programs as a single data point among many data points available to them. Programs are encouraged not to misinterpret missing signal responses or use missing responses to filter or screen out applicants. Applicants with missing information may have skipped the program signaling section at the time they completed their application.
Learn more by reading Preliminary Program Signaling Data and Their Impact on Residency Selection and reviewing the ERAS Statistics webpage.
Program Signaling for the 2025 ERAS Residency Season
Program signals are limited to residency applicants applying to specialties and programs that opt-in to participate in program signals.
Due to the complexity of program signaling and in the interest of protecting applicants, the AAMC requires each interested specialty and individual programs from participating specialties to explicitly agree to participate in program signaling.
The AAMC seeks to ensure that specialties that choose to participate in program signaling for the 2025 ERAS season:
- Are properly trained and equipped to use program signals as a part of a holistic review of applicants when deciding who to invite to an interview.
- Understand and have reviewed the research outcomes to date.
- Make an informed decision about the number of signals available to applicants for their individual specialty together with AAMC assessment experts.
- Have ample time for early communication to applicants and advisors regarding specialty participation.
Where will Applicants Find Specialties and Programs that are Participating in Program Signaling?
Visit the ERAS Participating Specialties and Programs page. Click on a specialty title. If that specialty is participating in program signals, check the box at the top of the page to see the list of programs within that specialty that have chosen to participate in program signaling.
AAMC Guidance for Home and Away Rotation Program Signaling
The AAMC suggests that applicants signal programs they are most interested in, regardless of whether they are home or away rotations. This is the most fair and equitable process for all applicant types (MD, DO, and IMGs) and provides all programs that participate in receiving signals with the same information about interest level.
Timeline for Specialties and Programs Seeking to Participate in Program Signaling for the 2025 ERAS Season
- March 1, 2024: Deadline for specialties to sign the participation agreement. This participation agreement is intended to be signed by one specialty-approved association executive committee member (e.g., president, CEO, appointed chairman, etc.).
- March 29, 2024: The specialty organization and leadership must provide and communicate to the AAMC the number of program signals they wish to use.
- Aug. 9, 2024: Individual programs in participating specialties must opt-in to receive program signals when registering for the 2025 ERAS application season in ERAS Program Management (EPM).
Specialty Level Participation in Program Signaling
All specialties interested in participating in program signaling for the 2025 ERAS application season will be required to sign and submit a participation agreement. Complete the fillable 2025 ERAS® Residency Cycle Program Signaling Participation Agreement and return it to the ERAS Program.
Contact the ERAS Program to set up a meeting with ERAS leaders who can answer any additional questions you may have about participating in program signaling for the 2025 ERAS season, and can help facilitate signing your specialty’s participation agreement.
Individual Residency Program Level Opt-In for Program Signaling
Each program from specialties that sign a participation agreement for program signaling by March 1, 2024, must opt-in to receive program signals. Programs can opt-in through ERAS Program Management (EPM) from the Program Director’s WorkStation (PDWS) dashboard. Changes to participating status will not be made after the Aug. 9, 2024 deadline to ensure a transparent and fair process for applicants.