Updated
ERAS Application and Timeline 2027: Sept 2 Submit, Sept 23 Review
ERAS is the AAMC service that sends your residency application and documents to programs. Per the AAMC's 2027 timeline, the season opened June 4, 2026, you could apply from September 2, 2026, and programs could open applications and MSPEs from September 23, 2026, all at 9 a.m. ET. The season ends May 31, 2027 at 5 p.m. ET.
Below are the full dates, what goes in the application, who uploads each document, what locks when you submit and our week-by-week plan. Each part links to the AAMC or ECFMG page it came from, read November 1, 2026. Applying right now? The season is still open, so you can still apply to programs that take applications. Programs have been reviewing since September 23, so apply as soon as your application is ready. The AAMC had not posted dates for the 2028 season when we checked.
ERAS 2027 timeline
The AAMC and ECFMG dates are for ERAS. The NRMP dates are for the Match, which is a separate registration. Times are Eastern.
| Date | What happens | Source |
|---|---|---|
| June 4, 2026, 9 a.m. ET | What happens: The 2027 ERAS season opens. Register your token and start the MyERAS application. | Source: AAMC |
| June 24, 2026 | What happens: ECFMG starts issuing tokens to IMG residency applicants. | Source: ECFMG |
| September 2, 2026, 9 a.m. ET | What happens: You can certify, submit and apply to programs. | Source: AAMC |
| September 11, 2026 | What happens: ECFMG's last recommended day for IMGs to send the MSPE and medical school transcript. | Source: ECFMG |
| September 15, 2026, 12 p.m. ET | What happens: NRMP Match registration opens (separate from ERAS). | Source: NRMP |
| September 23, 2026, 9 a.m. ET | What happens: Programs can first open applications and MSPEs. | Source: AAMC |
| January 29, 2027 | What happens: Standard NRMP registration deadline. | Source: NRMP |
| March 3, 2027 | What happens: NRMP rank order list deadline. | Source: NRMP |
| March 19, 2027 | What happens: Match Day. | Source: NRMP |
| May 31, 2027, 5 p.m. ET | What happens: The 2027 ERAS season ends. | Source: AAMC |
Is there an ERAS deadline? Not one date for everyone. ERAS stays open until the season ends, but each program sets its own deadline, and the user guide says to check them before you apply. In practice, the date that matters is September 23, when programs start reading.
What is ERAS, and what isn't it?
ERAS is the AAMC's centralized application service. You fill in one MyERAS application, your school and letter writers upload documents, and you choose which programs get what. Per the user guide, you have only one application, and every program you apply to sees the same one.
Two things it is not. It is not the Match: registering with ERAS does not register you for the NRMP or any other match. And it is not every specialty. Emergency medicine and obstetrics and gynecology use ResidencyCAS, covered in our ResidencyCAS guide. ERAS only forwards documents to programs that take part in ERAS. Applying again? If you used ERAS in any of the last seven seasons, you can import your application data and letters into the new one.
How do you get an ERAS token?
A token is a one-time access code from your Designated Dean's Office. US MD and DO students get theirs from their own school. A token from a past season won't work, and each token registers once. Third-year tokens let you set up Personal Information and collect letters ahead of the next season.
IMGs get their token from ECFMG's ERAS Support Services in MyIntealth. Tokens for the 2027 season became available June 24, 2026, for a $185 fee that isn't refundable. One token covers every specialty and program for the season. Canadian graduates from before July 1, 2025 go through CaRMS, and later graduates through ECFMG.
What's in the MyERAS application?
The form covers personal and biographical information, education, experiences, licenses, a few legal questions, scholarly work and preferences. Most of it is filled in once. Four parts deserve the most time.
Experiences: 10 entries, 3 most meaningful
Per the 2027 user guide, you can add up to 10 experiences, each with a description of up to 750 characters, and mark up to 3 as most meaningful, with 300 more characters on what made each one matter. Hobbies and interests get 300 characters. An optional impactful experience question is meant for applicants who have overcome major challenges. Our ERAS experiences guide shows how to write each entry.
Scholarly Work, new for 2027
The AAMC renamed Publications to Scholarly Work this season. You can list as many entries as you have, mark up to three as most meaningful and group related items, such as a poster and the paper that came from it, into a Scholarly Collection. If you list a research job in Experiences too, say something new in each place.
Geographic and setting preferences
You can pick up to 3 US Census divisions and an urban, suburban or rural setting, or say you have no preference, and explain your choice in a short answer. Keep it consistent with the programs you apply to and the signals you send.
Specialty questions (anesthesiology, neurosurgery, plastic surgery)
Applicants to anesthesiology, neurological surgery and plastic surgery-integrated answer three short questions per specialty before they can apply there, such as a time you made a quick decision or got hard feedback. Draft them in a plain text file first. You can't edit an answer after you certify, but you can add a specialty you didn't answer for.
Which documents go with your ERAS application?
Some you assign program by program, and some go to every program automatically. This is our summary of the AAMC's 2027 user guide.
| Document | Who uploads it | How programs get it | Changing it later |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal statement | Who uploads it: You write it in MyERAS. 28,000 characters at most, counting spaces. | How programs get it: You assign one per program. You can write as many versions as you like. | Changing it later: Editable all season, and you can reassign it. Programs may not reread a new version. |
| Letters of recommendation | Who uploads it: Each writer uploads through the AAMC Letter Writer Portal with your Letter Request ID. | How programs get it: You assign up to 4 to each program. | Changing it later: You can add letters to a program until it has 4, but you can't replace one once you have applied. |
| MSPE | Who uploads it: Your Designated Dean's Office (ECFMG for IMGs). | How programs get it: Sent to every program you apply to. You don't assign it. | Changing it later: Not yours to change. |
| Medical school transcript | Who uploads it: Your Designated Dean's Office (ECFMG for IMGs). | How programs get it: Sent to every program you apply to. | Changing it later: Not yours to change. |
| USMLE transcript | Who uploads it: You pay FSMB ($70) and authorize release in its USMLE portal, then retrieve scores in MyERAS. | How programs get it: You assign it to programs. | Changing it later: Assignments to programs you applied to are locked. |
| COMLEX-USA transcript | Who uploads it: You authorize NBOME release in MyERAS ($80, once per season). | How programs get it: You assign it to programs. | Changing it later: Once you say Yes to release, you can't take it back. |
| Photo | Who uploads it: You upload it (ECFMG does for IMGs). JPG or PNG, 150 KB at most, face centered. | How programs get it: You assign it to programs. | Changing it later: Can't be unassigned from a program you applied to. |
| ECFMG Status Report (IMGs) | Who uploads it: ECFMG uploads it. | How programs get it: Sent to every program you apply to. It does not show USMLE scores. | Changing it later: Not yours to change. |
ERAS personal statement length: the system limit is 28,000 characters, spaces included, which is far longer than anyone wants to read. The MyERAS preview shows the page count. Our residency personal statement guide covers length and structure. The AAMC allows AI tools for brainstorming, proofreading and editing, but the final statement has to be your own work.
Letters: you create a request for each writer, and they upload through the AAMC Letter Writer Portal, new for all letters this season. Up to 4 go to each program. Urology, dermatology and plastic surgery-integrated have their own standard letter formats this year. Our residency letters guide says who to ask for each specialty, and the MSPE guide covers the Dean's letter.
Fees: per the user guide, each specialty costs $11 per program for the first 30 and $30 for each one after, and ERAS gives no refunds. Our ERAS fees page has the calculator and the fee assistance rules.
What locks when you certify and submit?
Almost everything. Certify and Submit is a one-time step that can't be reversed, so all programs get the same copy. You can't apply anywhere until you do it, and MyERAS has no spell or grammar check.
| Locked after you submit | Still open |
|---|---|
| Every application section except Personal Information | Still open: Personal Information (address, phone, email) |
| Your Experiences and Scholarly Work entries | Still open: Personal statements: edit and reassign any time |
| Specialty question answers you already saved | Still open: New letters, up to 4 per program |
| Document assignments to programs you applied to (except the personal statement) | Still open: Applying to more programs, as long as each one is still taking applications |
| Still open: Specialty questions for a specialty you add later | |
| Still open: Withdrawing from programs (and reinstating) |
When should you submit your ERAS application?
On day one if you can. The 2027 season gave you 90 days to build the application before September 2, and then 21 days more before programs could open anything. Submitting early costs nothing and lets you catch a missing letter or transcript before programs start reading. Here is our backwards plan from the 2027 submission date. It is our advice, not an AAMC rule, and the same weeks work for 2028.
Our week-by-week plan, counted back from submission day
| When | Do this |
|---|---|
| June 24 (10 weeks before) | Do this: Send every Letter Request Form. A letter must be uploaded before you can assign it, and writers need time. |
| July 8 (8 weeks before) | Do this: Finish your Experiences entries and a full draft of your personal statement. Ask two people to read both. |
| August 5 (4 weeks before) | Do this: Pay for your USMLE transcript at FSMB, or authorize COMLEX release in MyERAS. Upload your photo. Check which letters show Uploaded. |
| August 19 (2 weeks before) | Do this: Build your program list and decide your signals. Signals go out with the application, so pick them before you apply. |
| August 26 (1 week before) | Do this: Proofread the whole application out loud. MyERAS has no spell check, and almost everything locks when you submit. |
| September 2 (submission day) | Do this: Certify, submit and apply to programs. You still have time before programs can open anything. |
How do IMGs apply through ERAS?
ECFMG is the Designated Dean's Office for students and graduates of international medical schools. It issues your token, collects your MSPE, medical school transcript and photo, uploads them, and adds your ECFMG Status Report, which goes to every program but doesn't show USMLE scores. ECFMG asked IMGs to send the MSPE and transcript no later than September 11. USMLE scores go to programs only on the transcript you request from FSMB.
If you still need US clinical experience, our USCE for IMGs guide covers how to get it, and the IMG residency interview guide covers visa and gap questions.
What happens after you apply?
Signals go out at the time you apply, so pick them first with our program signals guide. Interview invites follow, on the dates in our residency interview season guide. Register for the Match with the NRMP by January 29, 2027, certify your rank list by March 3, 2027 and use our rank order list guide to build it. Withdraw in MyERAS from programs you no longer want, and tell them too, so they can invite someone else.
Most interviews start with your application. Practice the opener below, then the common residency interview questions.
Practice question
“Walk me through your application.”
Residency interviewers often open with it, with your ERAS application in front of them. Don't read your CV back. Pick the two or three entries that explain why you chose this specialty, and end on what you want next.
Example answer written by Confetto (the applicant is invented)
I came to medicine after two years as an EMT, and that is still the thread through my application. On my internal medicine rotation I liked the slow work of sorting out a sick patient with five problems at once, and I asked to stay on an extra week.
That led to my most meaningful experience, a quality project on discharge calls for heart failure patients. We cut missed follow-ups on our unit, and I learned how much of medicine happens after the patient leaves. I want a program where residents run projects like that, which is why your ambulatory track stood out to me.
Sources: the AAMC's 2027 ERAS timelines, What You Need to Know About the 2027 Season, the 2027 MyERAS Applicant User Guide and its chapters, ECFMG's ERAS Support Services page and the NRMP's 2027 calendar, linked throughout and checked November 1, 2026. Confirm each program's requirements on its own page.
Frequently asked questions
When does ERAS open?
The 2027 season opened June 4, 2026 at 9 a.m. ET. You could submit and apply from September 2, 2026, and programs could start opening applications and MSPEs on September 23, 2026. The season ends May 31, 2027 at 5 p.m. ET. The AAMC had not posted 2028 season dates when we checked. See the AAMC's 2027 timeline.
How long can the ERAS personal statement be?
Up to 28,000 characters, counting letters, numbers, spaces and punctuation. That is a system ceiling, not a target. Our residency personal statement guide explains the usual length. You can write several statements and assign one to each program. Read the AAMC's personal statement rules.
How many letters of recommendation can you send on ERAS?
Up to 4 per program. Each writer uploads through the AAMC Letter Writer Portal using the Letter Request ID from your form. Once a letter is assigned to a program you applied to, you can't replace it. Read the AAMC's letter rules.
What are the ERAS photo requirements?
A JPG, JPEG or PNG file of 150 KB at most, with your face centered. US applicants upload their own. ECFMG uploads the photo for IMGs. Once the photo is assigned to a program you applied to, it can't be unassigned. See the 2027 MyERAS user guide.
How do IMGs get an ERAS token?
Through ECFMG's MyIntealth portal, under ERAS Support Services. Tokens for the 2027 season became available June 24, 2026, and the fee is $185, not refundable. One token covers every specialty and program for the season. See ECFMG's ERAS page.
Does ERAS register you for the Match?
No. ERAS only delivers your application. You register with the NRMP yourself. For the 2027 Match, registration opened September 15, 2026 and the standard deadline is January 29, 2027. See the NRMP's calendar.