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ERAS Signals 2027: How Many You Get by Specialty
How many ERAS program signals you get for 2027 in each residency specialty, gold vs silver, how programs use signals and how to choose where to send them.
ERAS program signals let you tell a residency program you are truly interested in it when you apply. For the 2027 season the number depends on your specialty: 5 in pediatrics, 15 in general surgery, 3 gold and 12 silver in internal medicine, and 30 in orthopedic surgery and urology. Programs use signals as one data point when they choose whom to interview.
What an ERAS program signal is
In the AAMC's words, “A program signal is an applicant's opportunity to express their genuine interest in a residency or fellowship program.” “Applicants may assign and send signals to programs at the time of application.” For the 2027 Match, submissions opened September 2, so the signals for this season went out with your application and now feed into interview offers.
Some specialties use two tiers. Gold signals go to your top programs and silver signals to others you are keen on. The dermatology guide explains its split: “This allows applicants to denote their top 3 programs and an additional 25 programs of particular interest.” A few specialties also ask for a signal explanation, meaning “applicants will be asked to provide a statement explaining their interest in each program they signal.”
How many signals by specialty for 2027
Counts from the AAMC's 2027 table, plus each specialty's 2026-27 program directors' guide for home and away rotations. OB-GYN and emergency medicine apply through ResidencyCAS and ophthalmology through SF Match, so their counts come from their guides. Specialty names link to our practice pages.
| Specialty | Signals | Signal home and away? |
|---|---|---|
| Anesthesiology | 5 gold + 10 silver | Yes |
| Child neurology | 3 gold + 6 silver | Yes |
| Dermatology | 3 gold + 25 silver | Yes |
| Diagnostic radiology | 6 gold + 9 silver | Yes |
| Emergency medicineResidencyCAS | 5 | No |
| Family medicine | 5 | Yes |
| General surgery | 15 | Yes |
| Internal medicine | 3 gold + 12 silver | Yes |
| Interventional radiology | 8 | Yes |
| Neurological surgery | 25 | No guidance |
| Neurology | 8 | No guidance |
| OB-GYNResidencyCAS | 3 gold + 15 silver | Yes |
| OphthalmologySF Match | 15 | Yes |
| Orthopedic surgery | 30 | Yes |
| Otolaryngology (ENT) | 25 | Yes |
| Pathology | 5 | No guidance |
| Pediatrics | 5 | Yes |
| PM&R | 20 | Yes |
| Plastic surgery | 20 | Yes |
| Psychiatry | 10 | Yes |
| Radiation oncology | 4 | No guidance |
| Thoracic surgery | 4 | No guidance |
| Transitional year | 12 | Yes |
| Urology | 30 | Yes |
| Vascular surgery | 3 gold + 12 silver | Yes |
Combined and smaller programs
- Internal medicine/medical genetics: 3
- Internal medicine/pediatrics: 5
- Internal medicine/psychiatry: 2
- Neurodevelopmental disabilities: 2
- Pediatric medical genetics: 3
- Pediatrics/psychiatry/child and adolescent psychiatry: 3
- Public health and general preventive medicine: 3
Fellowships have their own counts on the same AAMC signaling page.
How programs use signals
The AAMC says “Program signals are designed to be used by programs as a single data point among many data points available to them”. Its 2027 guide puts it the same way: “These signals help programs make interview decisions but are only one factor among many in the selection process.”
Signals do move interview offers. In the AAMC's key findings from the 2026 season, “Over 90% of ERAS-participating specialties opted-in to program signaling.” In single-tier specialties, applicants who signaled had higher interview rates, and the rate was “nearly zero for those who did not.” In two-tier specialties, “Gold signals resulted in more interview invites than silver”, and both beat no signal. The effect was not even across applicants: the AAMC found “MDs benefited the most”, with mixed results for DO and IMG applicants depending on specialty.
What programs see is narrow. The anesthesiology guide says “Signals are not further presented in any particular order.” It adds, “Programs will NOT be able to see which other programs an applicant has signaled.”
How to choose where to signal
If you already applied this season, use these to make sense of your offers, and keep them for a reapplication or a second specialty.
1. Check your count and tiers
Find your specialty in the table. Two-tier specialties give a few gold signals for your top programs and more silver ones for programs you are also keen on.
2. Check which programs take signals
Programs can opt out, so look each one up on the AAMC's ERAS Participating Specialties and Programs page with the Program Signal box checked. OB-GYN and emergency medicine signal through ResidencyCAS, and ophthalmology through SF Match.
3. List the programs you most want
Start from where you would most like to train: the training, the location and the people. A signal should mean real interest.
4. Check where you are competitive
Use the AAMC Residency Explorer's Interview Likelihood feature and talk it through with your advisor. Anesthesiology program directors discourage signaling programs where you are unlikely to be competitive.
5. Follow your specialty on home and away programs
Most specialty guides say signal them if they are among your top choices. Emergency medicine says do not.
6. Use every signal
Most applicants use all of them, and anesthesiology program directors see no advantage in holding any back.
7. Write the explanations if asked
Anesthesiology, PM&R, plastic surgery and radiation oncology ask for a short statement for each program you signal. Name what draws you to that program in particular.
On home and away rotations, the AAMC is clear: “The AAMC suggests that applicants signal their most interested programs regardless of whether they are home or away rotations.” Pediatrics says the same in its guide: “Pediatrics asks all applicants to signal the 5 programs they are most interested in regardless of status as home program, away rotation, or other”. Emergency medicine goes the other way: “It is recommended that applicants do NOT signal home or away/visiting rotations.”
To find programs that take signals, “Once the 2027 ERAS season begins, applicants can visit the ERAS Participating Specialties and Programs webpage and click the Program Signal check box to view participating programs.” To judge your odds, the AAMC's Residency Explorer has a new tool: “Interview Likelihood provides applicants with data-informed insights into how applicants with similar application characteristics received interview invitations from specific residency programs during the previous application cycle.”
Use all of them. In AAMC data from 2023, “Most applicants used the maximum number of available signals in their specialties regardless of signaling approach.” The anesthesiology guide adds, “There is no known advantage to not using all available signals.” But aim them well: “It is discouraged to send signals to programs at which the applicant is unlikely to be competitive, as this is less likely to result in an interview offer.”
What signals don't do
A signal is a snapshot. The AAMC says “A program signal only indicates the applicant's interest at the time of application.” and that “their interest could change throughout the cycle, after interviews, life events, or interactions with a given program.” You still rank programs in your true order of preference after interviews.
A missing signal isn't meant to rule you out either: “Programs are encouraged not to misinterpret missing signal responses or use missing responses to filter or screen out applicants.” And a signal doesn't replace a strong application. Pathology program directors say that with so few signals, “signals would not supersede qualifications.”
In anesthesiology, signals take the place of early letters. Its guide says “It is not recommended to use letters of interest prior to receiving an interview offer.” Our residency letter of intent guide covers when a letter helps later in the season.
Once offers come, the signal has done its job and the interview decides the rest. Be ready to say why you chose each program you signaled, out loud. A strong answer names one specific thing about that program and ties it to your own story. The residency interview season page has the dates for your specialty, how to prepare for residency interviews covers the rest, and the residency interview practice page has questions by specialty.
Sources: AAMC, Program Signaling for the 2027 MyERAS Application Season, What You Need to Know About the 2027 ERAS Season, Program Signaling for the 2027 ERAS Season, Program Signals: A Guide for the 2027 ERAS Season and Preliminary Program Signaling Data. The 2026-2027 Program Director Associations Guides for anesthesiology, child neurology, dermatology, diagnostic radiology, emergency medicine, family medicine, general surgery, internal medicine, interventional radiology, neurological surgery, neurology, OB-GYN (with APGO's 2026-2027 summary), ophthalmology, orthopedic surgery, otolaryngology, pathology, pediatrics, PM&R, plastic surgery, psychiatry, radiation oncology, thoracic surgery, transitional year, urology and vascular surgery. All checked October 22, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How many program signals do you get in ERAS for 2027?
It depends on your specialty. Counts run from 2 (for example internal medicine/psychiatry) to 30 (orthopedic surgery and urology). Internal medicine gives 3 gold and 12 silver, general surgery 15, psychiatry 10, and pediatrics and family medicine 5 each.
What is the difference between gold and silver signals?
In two-tier specialties, gold signals mark your top programs and silver signals mark other programs you are interested in. The AAMC found gold signals led to more interview invites than silver in the 2026 season, and both did better than no signal.
Should I signal my home program or an away rotation?
The AAMC suggests signaling the programs you most want, whether or not you rotated there, and most specialty guides say yes if they are top choices. Emergency medicine is the exception: its guide recommends not signaling home or away rotation sites.
Does a signal guarantee an interview?
No. The AAMC calls a signal one data point among many. In its 2026 season findings, applicants who signaled got more interview invites, but programs still weigh the whole application. How to prepare once the invites come.
Do OB-GYN and emergency medicine use ERAS signals?
No. Both apply through ResidencyCAS and set their own signals: 3 gold and 15 silver for OB-GYN, and 5 for emergency medicine. Ophthalmology applies through SF Match with 15.