Updated
Fellowship Interview Questions: What Programs Ask
Fellowship interviews ask why this subspecialty, what research you have done and want to do, where you see your career after training, how you teach, and which faculty you hope to work with. Interviewers have read your program director's letter and expect depth in one field. AAIM recommends virtual interviews, most programs read for this guide follow it in 2026-27, and the Medicine and Pediatric Specialties Match Day is December 2, 2026.
How fellowship interviews are different
A residency interview asks whether you will be a good resident. A fellowship interview asks whether you will grow into a leader in one field. You already have years of residency to draw on, so interviewers expect specific cases, a clear research story and a career plan. Your residency program director's letter carries weight too. AAIM tells residency program directors: “Reference the AAIM Fellowship Letter of Recommendation (LoR) Guidelines in developing an LoR.” The usual behavioral questions still come up, and our behavioral residency interview questions guide covers them.
The 2026-27 fellowship calendar
Fellowships starting in July 2027 apply through ERAS in one of two cycles, and many match through the NRMP. In the Medicine and Pediatric Specialties Match, “Applicants can rank any of the included subspecialty programs on the same rank list”.
- June 4, 2026. The 2027 ERAS season opened. Source
- July 1, 2026. July cycle applicants could start sending applications. Programs began reviewing on July 15. Source
- November 12, 2026. December cycle applicants can start sending applications. Programs begin reviewing on December 2. Source
- November 18, 2026. Rank order lists are due in the NRMP Medicine and Pediatric Specialties Match. Source
- December 2, 2026. Match Day for that match, for fellowships starting July 2027. Source
On format, AAIM's fellowship recruitment recommendations open with this: “Conduct virtual interviews for all applicants, including learners, at their own institution.” It adds “AAIM defers to each subspecialty society to recommend the interview format suitable for their community.” It also says “In-person visits should be optional, including open houses or program-sponsored second looks.”
Interview days at eight fellowship programs
Eight programs in four subspecialties that describe their 2026-27 interviews, read October 25, 2026. Both cardiology programs use program signals to choose whom to invite. UNC says “we are highly unlikely to extend interview offers to applicants who do not signal our program”.
| Program | Its fellowship page says |
|---|---|
| UNCCardiology, virtual | Video interviews in September and October. The program says it rarely invites applicants who do not signal it. Source |
| UTHSC NashvilleCardiology, virtual | Interviews by invitation on Zoom. Signals get reviewed first, and applicants who do not signal are still considered. Source |
| RochesterGI, virtual | Virtual, September and October. You meet the program director, division chief and three other faculty. Four spots start July 8, 2027. Source |
| RushGI, virtual | Invitations in August, interviews the week of September 28 to October 1, 2026, for four clinical track fellows. Source |
| MD AndersonHem/onc, in person | A social the evening before, then a full day of interviews. Source |
| Trinity Ann ArborHem/onc, virtual | A program overview, five 20-minute faculty interviews, then a meet-and-greet with current fellows. Source |
| YalePulm/CCM, virtual | An optional in-person visit may be offered after the rank list is locked, with no effect on ranking. Source |
| CU AnschutzPulm/CCM, virtual | Selected Thursdays in September and October. Grand rounds, two panel and two one-on-one faculty interviews, and Q&A with fellows. Source |
Fellowship interview questions by theme
Fellowship questions tend to fall into these seven themes. Each one has common versions of the question and how to approach it. For the residency versions, see our residency interview questions.
Why this subspecialty
- Why cardiology, and not another field in medicine?
- When did you know this was the field for you?
- What would you do if you did not match in this subspecialty?
Name the patients and problems that pulled you in during residency, with one specific case. Show you know the daily work, not just the procedures.
Research and scholarship
- Walk me through your research project.
- What was your role, and what would you do next?
- What kind of research do you want to do in fellowship?
Give the question, your part and the result in two minutes, then let the interviewer go deeper. Have a next step ready, even for a small project.
Career plans
- Where do you see yourself five years after fellowship?
- Do you see yourself in academics or practice?
- Are you thinking about advanced training after this fellowship?
Be specific about the kind of job, setting and patients, and tie it to what this program offers. It is fine to say what you are still deciding.
Your letters and your residency
- What would your program director say about you?
- What did you learn as a senior resident?
- Tell me about a time a rotation did not go well.
Your program director's letter is often read closely, so keep your story consistent with it. Pick one moment from residency that shows growth.
Teaching and leadership
- How do you teach interns and students on a busy service?
- Tell me about a time you led a team through a hard night.
Fellows teach residents every day. Describe one method you use, a real example and what you changed after feedback.
Clinical judgment
- Tell me about a challenging case in this field.
- Tell me about a mistake and what you changed after it.
Pick a case where you made a decision, not one you watched. Show your reasoning, what you learned and how it shapes your practice now.
Fit with the program
- Why our program?
- Which faculty would you want to work with here?
- What do you want from a mentor?
Name two or three faculty and their work, a clinic or track that fits your plans, and why the location works for you.
“Where do you see your career five years after fellowship?”
A strong answer names a setting and a kind of patient, links that plan to your research and clinical interests, and shows how this program gets you there.
Questions by subspecialty
Each field adds its own questions on top of the themes above. These are short sets for four common internal medicine fellowships.
Cardiology fellowship interview questions
- Imaging, interventional, electrophysiology or heart failure: where are you leaning, and why?
- Tell me about a cardiology patient who changed how you practice.
- How would you use the research time in a cardiology fellowship?
- How do you handle a night alone with a sick patient on the cardiac unit?
GI fellowship interview questions
- Why GI, and what draws you to procedures and continuity clinic?
- Hepatology, IBD, advanced endoscopy or general GI: what interests you?
- Tell me about a patient with GI bleeding you managed as a resident.
- How do you talk with a patient about a new cancer finding?
Hematology/oncology fellowship interview questions
- Benign hematology, malignant hematology or solid tumors: what pulls you in?
- Tell me about a hard conversation about goals of care.
- How do you look after yourself in a field with this much loss?
- What do you think of clinical trials as part of your career?
Pulmonary/critical care fellowship interview questions
- Why pulmonary and critical care together?
- Tell me about a time you led a code or a rapid response.
- How do you talk with a family when a patient will not survive?
- What interests you in the clinic side of pulmonary medicine?
Questions to ask fellowship programs
Every interview ends with your questions. Ask about what matters for your next five years. Our list of questions to ask at a residency interview has more for faculty and current trainees.
- How is research time protected? Ask how many months are protected, how fellows pick a mentor and what recent fellows produced.
- Where do graduates go? Recent graduates' jobs and advanced fellowships tell you whether the program fits your plans.
- How are procedures and clinics split? Ask about volume, autonomy over the years and continuity clinic.
- What is call like? Home or in house, how often, and how fellows are backed up overnight.
- What would you change about the program? Ask current fellows on the social or Q&A, where answers tend to be candid.
After the interview
Read each program's instructions first. AAIM says “Programs should articulate that interviewees refrain from sending "thank you" notes.” It adds that “applicants are welcome to ask clarifying questions about the program”. AAIM also warns that interviewers may break match rules by “inquiring into topics such as rank order lists, interview locations, or geographic preferences”, so you do not have to say where you will rank a program. If you want to tell your top choice, our letter of intent guide covers how. More residency and fellowship guides are in our residency interview guides, and you can practice on our residency page.
Sources: the AAMC 2027 ERAS Fellowship Application Timeline, AAIM fellowship recruitment recommendations, the NRMP Medicine and Pediatric Specialties Match and its July 2027 calendar, and the fellowship pages of UNC, UTHSC Nashville, Rochester, Rush, MD Anderson, Trinity Health Ann Arbor, Yale and CU Anschutz (pulmonary, hematology/oncology). All checked October 25, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How is a fellowship interview different from a residency one?
It goes deeper into one field. Expect more questions about research, your career after training, why this subspecialty and which faculty you want to work with. Interviewers have also read your program director's letter.
Are fellowship interviews virtual in 2026-27?
Most internal medicine subspecialty programs read for this guide interview virtually, following AAIM and their subspecialty societies. Some, like MD Anderson hematology/oncology, interview in person, so check each invitation.
When is Match Day for fellowships starting July 2027?
For the NRMP Medicine and Pediatric Specialties Match, rank order lists are due November 18, 2026 and Match Day is December 2, 2026. Applicants can rank any of the included subspecialty programs on the same rank list and elect to participate in the combined Match as a couple. Other subspecialties run their own NRMP calendars, so check yours.
Should I send a thank you note after a fellowship interview?
Read each program's instructions. AAIM recommends that programs tell interviewees not to send thank you notes and invite clarifying questions instead.
Can a fellowship interviewer ask where I will rank them?
AAIM warns that asking about rank order lists, other interviews or geographic preferences may violate match agreements. You can answer with genuine interest in the program without naming your rank.