Medical School Interview Timeline: When Interviews Start and Invites Go Out (2026-27)

The 2026-27 cycle month by month

1. July to September: first invites, then first interviews.
2. October 1: Early Decision results, under the AAMC protocols for schools.
3. October 15: the first regular MD acceptances. Holds and rejections can come earlier.
4. October to January: the peak. At least 85 of the 90 US MD windows with a start and end are open in each of these months.
5. January to April: the last US interviews and the Canadian season.
6. March 15: each MD school has offered at least as many seats as its class has.
7. April 15 and April 30: hold at most three MD acceptances, then one, as the AAMC protocols ask. DO applicants hold one seat by May 1.
8. May onward: waitlists move as seats are given back.

When interview invites go out

Of the 76 US MD schools in our table that say when invites start, 64 send the first ones in July or August. Many keep sending them into the winter: Tufts (August to March), Rush (August to February) and Harvard (early September to mid-January). 7 of the 8 Canadian schools that give invite dates send them between December and February.

The AAMC asks you to answer an invitation promptly and to tell the school right away if you have to cancel. While you wait, send an update letter only when you have real news.

MD vs DO timing

MD schools follow the AAMC protocols: no regular acceptance before October 15, then the April 15 and April 30 dates. DO schools review, interview and decide all cycle, and may offer a seat any time after the interview. Their windows run later: 14 of the 19 DO schools in our table with an end month interview into April or later, against 11 of 94 MD schools. A DO acceptance starts a deposit clock:

Interview windows by school

138 of our 231 US and Canadian MD and DO school guides state a 2026-27 interview window with an official source. Each school links to its guide. Where the school and the AAMC MSAR differ, the row shows both.

All 138 schools (115 MD, 23 DO) by region

Waitlists and what to do while you wait

Schools interview more applicants than they have seats, because many are accepted at more than one school. Seats come back as people narrow to one by April 30, and the AAMC says committees usually review their waitlists from early May. In Texas, lists also move after the Texas Match. Some waitlists are ranked and some are not.

Follow your school's waitlist policy exactly. If it takes letters, send an update letter with real news, and a letter of intent only to your first choice.

Frequently asked questions