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When Do Residency Interviews Start? The 2026-27 Interview Season, Month by Month
When residency interview invites go out in 2026-27: ERAS and NRMP dates, each specialty's offer dates and what to do each month until Match Day.
Residency interviews start in October. Programs could first open ERAS applications on September 23, 2026, and the first invitations go out from late September to mid-November, depending on the specialty. Most interviews run October to January. The rank list is due March 3 at 9 p.m. Eastern, and Match Day is March 19, 2027.
The 2026-27 dates at a glance
AAMC and NRMP dates, June 2026 to March 2027, Eastern time.
When each specialty sends interview invites
Each specialty's program directors publish a guide for the season. 13 of them set release dates for 2026-27, and the busiest stretch is October 13 to October 27, when 7 of those specialties send their first offers. The rest invite on a rolling basis from September 23. Tap a specialty for response times and format.
Set release dates
Neurological surgery: Fridays in October
Programs send offers on any Friday in October after 4 p.m. Eastern. The guide sets no interview format.
Pediatrics: No earlier than October 5
Virtual interviews, home students included. You get 48 hours to respond, and programs should tell you your final status by December 1. Don't contact programs about interviews before October 5. Child neurology uses the same date.
APPD recommendations, 2026-27 · Child neurology program directors' guide, 2026-27 · Pediatrics interview questions
Ophthalmology: October 13 and 20
Two batches, each at 12 p.m. Pacific. Invitations can't be accepted for the first 24 hours, then each program gives 48 to 120 hours to accept. Interviews are virtual, and you can cancel at any time. Ophthalmology matches through the San Francisco Match, not the NRMP, so its calendar is its own.
Pathology: October 15
One release, at 4 p.m. Eastern. Interviews are virtual.
Vascular surgery: October 15
Integrated programs. Programs should wait at least 96 hours after an invitation before offering the spot to someone else. The vascular program directors prefer in-person interviews this season.
Thoracic surgery: October 20
Integrated programs, one release date. The guide sets no format.
General surgery: October 21 to 30
First-round offers go out between Wednesday, October 21, and October 30, none earlier. You get 48 hours to respond, and programs offer no more interviews than they have slots. Each program picks one format.
APDS recommendations, 2026-27 · General surgery program directors' guide, 2026-27 · General surgery interview questions
Urology: October 23, 26 and 27
Three release dates, scheduling in Thalamus. Urology matches through the AUA Urology Match, not the NRMP, so its ranking dates are its own.
OB/GYN: October 27
Applications go through ResidencyCAS, not ERAS. Interviews are virtual and start November 1 at the earliest. You get 48 hours to respond, and programs should tell you your final status by November 25.
APGO 2026-27 cycle guidance · OB/GYN program directors' guide, 2026-27 · OB/GYN interview questions
Dermatology: November 2, 16 or 30
Each participating program picks one of the three dates, and the Association of Professors of Dermatology publishes which program uses which. Programs send no more invitations than they have slots.
Dermatology program directors' guide, 2026-27 · Dermatology interview questions
Otolaryngology: November 5
One release date for the specialty. Programs pick their own format.
Plastic surgery: November 6
Integrated programs send invitations on Friday, November 6, between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Eastern. Answer by 7 a.m. Pacific on Monday, November 9, and scheduling opens that day at 11 a.m. Eastern. ACEPS asks you to reply by 9 p.m. on Sunday so coordinators can schedule Monday morning. Interviews are in person, and ACEPS posts every program's dates.
ACEPS interview dates, 2026-27 · Plastic surgery program directors' guide, 2026-27
Orthopedic surgery: November 16
A universal offer day: Monday, November 16, at 12 p.m. Eastern. Nobody can accept for the first 24 hours, then you have 48 hours to schedule. If you decline or haven't answered by Thursday, November 19, at 12 p.m. Eastern, the program can offer the spot to someone else. Each program picks virtual or in person, with no hybrid for the main pool.
AOA/CORD guidelines, 2026-27 · Orthopedic surgery program directors' guide, 2026-27
Rolling invitations
Internal medicine: Tuesdays and Fridays
AAIM recommends programs release invitations only on those two afternoons, so watch your email then. Interviews are virtual and scheduled in Thalamus.
Internal medicine program directors' guide, 2026-27 · Internal medicine interview questions
Emergency medicine: September to January
Applications go through ResidencyCAS, not ERAS. Offers go out after 8 p.m. Eastern with 48 hours to respond, waitlist offers too, and programs should tell you your status by December 18. All-virtual interviews are strongly preferred.
CORD best practices, 2026-27 · Emergency medicine program directors' guide, 2026-27 · Emergency medicine interview questions
Psychiatry: September to February
Interviews are virtual, and open houses should happen before programs start reviewing in late September.
Psychiatry program directors' guide, 2026-27 · Psychiatry interview questions
PM&R: September to January
Physical medicine and rehabilitation. Virtual or in person are both fine, but programs shouldn't mix the two.
Radiation oncology: September to November
The guide sets no interview format.
Anesthesiology: October to January
Programs usually interview from late October to mid-January, virtually.
Anesthesiology program directors' guide, 2026-27 · Anesthesiology interview questions
Family medicine: October to January
Hybrid: you choose an in-person or a virtual interview. Scheduling is in Thalamus.
Family medicine program directors' guide, 2026-27 · Family medicine interview questions
Neurology: October to January
Virtual for all programs. The AAN asks programs to give you at least 72 hours to answer and asks you to cancel at least two weeks ahead.
AAN statement, 2026-27 · Adult neurology program directors' guide, 2026-27 · Neurology interview questions
Diagnostic radiology: October to November
Virtual is recommended, though a few programs interview in person.
Diagnostic radiology program directors' guide, 2026-27 · Diagnostic radiology interview questions
Interventional radiology: October to December
Interviews are in person.
All guides: Program Directors Association Guides for Residency Applicants. A program's own invitation comes first.
Month by month: what happens, what to do
June to August 2026: Build the application
MyERAS opened on June 4. The AAMC said it would post which programs take signals in late August.
What to do: Finish your personal statement and experiences, line up letters early, and decide where your signals go. Signals are sent with the application, so choose them before you submit.
September 2026: Submit, then programs start reading
Submissions opened September 2, NRMP registration on September 15, and programs could open applications from September 23 at 9 a.m. Eastern. OB/GYN's ResidencyCAS deadline was September 17.
What to do: Submit before programs start reviewing, register for the Match, and finish your Thalamus account from the email MyERAS sends.
October 2026: First invitations
9 specialties have set release dates this month: neurological surgery, pediatrics, ophthalmology, pathology, vascular surgery, thoracic surgery, general surgery, urology and OB/GYN. Internal medicine, emergency medicine, psychiatry and others send offers on a rolling basis, and the first interviews begin.
What to do: Turn on email and text alerts, answer within the program's window, and start practicing out loud before your first interview day.
November 2026: Late release dates and full interview calendars
Dermatology, otolaryngology, plastic surgery and orthopedic surgery release in November. OB/GYN interviews start November 1, and OB/GYN programs should give final status by November 25.
What to do: Write three lines after every interview while it is fresh. Those notes are what you rank from in February.
December 2026: Final status and waitlists
Pediatrics programs should give final status by December 1 and emergency medicine programs by December 18. Many specialties keep interviewing into January.
What to do: Stay on the waitlists you want, cancel interviews you won't attend one to two weeks ahead, and keep practicing between interview days.
January 2027: Last interviews
Most rolling windows close this month (psychiatry runs into February). Standard NRMP registration closes January 29 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. In Canada, CaRMS interviews run January 16 to February 7, 2027.
What to do: Register for the Match if you haven't, and decide whether a letter of intent fits your specialty's rules.
February 2027: Ranking
Ranking opens February 1 at 12 p.m. Eastern.
What to do: Rank programs in your true order of preference, include every program you would accept, and certify early.
March 2027: Certify, then Match Week
The rank list is due March 3 at 9 p.m. Eastern. On March 15 you learn whether you matched and SOAP begins, and on March 19 you learn where.
What to do: Check that your list says certified. If you might be unmatched, plan your SOAP steps with your school before Match Week.
Invites, signals and scheduling
Signals go in with the application. The AAMC says you send program signals when you apply, and programs use them as one of many data points when they choose whom to invite.
The rules on offers. Under section 6.2 of the 2027 Match Participation Agreement:
- Programs give you at least 48 hours to accept or decline an invitation.
- Programs offer no more interviews than they have slots.
- You accept only the interviews you intend to attend.
- Either side gives reasonable notice to cancel or reschedule, one to two weeks in the NRMP's example.
- You can keep the programs you applied to and the signals you sent confidential.
Scheduling. Most programs book through Thalamus. How booking, waitlists and cancelling work is in the Thalamus section of our residency guide. For a quiet inbox, the AAMC's Residency Explorer now shows how applicants like you got invitations from each program last cycle (Interview Likelihood).
Once an invitation lands, start with tell me about yourself and the residency interview questions programs ask most.
After interviews: ranking and Match Week
Ranking opens February 1 at 12 p.m. Eastern. Only a certified list counts, so rank in your true order of preference and certify well before March 3 at 9 p.m. Eastern. On March 15 you learn whether you matched and SOAP begins, and on Match Day, March 19, you learn where. Urology and ophthalmology run their own matches with their own dates.
How to build the list is in questions to ask at your residency interview. Before you tell a program it is your first choice, check your specialty's rules in our residency letter of intent guide.
Sources: AAMC, 2027 ERAS Residency Timeline, What You Need to Know About the 2027 ERAS Application Season and program signaling for 2027. NRMP, 2027 Main Residency Match Applicants Calendar and 2027 Match Participation Agreement for Applicants. Each specialty's 2026-27 program directors' guide and society statement, linked above. All checked October 16, 2026. ERAS, NRMP, Thalamus and ResidencyCAS are trademarks of their owners, and Confetto is not affiliated with them.
Frequently asked questions
When do residency interviews start?
Programs could first open ERAS applications on September 23, 2026, so the first invitations go out in late September and October. Pediatrics programs can invite from October 5, and most specialties interview from October into January. Psychiatry's window runs into February.
When do residency interview invites go out?
It depends on the specialty. 13 specialties set release dates for 2026-27, from October (pediatrics, ophthalmology, pathology, general surgery, urology, OB/GYN and others) to November (dermatology, otolaryngology, plastic surgery and orthopedic surgery). The rest send invitations on a rolling basis, and internal medicine programs are asked to send them on Tuesday and Friday afternoons.
Is it bad if I have no interview invites yet?
Not in October. Dermatology, otolaryngology, plastic surgery and orthopedic surgery don't release until November, and rolling specialties keep inviting through December and January as spots open. If you have very few by late November, talk to your advisor about adding programs or a backup plan before ranking opens.
How long do I have to accept a residency interview invite?
At least 48 hours under the NRMP's Match Participation Agreement. Some specialties give longer: neurology asks for 72 hours, vascular surgery 96, and ophthalmology programs give 48 to 120 hours after a 24-hour wait. Answer fast anyway, because popular dates fill first.
When is the rank list due and when is Match Day?
Ranking opens February 1, 2027, at 12 p.m. Eastern, and the rank order list must be certified by March 3, 2027, at 9 p.m. Eastern. You learn whether you matched on March 15 and where on Match Day, March 19, 2027.