ERAS Timeline

Your Month-by-Month Roadmap

Important note: ERAS dates shift slightly each year. Always verify the current cycle’s exact dates at AAMC’s official ERAS website and the NRMP website. The timeline below reflects the typical structure of the application cycle — use it as your planning guide, not as a substitute for official dates.

SPRING — April to June

This is earlier than most applicants realize. Start now.

April–May: Begin your personal statement. Don’t wait until summer. Your personal statement takes longer than you think — multiple drafts, multiple readers, multiple revisions. Start a rough draft now so you have time to refine it.

April–May: Identify your letter of recommendation writers. Approach faculty early — before they get flooded with requests from other applicants. Give them your CV, your personal statement draft, and a clear deadline. Three strong letters are the goal; four is acceptable if all are genuinely strong.

May–June: ERAS token purchase opens for IMGs. International medical graduates must purchase a residency token through ECFMG’s OASIS portal to begin their ERAS application. This is your first official step. Do it as soon as it opens.

May–June: Begin your ERAS application. Once your token is activated, you can start filling out your application — work history, research, personal information, publications, and program selection. Don’t rush program selection; research programs carefully using FREIDA, ACGME data, and NRMP match statistics.

June: Confirm your ECFMG certification status. Your ECFMG certificate must be issued before programs will consider your application. If any documentation is pending, follow up now. Do not assume it is on track.

SUMMER — July to August

Finalize everything. You want to be done before September.

July: Finalize your personal statement. Have at least two or three people review it — ideally a mentor or attending who knows your work, a current resident, and someone outside medicine who can tell you whether it reads clearly.

July–August: Request all supporting documents. This includes your USMLE transcripts, ECFMG status report, medical school transcripts and diploma, and your MSPE (Medical Student Performance Evaluation). Know who is responsible for submitting each document and confirm they are on track.

August: Finalize your program list. Use this time to research programs thoroughly. Look at their board pass rates, fellowship match rates, resident reviews on FREIDA, geographic location, program culture, and whether they have a history of ranking IMGs. Be strategic — not just hopeful.

Late August: Letters of recommendation should be submitted. Follow up with your letter writers. ERAS allows letter writers to upload directly through the Letter of Recommendation Portal (LoRP). Confirm they have done so before the application opens.

EARLY FALL — September

The most important month of the cycle.

Early September: ERAS application opens for submission. This is typically the first week of September. Applications submitted in the first ten days are batched together and released to programs simultaneously, which means submitting on day one offers no advantage over submitting on day ten. However, submitting early gives you time to catch errors.

September 1: MyERAS portal opens for applicants to finalize and transmit applications to programs.

September (typically around the 15th): Programs begin receiving applications. This is when programs can first view your application. Many programs begin reviewing and sending interview invitations within days of this date. Check your email constantly — including your spam folder.

September: Register with NRMP. The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) is the organization that runs The Match. You must register separately from ERAS. Do this as soon as registration opens.

Late September: MSPE release date. Medical Student Performance Evaluations are released to programs by ERAS on a fixed date set by AAMC. Your medical school is responsible for this submission.

FALL — October to December

Interview season. This is the most exhausting and most important stretch.

October: Interview invitations begin arriving. Programs send invitations through ERAS, email, and scheduling platforms like Thalamus and Residency Scheduler (formerly 3rd Friday). Add all of these platforms to your contacts immediately so nothing goes to spam.

October–January: Interview season. Most internal medicine residency interviews take place between October and January. You may receive invitations on a rolling basis throughout this entire period — early invitations are not necessarily from better programs, and late invitations are not necessarily from weaker ones.

Pre-interview dinners: Many programs host a dinner the evening before your interview day. Attend every one you can. This is your best opportunity to speak candidly with current residents — ask about call schedules, faculty support, and what they wish they had known before they matched.

December: NRMP rank order list opens. You can begin building your rank list — the ordered list of programs where you would like to train, from most to least preferred. You can update this list until the certification deadline.

December–January: Withdraw from programs you will not rank. If you know you will not rank a program, withdraw your application as a professional courtesy. It frees up an interview slot for another applicant and reflects well on you.

WINTER — January to February

The home stretch before Match.

January: NRMP rank order list deadline approaches. Finalize your rank list thoughtfully. Rank programs in the honest order of your preference — exactly where you most want to train goes first. Do not attempt to game the algorithm; the Match is designed so that your best strategy is always to rank honestly.

Late February: Rank order list certification deadline. This is a hard deadline. After this date, you cannot make changes. Certify your list before the deadline — do not wait until the last hour.

SPRING — March

The moment you’ve been working toward.

Match Week: Typically the second week of March. On Monday of Match Week, you will be notified whether or not you matched — but not where. This is one of the most nerve-wracking days in medicine. If you did not match, SOAP (Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program) opens immediately to help unmatched applicants find open positions.

Match Day: Friday of Match Week. You find out where you matched. Celebrate. You earned it.

April–June: Accept your position, begin credentialing paperwork, secure housing, and prepare for the next chapter.

July 1: Residency training begins.

Helpful Resources

• AAMC ERAS for Applicants

• NRMP Main Residency Match

• FREIDA Residency Program Search

• ECFMG OASIS Portal

• Thalamus Interview Scheduling