Introduction to ERAS
What is ERAS?
ERAS — the Electronic Residency Application Service — was introduced by the Association of American Medical Colleges in 1995 to automate the residency application process. The service uses the Internet to transmit residency and fellowship applications, letters of recommendation, dean’s letters, transcripts, and other supporting credentials from applicants and medical schools to residency and fellowship program directors. The Electronic Residency Application Service has three distinct application season cycles during which applicants can apply to residency or fellowship programs:
| Residency Cycle | Residency specialties begin receiving applications on September 1. The NRMP Main Match occurs in March and residents begin training July 1. |
| July Start Cycle | Osteopathic internships and fellowship programs begin receiving applications on July 15, 2010. The osteopathic match is in February 2011; applicants begin training on July 1, 2011. Fellowship specialties participating in this cycle usually have their match in November or December of the same year they begin receiving applications; fellows begin training July 1 the following year. |
| December Start Cycle | Sub-specialty fellowship programs begin receiving applications on December 1. Formalized matches, for specialties that have them, generally occur in May or June. Fellows applying to programs in these specialties typically begin training a year later, in July. |
