ERAS 2027 Changes: Scholarly Work, Letters & Signals

The fast answer

ERAS 2027 is not a cosmetic update. The application changes how applicants present scholarship, how letter writers submit evaluations, how three specialties collect standardized letters, how USMLE transcripts enter the application, how residency application fees are calculated, and how broadly program signals shape interview selection.

The three most visible changes are the ones in this guide's title. Publications is now Scholarly Work, with five defined work types, publication statuses, related-work collections, multiple events for presentations, and up to three most meaningful works. The old ERAS Letter of Recommendation Portal is gone; all 2027 LoRs use the AAMC Letter Writer Portal. Program signaling now has published allocations across 29 residency specialties, including six specialties with gold and silver tiers.

Two operational changes are just as important. FSMB now processes all USMLE transcripts, requiring action in both the FSMB portal and MyERAS. AAMC also introduced simplified residency fees: $11 each for applications 1 through 30 in one specialty and $30 each beginning with application 31, with the count resetting in each specialty.

For IMGs, none of these changes replaces ECFMG. ECFMG remains the Designated Dean's Office and continues to handle the ERAS Token and IMG-designated documents. The updated MyERAS workflow sits beside—not instead of—ECFMG certification, document, and NRMP requirements.

What did not change

The new features do not change the basic structure of residency application delivery. Applicants still have one standardized MyERAS application, can assign selected supporting documents by program, must certify the core application before applying, and pay to send the application to participating programs.

The core application still locks when certified and submitted. Personal Information remains the main updateable application section, while personal statements follow separate document-editing rules. A new Scholarly Work design does not make post-certification corrections possible.

Program requirements still control. AAMC can permit up to four LoRs, but a program can request fewer. MyERAS can offer a standardized letter, but a specialty organization or program determines how it should be used. A specialty can participate in signaling while an individual program opts out.

ERAS remains distinct from the Match. Applicants must register separately with NRMP. For IMGs, ERAS access also remains distinct from ECFMG Certification and the ECFMG examination verification needed for Match participation.

• One standardized core application goes to every program to which you apply.
• Program-specific personal statements and LoR sets remain possible.
• Certification of the core application is irreversible.
• Program eligibility and document rules remain independent.
• NRMP registration remains separate.
• ECFMG Token, document, and certification processes remain separate.

Scholarly Work replaces Publications

The 2027 MyERAS Publications section has been renamed and redesigned as Scholarly Work. The change is intended to present a broader, more structured view of academic contributions and make related outputs easier for programs to understand.

The available entry types are narrower than the everyday meaning of scholarly work: peer-reviewed journal article, peer-reviewed book chapter, peer-reviewed journal abstract, oral presentation, and poster presentation. The application also provides a None option for applicants without a qualifying entry.

This is not a general portfolio for every academic activity. A quality-improvement project without a qualifying output, a manuscript in preparation, a teaching presentation required for a rotation, or an unselected local talk does not automatically fit one of the five categories. Such work may belong in Experiences if it meaningfully represents the applicant's role.

The redesign should reduce duplicate-looking citations, but only when applicants label work precisely. One project can produce an abstract, a poster presented at two meetings, and a later article. Those may be legitimate distinct outputs; the new collection and multiple-event features help show their relationship.

Publication status now controls the fields

For journal articles, book chapters, and journal abstracts, MyERAS uses a defined status. Submitted requests the submission date. Accepted/In-Press requests the applicable date and can include a preprint URL. Published requests publication details such as date, volume, issue, pages, URL, and PMID where applicable.

Use the status held on the date you certify the application. A verbal prediction from a mentor is not acceptance. A request to revise is not acceptance unless the journal's official status says so. Online-ahead-of-print work should be entered according to the publisher's actual status and the current MyERAS field definitions.

The authors field should preserve the published or submitted order. The official guide instructs applicants to format names consistently and identify their own name. Do not reorder authors to place yourself first, omit collaborators to save space, or translate authorship into a role the publication does not establish.

Titles have a 255-character limit. URLs and PMIDs should lead to the correct work. A DOI link is often more stable than a temporary journal path, but use the fields and instructions supplied by MyERAS. Preserve the submission receipt, acceptance message, publisher record, program, or PMID that supports every entry.

• Submitted: use only after formal submission and record the true date.
• Accepted/In-Press: use only with an official decision and the correct date.
• Published: enter the final bibliographic details that exist.
• Authors: preserve order and identify your name as instructed.
• First author: answer based on the actual citation, not contribution level.
• URL and PMID: verify that they resolve to the correct work.
• Status changes before certification: update the entry and supporting record.

Scholarly collections explain related outputs

Scholarly collections are new organizational labels that group related saved entries. A collection title has a 100-character limit. Removing a collection removes its tags from the work but does not delete the underlying entries.

Use a collection when several outputs came from one coherent project or research line. For example, a retrospective study may have a peer-reviewed abstract, a poster at two selected meetings, and a full journal article. Grouping tells the reviewer that these are connected products rather than four unrelated research projects.

A collection should add meaning, not merely repeat a specialty name. Titles such as Outcomes After X Intervention or Medical Education Assessment Project are more useful than Research Papers. Do not use collections to combine unrelated work into an implied larger program of scholarship.

Programs can still inspect the individual entries. Grouping does not cure a duplicate citation, incorrect status, or inflated authorship. First verify each work, then decide whether the relationship benefits from a collection.

Up to three most meaningful scholarly works

Applicants may mark up to three Scholarly Work entries as most meaningful. The feature is separate from the three most meaningful Experiences. It tells programs where to direct attention; it does not convert a weak or inaccurately labeled work into a stronger contribution.

Choose based on depth of contribution and interview readiness. You should be able to explain the question, your exact role, methods, data, result, limitations, setbacks, and what the work changed in your thinking. A middle-author paper that reflects sustained analysis may be more meaningful than a prestigious citation in which your role was narrow.

Think of the three selections as a portfolio. They may show progression, methodological range, or a coherent academic interest. Selecting three nearly identical outputs from the same project may waste the opportunity unless that project genuinely dominates your scholarly development.

Do not assume every applicant must select three. The official language permits up to three. Select only entries you can defend as meaningful.

• Can I describe my personal contribution without using the team's contribution?
• Can I explain the main method and result accurately?
• Can I name a limitation or uncertainty?
• Can I explain why the work matters to my development?
• Can a mentor or coauthor corroborate my description?
• Would I be comfortable discussing it with a specialist interviewer?

Repeat applicants must rebuild Scholarly Work

The official 2027 worksheet states plainly that Publications from prior seasons will not import into Scholarly Work. This is the most important repeat-applicant warning in the redesign.

Do not retype from memory. Export the prior application, retrieve the original citations, verify current publication statuses, and map each item to one of the five 2027 types. A work listed as submitted last year may now be published, rejected, withdrawn, or still under review; enter the accurate current status.

Use the rebuild to remove duplicates and nonqualifying entries. Combine repeated presentation events correctly, create collections where relationships are real, and confirm author order. This is also the moment to identify three meaningful works based on actual contribution rather than citation count.

Complete this work early. Reconstructing a long research record, resolving journal status, or confirming a conference date can take longer than expected.

The AAMC Letter Writer Portal replaces LoRP

Beginning with the 2027 ERAS cycle, the old ERAS Letter of Recommendation Portal is no longer available. All ERAS LoRs use the AAMC Letter Writer Portal, a broader AAMC service for managing requests and submitting evaluation documents.

Applicants still initiate the process in MyERAS. Create a separate entry for each intended letter, select the specialty or General option where appropriate, identify narrative versus standardized letter, indicate a department-chair requirement when applicable, choose whether to waive the right to view, and confirm the entry. Confirmation generates the unique Letter ID and request form.

The writer can access the request through the secure email link or add the request in the portal. Writers may use an AAMC account or submit as a guest. Applicants and writers have improved status visibility, but the applicant remains responsible for following up.

The new portal opened June 4, 2026. AAMC states that completed letters from the former system were transferred, while unfulfilled requests sent before the transition must be requested again. Do not assume an old request link remains active.

A request is not a letter, and an uploaded letter is not an assignment. Track Confirmed for Upload, Uploaded, and then the program-level assignment separately.

Three specialties have built-in standardized letter pilots

Dermatology, plastic surgery-integrated, and urology participate in the 2027 specialty-specific standardized letter pilot. Applicants must select the correct specialty when creating the request. The General option is for narrative letters that may be assigned across specialties; it is not a shortcut to a specialty-standardized form.

When the applicant requests a standardized letter for one of the three pilot specialties, the writer completes the form built into the AAMC Letter Writer Portal. AAMC explicitly states that the writer cannot upload a PDF of the standardized form. A narrative letter remains a PDF upload when that is the requested and permitted type.

The sample templates are preparation aids marked not to upload. They allow applicants and writers to see the structured questions, comparative ratings, relationship fields, and comment limits before entering the portal. The live portal submission is the actual letter.

Do not assume that every program in those specialties requires the same combination of standardized and narrative letters. Check the specialty's current guidance and each program. MyERAS allows up to four letters per program, but the required composition is program-specific.

The structured form raises the value of selecting a writer who can make evidence-based comparisons. Academic title alone does not guarantee direct observation. A writer who knows the applicant's clinical work, professionalism, judgment, response to feedback, and specialty fit can complete a more credible evaluation.

What IMG applicants should change about letter planning

The new portal does not remove the hardest part of an IMG LoR strategy: earning a detailed evaluation from a qualified physician who observed enough work to describe the applicant accurately. Start with the evaluator relationship, then use the correct portal workflow.

Give the writer the 2027 Letter Request Form, specialty guidance, target date, CV, statement draft, and a factual summary of work completed together. Do not write a confidential letter for the physician to sign or ask the writer to attest to contact that did not occur.

If requesting a standardized evaluation in a pilot specialty, share the official sample template early. A writer who discovers the structured comparison fields on the deadline may be unable to provide a useful evaluation.

Choose the waiver deliberately. A waived letter is submitted by the author or designee and remains confidential to the applicant. AAMC's detailed guide permits applicant upload only for nonwaived entries. Programs can see the waiver choice.

Audit the request itself. Once an entry is confirmed, it cannot be edited. If the author, specialty, type, chair indicator, or waiver choice is wrong, create a correct new entry rather than asking the writer to use the wrong Letter ID.

• Request early enough for the writer to observe, reflect, and complete the correct format.
• Use the current 2027 request, not an unfulfilled pre-transition request.
• Select the exact specialty before requesting a standardized pilot letter.
• Send the writer the official sample form when a structured evaluation applies.
• Track confirmation, upload, and program assignment as three separate statuses.
• Check each program's required number and type before assigning.
• Never fill all four slots casually; an assigned letter cannot be replaced after application.

Program signaling in 2027: the full residency list

AAMC publishes 29 residency specialties with signal allocations for the 2027 season. Six use two tiers: anesthesiology, child neurology, dermatology, diagnostic radiology, internal medicine, and vascular surgery-integrated. Gold means most preferred; silver means preferred. The remaining specialties use a single tier.

Signal counts differ because specialties set goals with AAMC based on program volume and typical application patterns. A small allocation creates a narrow statement of interest; a 25- or 30-signal allocation changes a much larger share of the program list.

Individual program participation remains optional. A specialty can participate while a specific program does not. AAMC announced that the program-level 2027 residency list would be available in August 2026; the live MyERAS program status controls when you assign.

The table below reproduces the currently published AAMC allocations. Applicants should verify the official page again before applying because participation information can be updated.

A signal is institution-level, not track-level

A program signal cannot be directed to a categorical, preliminary, research, or other specific track within the same specialty at one institution. It is received at the institution level, so all tracks for that specialty at the institution see the same signal information.

This matters when an institution offers both categorical and preliminary positions. Applying to two tracks does not consume two signals to the same institution, and the signal does not communicate which track you prefer. Use the program and training selections accurately, and follow any program instruction about track interest.

Signals are also specialty-specific. A signal to an institution in internal medicine is not a signal to its neurology program. Dual-specialty applicants receive and allocate the signal set belonging to each specialty.

Only a program you both signal and apply to sees the signal. A standard signal displays Yes. A tiered signal displays Gold or Silver. A program you do not signal receives no information about where else your signals went.

The 2027 signal timing rule

Signals are sent with applications, but the 2027 user guidance adds an important pre-opening edit window. If you apply before September programs open, you may update a signal to an applied program until September 23, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. After programs open, signals to applied programs are no longer editable.

A signal assigned to a saved program has not yet been sent and remains editable. An unused signal can be assigned to a later saved program and sent with a later application during the season, outside SOAP. Once a signal has been sent and the edit window has closed, withdrawing does not restore it.

Do not treat the edit window as a normal planning method. Build the final portfolio before applying. The window is a safety feature for the interval before programs receive applications, not a reason to make impulsive assignments.

The AAMC user guide also uses Applied, Assigned, and Available counts. Reconcile those counts before checkout and again before the opening date.

Home and away programs should not be automatic exceptions

AAMC advises applicants to signal the programs in which they are most interested regardless of whether they are home or away-rotation programs. This creates the same interest information for MD, DO, and IMG applicants and prevents programs from having to infer whether a rotation substitutes for a signal.

For an IMG, a completed U.S. rotation can create familiarity, but familiarity does not necessarily answer whether the program is among the applicant's top choices. Signal the program if it belongs in the preferred portfolio based on fit and realistic interest.

Do not spend a signal only because you rotated somewhere. First confirm that the program accepts signals, that you meet its requirements, and that you would genuinely prefer to train there. A disappointing rotation or a visa mismatch remains relevant.

Likewise, do not withhold a signal because a faculty member offered encouragement. Informal encouragement is not a system-level signal and does not guarantee interview review.

Program Signal Explanations apply in four specialties

The 2027 Program Signal Explanation gives applicants in anesthesiology, plastic surgery-integrated, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and radiation oncology a 300-character field explaining why they are assigning a signal to that program.

The explanation is required for the signal to save in participating workflows. Removing the signal removes the explanation. It should communicate program-specific alignment; AAMC states that it should not discuss ranking preferences or intentions.

Three hundred characters require evidence, not adjectives. Name one or two real alignments such as patient population, curriculum, clinical track, geographic commitment, research group, advocacy mission, or career pathway. Do not list website slogans or make claims that cannot be supported.

Audit every explanation against the institution. A correct signal with the wrong program's feature is worse than a generic but accurate statement. Maintain a source link beside each draft.

How much should applicants trust signal data?

A signal is important but not deterministic. AAMC reports that 96% of surveyed 2026 program respondents used signals when deciding whom to invite and 90% said signals helped identify applicants they otherwise might have overlooked. AAMC also reports a higher interview-invitation probability for signaled applications across participating specialties.

Those findings do not mean every signaled program offers an interview. Program use varies, signal supply varies, applicant pools vary, and a signal does not cure an eligibility failure. A program may filter or prioritize signals while still considering scores, experiences, letters, mission, geography, and other factors.

Use the AAMC ERAS Statistics page and Residency Explorer for specialty- and program-level context. Residency Explorer can display prior-cycle interview invitation information by applicant type and signaling, among other factors. Historical data helps calibrate a portfolio; it does not predict an individual outcome.

Do not compare a five-signal specialty with a 30-signal specialty as though Yes has the same scarcity. The proportion of an applicant's list that can be signaled changes the meaning of no signal and the strategy for the signaled group.

• Eligibility is the first filter: do not signal a program that will not consider you.
• Use all allotted signals, following AAMC guidance.
• Balance genuine preference with realistic program fit.
• Account for visa, geography, graduation year, attempts, scores, and USCE.
• Use historical data as context, not a guarantee.
• Have a mentor review the full portfolio, not just individual names.

USMLE transcripts now start with FSMB

For the 2027 ERAS season, FSMB processes all USMLE transcript requests for U.S. graduates and IMGs. MyERAS no longer collects the transcript fee. This is more than a billing change because the request now requires actions in two systems.

Order the transcript through FSMB's USMLE portal, select the residency application service, pay the $70 fee for the 2026–2027 cycle, and authorize release. Then enter MyERAS, confirm the correct USMLE ID, initiate score retrieval under Additional Documents, use Get Scores, and assign the transcript to programs.

Completing only the FSMB order leaves MyERAS without the retrieval instruction. Completing only a MyERAS action without the FSMB order and authorization leaves no paid transcript to retrieve. Track the MyERAS status until it shows receipt and the exams included.

FSMB states that the $70 residency-cycle charge is paid once and that there is no additional fee for a later resend in that cycle. When a new score arrives after applying, MyERAS's Resend My Scores sends the updated transcript to every program that previously received it; the update cannot be limited to selected programs.

The 2027 residency fee structure is simpler but still strategic

AAMC now charges $11 for each of the first 30 applications within a specialty and $30 for application 31 and every later application in that same specialty. The count resets for each new specialty.

Thirty programs in one specialty cost $330. Forty programs in one specialty cost $630. Thirty programs in one specialty plus 10 in another cost $440 because both groups remain within their first 30.

The pricing change should not drive a medically or professionally unsound dual-specialty strategy. It should make the cost of each program-list decision visible. A program that does not accept the applicant's graduation year, attempts, visa need, application service, or document profile is not worth $11 or $30.

The $70 FSMB transcript fee and $185 ECFMG Token for IMGs are separate. NRMP registration, taxes, COMLEX, and case-specific costs also sit outside AAMC's program fee.

Specialty questions and data tools continue evolving

AAMC continues the evaluation of specialty-specific essay questions and Program Signal Explanations. The 2027 worksheet identifies specialty questions for anesthesiology, neurological surgery, and plastic surgery-integrated. Applicants should use the live prompt and limit because prior-year questions are not controlling.

Responses are visible only to programs in the matching specialty. Before certification, they can be edited. If a response was not completed before the core application was certified, it can be added and separately submitted before applying to that specialty. Once submitted, it cannot be changed.

AAMC also continues updating ERAS data dashboards and Residency Explorer. The purpose is to give applicants and programs more current context around applications, signals, geography, applicant type, and interview invitations.

These tools support research; they do not replace current program requirements. A dashboard describes prior cohorts. A program website and direct policy answer whether you are eligible now.

The applicant timeline created by these changes

The official ERAS dates did not become complicated: applicants may begin submitting September 2, 2026, and programs may begin reviewing September 23 at 9:00 a.m. ET. The work before those dates changed.

Repeat applicants should rebuild Scholarly Work in June or July. Applicants in the standardized-letter specialties should give writers the sample form and create the correct request as soon as the writer is ready. Signal portfolios should be drafted before the August program-participation list is available, then finalized against live program status.

The FSMB transcript order should not wait until checkout. Complete the FSMB authorization and MyERAS retrieval workflow early enough to resolve an ID mismatch. Use September 2 through September 23 as a controlled submission interval, not a writing period.

Common 2027 misconceptions

The updates create new vocabulary, and new vocabulary creates shortcuts that can become errors. The correction is to separate what the portal allows from what the specialty or program requires.

Scholarly Work is broader in organization but not unlimited in category. The new Letter Writer Portal is universal, but the three built-in standardized forms are not. Signaling is widespread, but individual programs can opt out. FSMB produces the transcript, but MyERAS still needs the retrieval and assignment steps.

Final ERAS 2027 changes checklist

Run this checklist in addition to the complete application checklist. It is designed specifically to catch mistakes caused by applying a 2026 workflow to the 2027 season.

• I am using the 2027 worksheet and user guide, not a prior-year template.
• I mapped every academic output to one of the five official Scholarly Work types.
• I omitted manuscripts in preparation and routine local presentations from Scholarly Work.
• Every authorship, title, status, date, venue, URL, and PMID is verified.
• I used multiple events rather than duplicate entries for the same poster or oral presentation.
• I created scholarly collections only for genuinely related outputs.
• I selected up to three meaningful scholarly works I can explain in depth.
• If I am a repeat applicant, I rebuilt the section because Publications will not import.
• Every 2027 LoR request was created and confirmed in MyERAS for the new AAMC Letter Writer Portal.
• I replaced any unfulfilled request that did not survive the portal transition.
• The specialty, narrative or standardized type, chair indicator, author, and waiver choice are correct before confirmation.
• For dermatology, plastic surgery-integrated, or urology, I checked whether the built-in standardized form applies.
• My pilot-specialty writer knows the sample PDF is for preparation and cannot be uploaded as the standardized form.
• I checked the specialty and every program for its required letter composition.
• I understand that an assigned letter cannot be removed or replaced after applying.
• I used the current official signal allocation for my specialty.
• I verified that each individual program accepts signals.
• I signaled preferred home and away programs rather than treating them as automatic exceptions.
• My gold, silver, or single-tier portfolio reflects genuine preference, eligibility, and fit.
• I understand that signals are institution-level within a specialty.
• If a Program Signal Explanation applies, it is accurate, program-specific, and within 300 characters.
• I reviewed signal counts as Available, Assigned, and Applied.
• I know signals to applied residency programs lock at September 23, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. ET.
• I ordered and paid for the USMLE transcript through FSMB.
• I separately initiated retrieval and assigned the transcript in MyERAS.
• I calculated 2027 application fees by specialty, with the count resetting in each specialty.
• I rechecked the official sources because program participation and guidance can change.

Bottom line

The central ERAS 2027 changes reward precise organization. Scholarly Work rewards accurate classification and relationships among outputs. The new Letter Writer Portal rewards correct requests and early writer preparation. Program signals reward deliberate program research rather than a last-minute list.

For IMGs, the most dangerous update to miss may be the least visible: the USMLE transcript now starts in FSMB and finishes in MyERAS. Complete both parts, then verify receipt.

This guide reflects official information available July 17, 2026. AAMC, FSMB, ECFMG, specialties, and individual programs can update participation, templates, prompts, and instructions. The current official source controls whenever it differs from a summary.