ERAS Photo Requirements for IMGs 2027: Complete Guide

Fast answer

The ERAS photo requirements for IMGs in 2027 are controlled by ECFMG. Use a clear JPEG that is no larger than 150 KB and no larger than 2.5 × 3.5 inches. The photograph must show a full front view of your head and shoulders, with your face centered, a natural expression, eyes open, and gaze directly ahead.

Upload the file in the MyIntealth Applicant Portal under Services → ERAS Support Services → Document Upload → Upload Documents. A successful photo should transmit to MyERAS within 24 hours.

Transmission is not assignment. In MyERAS, separately assign the available photo to the programs that should receive it.

For a 2.5 × 3.5-inch file, Intealth gives pixel examples of 240 × 336 at 96 dpi and 375 × 525 at 150 dpi. The file must still be 150 KB or smaller.

Do not upload through the U.S. medical graduate MyERAS workflow, do not email the file to ECFMG, and do not use PNG merely because AAMC permits it for U.S. graduate uploads. IMG residency applicants should follow ECFMG's JPEG rule.

The controlling 2027 IMG specification

Treat every row as a separate validation gate. A beautiful 2 MB portrait fails the file-size rule. A 140 KB landscape image fails the intended dimensions and framing. A technically correct JPEG can still fail if the face is not clear and centered.

The official maximum is a ceiling, not a target that must be reached. A clear file below 150 KB is acceptable if the other specifications are met.

Why AAMC and ECFMG instructions look different

AAMC's general photo page says U.S. medical graduates can upload JPG/JPEG or PNG in MyERAS. The same page explicitly states that ECFMG is responsible for uploading the IMG residency applicant's photo into ERAS.

ECFMG's IMG-specific page requires JPEG. An IMG should therefore use JPEG through MyIntealth, even though a nearby AAMC paragraph lists PNG for a different applicant workflow.

Many outdated tutorials still refer to OASIS. Current 2027 ECFMG instructions use the MyIntealth Applicant Portal.

Pixel dimensions and aspect ratio

The required 2.5 × 3.5-inch portrait has a 5:7 width-to-height ratio. Pixel dimensions can vary with resolution, which is why inches, pixels, dpi, and file size should not be treated as interchangeable.

Intealth's current troubleshooting sheet gives two conforming examples. At 96 dpi, 2.5 × 3.5 inches equals 240 × 336 pixels. At 150 dpi, it equals 375 × 525 pixels.

A file can have the right pixels and still exceed 150 KB because JPEG size depends on image detail and compression. Conversely, aggressive compression can push the file below 150 KB while making the face visibly blocky.

Do not confuse four different measurements

Professional appearance: requirement versus recommendation

ECFMG's published ERAS requirements are about clarity, front-facing head-and-shoulder framing, centering, expression, eyes, format, size, and dimensions. It does not publish a mandatory suit color, tie rule, hairstyle, makeup rule, smile requirement, or paid-photographer requirement.

A simple professional portrait is still the low-risk choice because ECFMG says programs use the photo for interview identification and as a memory aid during rank-list creation.

The recommendations below are practical photography advice, not additional ECFMG eligibility rules.

Identity-safe editing

The final image should remain a true, recognizable likeness. Correcting crop, rotation, exposure, color balance, and file compression is different from altering facial structure or generating a synthetic face.

Avoid face reshaping, eye enlargement, skin-texture replacement, hair synthesis, clothing replacement, background effects that remove parts of the body, or generative reconstruction. These edits create unnecessary identity risk.

When an AI tool is used for background removal or enhancement, inspect the hairline, ears, glasses, jaw, shoulders, clothing edges, and eye direction at full size. If the result changes your appearance, return to the original.

A new photograph taken under better lighting is safer than repeatedly editing a poor source image.

How to take the photo yourself

Do not start by taking a tiny 240 × 336 image. Capture a sharp original, crop it, resize a copy to a supported dimension, and compress that copy. Preserve the original in case the first export fails.

• Use a recent phone or camera with a clean lens.
• Stand several feet from a plain background.
• Face a window or soft light source; avoid mixed colored lighting.
• Place the camera at eye level.
• Use the normal lens rather than an ultra-wide lens.
• Frame the full head and shoulders with room for a 5:7 portrait crop.
• Look directly into the lens with eyes open.
• Use a natural expression.
• Take several images to protect against blink, blur, or asymmetrical light.
• Select the sharpest true-to-life frame before resizing.

A safe file-preparation workflow

Renaming `photo.heic` to `photo.jpg` does not convert the file. Use an image application's Export or Save As function and verify that the resulting file type is JPEG.

Aim for margin below the 150 KB ceiling so small metadata differences do not create a failed upload, but never sacrifice facial clarity merely to produce the smallest possible file.

• Duplicate the original photograph.
• Crop the copy to a vertical 5:7 ratio.
• Confirm the full head and shoulders remain visible.
• Center the face without placing the top of the head against the edge.
• Resize to 375 × 525 pixels at 150 dpi, or use Intealth's 240 × 336 example at 96 dpi.
• Export as JPEG, not HEIC, PNG, WebP, PDF, or a renamed non-JPEG file.
• Check the exported file size in the operating system.
• If above 150 KB, reduce JPEG quality modestly and export again.
• Open the final JPEG at 100% zoom.
• Confirm eyes, hair, skin, glasses, and clothing edges remain clear.
• Keep the conforming final file and untouched original separately.

Mac, Windows, and phone checks

Operating systems may report file size in decimal KB or binary KiB. The portal's acceptance result controls. Staying comfortably below the published maximum reduces ambiguity.

Step-by-step MyIntealth upload

The upload is not complete merely because a preview appears. The current MyIntealth guide separates selecting/saving a file from clicking Submit.

Do not email the photograph to ERAS Support Services. ECFMG states that it cannot modify emailed files for applicants.

Transmission, availability, assignment, and delivery

ECFMG says a successfully accepted photo transmits within 24 hours. A photo in MyERAS is not automatically visible to every program; the applicant controls assignments.

AAMC permits assignment before the image is uploaded. This can be useful for planning, but the assignment is not proof that ECFMG has transmitted a valid file.

How to assign the photo in MyERAS

AAMC states that once the photo is assigned to a program to which you have applied, it cannot be unassigned. A disabled checkbox can mean the photo was already assigned and the application was sent.

The photo cannot be assigned to a closed program.

• Open Documents.
• Open Additional Documents.
• Find Photo and select Assign.
• Select the saved or applied programs that should receive it.
• Alternatively, use the Assign control on Saved Programs or Programs Applied To.
• Review the Assignments Checklist or report for each program.
• Confirm the photo is both available and assigned before the program's deadline.

Should you assign the photo to every program?

AAMC describes the photo as most often used to identify applicants at interviews and instructs applicants to research each program's requirements and use. It is therefore a program-requirement decision, not a universal assumption.

Read each program's current application page. If the program asks for the standard ERAS photo and you choose to provide it, assign it before the deadline.

Do not infer that an upload fee or assignment count exists; the current official process treats the photo as an ERAS supporting document.

Replacing a photo

ECFMG says an IMG can update the photograph at any time by submitting a new version through MyIntealth. Once processed, the new file replaces the previous version in MyERAS.

Replacement is not the same as unassigning. AAMC says an assigned photo cannot be unassigned after application. ECFMG says the new processed version replaces the old photo.

Take screenshots or record the time of upload, then verify the displayed version after processing. Browser cache can make an old preview appear temporarily; log out, refresh, or check from a clean session before assuming replacement failed.

Avoid replacing a correct photo during the final hours before programs open. A last-minute file error can create more risk than a minor aesthetic preference.

Repeat applicants and photo reuse

An IMG who participated in ERAS 2026 and participates in ERAS 2027 may reuse the stored photograph. ECFMG lists photographs among the documents that do not need to be resubmitted.

ECFMG states that the stored photo, MSPE, and medical school transcript will be uploaded to the 2027 application within five business days after the applicant registers the 2027 Token in MyERAS.

Reuse is convenient, but inspect whether the old image remains a current, recognizable, professional likeness. If you want a new photograph, submit it through MyIntealth; it will replace the stored version after processing.

The five-business-day reuse window differs from the stated 24-hour transmission for a newly accepted photograph. Plan using the rule that applies to the action you actually take.

Troubleshooting a rejected upload

ECFMG says it cannot modify the file for you. Correct the source and submit a new conforming version.

Change one variable at a time when troubleshooting. First confirm true JPEG, then dimensions, then file size, then composition.

Photo not visible after 24 hours

For the upload and ECFMG-to-ERAS transmission, contact ERAS Support Services at ECFMG. For a MyERAS display or assignment-interface problem after the file is available, AAMC support may be the appropriate owner. Describe the exact stage rather than saying only “my photo is missing.”

• Confirm the MyIntealth upload shows successful submission, not only saved preview.
• Verify the exact uploaded file is a JPEG at or below 150 KB.
• Verify the image is no larger than 2.5 × 3.5 inches.
• Log out of both portals and sign back in.
• Check MyERAS Additional Documents rather than only the application PDF.
• Follow Intealth's guidance to re-upload a conforming file if it does not appear after 24 hours.
• Preserve the original confirmation and the second upload time.
• Contact the responsible support organization if repeated conforming uploads do not resolve the issue.

Photo available but program cannot see it

The most likely workflow issue is assignment. Availability in Additional Documents does not automatically designate every program.

Open the Assignments Checklist or each program's assignment controls. Confirm the exact program—not merely its institution or another track—has the photo assigned.

If the program is closed, AAMC says a new photo assignment cannot be made. This is another reason to finish assignment review before deadlines.

If MyERAS shows the document assigned and delivered, retain the status and follow the program's communication policy rather than repeatedly changing unrelated documents.

Timing for the September 2026 residency opening

Do not schedule the portrait for the night before programs begin reviewing applications. The file may require resizing, rejection repair, transmission, and assignment.

A conservative workflow is to prepare and upload weeks before the September program-opening date, then verify availability and assignments several days before applications are delivered.

A program's own application deadline controls its requirements. The general ERAS calendar is not permission to submit a required photo after that deadline.

Privacy and bias considerations

A photograph reveals personal characteristics that written credentials may not. Applicants should understand that assignment is a disclosure decision and research the program's requirements.

The official sources explain that programs use the photo for interview identification and as a rank-list memory aid. They do not promise that every reviewer or program follows an identical internal workflow.

Do not place sensitive documents, passport numbers, identification cards, watermarks, home details, or metadata-dependent personal information in the visible image.

A plain portrait should communicate recognition, not personal branding. Avoid logos, flags, slogans, institutional marks, patient settings, or clinical props.

Common mistakes

• Following U.S. graduate upload instructions as an IMG.
• Uploading directly to MyERAS instead of through MyIntealth.
• Using PNG because the general AAMC page lists it for USMGs.
• Renaming HEIC to `.jpg` without converting it.
• Submitting a PDF containing a photograph.
• Exceeding 150 KB.
• Using landscape orientation.
• Ignoring the 2.5 × 3.5-inch maximum.
• Distorting the face to force a 5:7 crop.
• Cropping out the shoulders.
• Leaving the face off-center.
• Using a blurry or heavily compressed file.
• Using aggressive beauty filters or generative facial edits.
• Treating a saved preview as a submitted upload.
• Emailing the photo to ECFMG.
• Assuming transmission is automatic assignment.
• Assuming assignment before upload means the file is available.
• Failing to review each program's photo requirement.
• Forgetting that an assigned photo cannot be unassigned after applying.
• Replacing a valid photo immediately before programs open.
• Waiting only 24 hours before a deadline.
• Assuming a reused 2026 photo appears immediately after Token registration.
• Failing to inspect the exact final JPEG at full size.
• Deleting the original and upload confirmation.

Final ERAS photo checklist

• The image is a true JPEG.
• The file is 150 KB or smaller.
• The image is no larger than 2.5 × 3.5 inches.
• The portrait uses a 5:7 ratio.
• Pixel dimensions follow an Intealth example or the live portal rule.
• The image is clear at 100% zoom.
• The full head and shoulders are visible.
• The face is centered.
• The expression is natural.
• The eyes are open and looking directly ahead.
• The image remains a true, recognizable likeness.
• The background and lighting are not distracting.
• The file contains no visible IDs, logos, patients, or watermarks.
• I uploaded through MyIntealth ERAS Support Services.
• I clicked Submit after selecting and saving the file.
• I retained confirmation.
• I verified the photo appeared in MyERAS.
• I researched each program's photo requirement.
• I assigned the photo to the intended programs.
• I checked assignments program by program.
• I understand post-application assignment cannot be undone.
• If reusing, I allowed up to five business days after Token registration.
• If replacing, I verified the new version after processing.
• All checks were completed before program deadlines.

Bottom line

For an IMG residency applicant, the 2027 ERAS photo must be a clear JPEG, no more than 150 KB and no larger than 2.5 × 3.5 inches, with a centered, front-facing head-and-shoulder view and natural expression.

The correct path is MyIntealth → ERAS Support Services → Document Upload → Upload Documents → Submit. After ECFMG transmits the accepted file to MyERAS, the applicant must separately assign it to programs.

Most problems come from mixing applicant workflows, confusing pixels with file size, failing to click Submit, or assuming availability equals assignment. A staged verification catches all four.

This guide reflects official information available July 18, 2026. The current MyIntealth upload screen, ECFMG ERAS Support Services instructions, AAMC MyERAS guide, and each program's live requirements control.