2024-2025 Match Cycle Residency Application Timeline

The final year of medical school marks the start of your residency application journey. To succeed, you need a clear understanding of the application process and its key milestones. For this purpose, we’ve created a detailed timeline to help you navigate the application process! This valuable resource includes:

• Key deadlines and milestones
• Expert advice to stay on track
• A to-do list with all of your application tasks
• A clear roadmap to guide you through the application process

Watch our video below for a “Basic Overview of the Residency Application Process” from our Residency Roundtable webinar to familiarize you with the residency application process. Register for this year’s residency roundtable to take part in the live event and ask all your questions in real-time!

Our downloadable residency application timeline is designed to simplify the application process, providing a clear roadmap to help you stay organized and focused. Enter your email above to get instant access to this valuable resource.

If you’d like personalized guidance and support throughout the application process, consider connecting with a residency advisor from Elite Medical Prep. They can offer tailored insights and expertise to help you succeed. Schedule a complimentary consultation to learn more. Let’s dive straight into the important dates, and tasks you should be completing over each of the next few months!

April to May: Building a Strong Residency Application

By now, you’ve likely chosen your desired specialty and are preparing your residency application. It’s essential to focus on the core components of your application:

• A compelling personal statement
• Strong letters of recommendation
• Solid exam scores (USMLE, COMLEX, etc.)
• Impressive clerkship grades
• A comprehensive ERAS application, showcasing your research, volunteer work, and other activities

Writing a Compelling Personal Statement and Securing Strong Letters of Recommendation

As you begin drafting your personal statement, consider who can write an excellent letter of recommendation on your behalf. Typically, you’ll need a standard letter from your medical school, plus two additional letters from mentors in your specialty or those you’ve worked closely with. For expert tips on obtaining great letters of recommendation, check out our Residency Roundtable session.

Summer Planning: Away Rotations and Sub-Internships

If you’re completing away rotations, submit your applications around this time. If not, you might be completing a sub-internship in your desired specialty and securing a letter of recommendation from a clinician you’ve worked with.

Looking Ahead: Residency Interviews

Remember that residency interviews usually take place between November and January. Plan your rotations accordingly to ensure you have a lighter schedule during this time.

June to July: Begin ERAS and Create a List of Potential Residency Programs

Have your printable residency application timeline ready! We’re getting down to business. In June, you will receive an ERAS (electronic residency application system) token from your school.

It’s now time to begin filling out your application with your basic information. The ERAS application will open in June, see download for the exact dates.

It is important to start filling out your application early. The goal is to submit your ERAS application the day that it opens (given many interviews are provided on a rolling basis). Your ERAS application will include:

• Your personal statement
• Letters of recommendation,
• Grades
• Your CV

Given you have to manually enter the components of your CV into the designated spots in ERAS, this process is time-consuming and will require several rounds of edits to ensure no errors linger.

Additionally, it is important to compile a list of residency programs to which you would like to apply. Work with an EMP residency advisor to take into account how many programs to apply to, where to apply, and what backup plans to consider if necessary. It is also helpful at this point to send your personal statement to some individuals in your field for feedback prior to its submission.

Lastly, by the end of this time you will need to formally request letters of recommendation from faculty to allow them enough time (ideally more than 4 weeks) to complete the letter.

August to September: Finalizing and Submitting Your Residency Application

As you enter the final stretch of the residency application timeline, focus on uploading your letters of recommendation and personal statement, and finalizing the details of your application. Don’t forget to release your USMLE scores to ERAS, allowing programs to view them. Also, be sure to include a professional photo with your application.

Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) Letter

Your medical school will create an MSPE letter, a standardized letter of recommendation that includes a compilation of your clerkship evaluations and a narrative statement of your educational journey. You’ll have the opportunity to review and make minor edits as needed.

Submit Your Application and Register with the NRMP

Submit your application on the earliest possible date, for the 2025 residency application that’s September 4th. Additionally, register with the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) to gain access to the software where you’ll eventually submit your match list. Residency programs can begin reviewing applications on September 25th, so ensure all materials are uploaded to ERAS by this date to maximize your chances of success with interviews.

October to November: Schedule Your Interviews and Prepare Accordingly

Once you have submitted your ERAS application, you will want to ensure you get notifications of your ERAS interview requests. Desirable interview slots are often taken on a first come first serve basis leaving those who review the email later at a disadvantage. For this reason, many students will have their emails forwarded to their phones and have friends or loved ones cover their inboxes during times they may be away (such as during test taking).

During this downtime, you will want to prepare for your residency interviews. When interviews for residency start, you want to be ready. Consider some responses to commonly asked questions, and ensure you have an elevator pitch for yourself when given the opportunity. Additionally, if you do not receive interview invitations from programs you are highly interested in, consider reaching out to the programs to demonstrate interest and increase your odds of receiving an interview.

To help you stay on track, download our Residency Interview Toolkit! It includes a preparation guide, checklist, sample questions, thank-you email templates, and more to streamline your interview prep. Enter your email above to get this free resource sent straight to your inbox.

Fill out the form below to receive your free Residency Interview Toolkit via email!

December to January: End of Interview Season for Residency and Begin Ranking Programs

This is the end of residency interview season, and during this time you will be completing your last residency interviews. Given you will ultimately decide between programs months after you interview there, you will want to make note of interview impressions the day of and distinguishing features of a program that may not be visible on their website or in other supporting documentation.

Consider what questions you will ask programs ahead of time. Often students will take physical notes or record voice memos following these experiences. This will provide additional information with which to make a match list come February.

Many students will also send thank you notes to the interviewers who spent time speaking with them. Note that some programs explicitly request thank you letters not be sent. You will also want to check in with an advisor around this time to ensure you have secured enough interviews to have a probability of success in the match.

By the end of this period, you will want to have a preliminary rank order list of programs. Once you have decided on your top choice program where you have interviewed, you should send a letter of intent. This serves to notify them that you will be ranking them first and why.

Note that the deadline to register with the NRMP is January 31st, 2025. After this date, you will pay a late fee. You must register with the NRMP by March 1st, 2024 to be eligible for the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP).

February to March: Submit Your Rank Order List and Then Review Your Residency Application Results!

The rank order list opens on February 3rd, 2025. The deadline to certify your rank order list is March 5th, 2025 at 9PM EST. You will find out if you have matched on March 17th, 2025 at 10 AM EST. Individuals who did not match can enter the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP) at 11 AM EST on this date.

Finally, match day is on March 21st, 2025, at 12PM EST, where you find out your new home for your next stage of training!

For help navigating this year’s residency application timeline including CV and personal statement review and editing, mock interviews, letters of intent for residency programs and more, consider enlisting the help of an Elite Medical Prep residency advisor! Schedule your complimentary consultation today to learn more!