Important Note: If you are applying to certain residency specialties, including Obstetrics and Gynecology, Plastic Surgery, or certain programs in Anesthesiology, please see Support for ResidencyCAS and CentralApp Residency Application Services for information on how ECFMG can support your application.
Following are the documents that ERAS Support Services at ECFMG will upload to the MyERAS application and are typically required for a residency application:
If a program requests additional document types not listed on this page, you should make arrangements with the program to have these additional documents sent directly to the program. This practice is in accordance with the AAMC ERAS policy. ERAS Support Services will not process these documents.
Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE)
The Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) evaluates a medical student’s performance during his or her academic career relative to his or her peers. The MSPE has replaced the term “Dean’s letter” to better describe the purpose of this document. While ERAS Support Services will accept a “Dean’s letter” from your medical school, we strongly encourage medical schools to provide an MSPE that follows the MSPE guidelines detailed in the AAMC's “Recommendations for Revising the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE).”
If you have a copy of your MSPE from your school, you can submit it to ERAS Support Services via OASIS. Documents uploaded through OASIS will take up to five business days to process.
If your medical school participates in EMSWP ERAS, the school must upload the MSPE on your behalf. Documents uploaded through EMSWP will take up to five business days to process. See Document Submission for more information.
Please Note: The MSPE is not a letter of recommendation (LoR) and should not be finalized as an LoR and assigned to your programs.
If you are unable to secure the MSPE from your medical school, you must indicate this on the Additional Documents page in the MyERAS application. A neutral placeholder letter will be provided in place of the MSPE. This will ensure that your application will appear as complete for those programs that require an MSPE before considering your application. The neutral placeholder will state, “This document is provided in lieu of the applicant’s MSPE. Please contact the applicant with any questions you may have.”
If the MSPE is not in English, you must have an English translation prepared and certified to be correct by one of the following:
Submit only the English translation to ERAS Support Services at ECFMG.
Medical School Transcript
Medical school transcripts come in a variety of formats, such as:
Medical school transcripts give program directors an overview of:
The transcript must include your full name and should not be on “security paper” with a busy background. Busy backgrounds make the scanned image illegible. Ask your school to copy your transcript onto plain paper.
If you have a copy of your transcript from your school, you can submit it to ERAS Support Services via OASIS. Documents uploaded through OASIS will take up to five business days to process.
If your medical school participates in EMSWP ERAS, the school must upload the transcript on your behalf. Documents uploaded through EMSWP will take up to five business days to process. See Document Submission for more information.
The MyERAS application is separate from ECFMG Certification, and your medical school transcript will not automatically transfer. If you have a copy of your medical school transcript, you should upload the document through OASIS. If your medical school does not participate in EMSWP ERAS, and if you have no other way to secure the document from your medical school, you can request that ECFMG transfer a copy of that document to your MyERAS application. This option should only be used as a last resort, and will take longer to process than documents uploaded through OASIS. To submit a request:
The total processing time from submission of the request to the availability of the transcript in ERAS may take up to eight business days.
Once submitted, your request will be reviewed within two to three business days. If ECFMG is unable to fulfill your request, you will be notified via e-mail. If ECFMG is able to fulfill your request, your transcript will be transferred to your MyERAS application where you will be able to track the status of the document. The status of the transcript will be updated to “available” in MyERAS within five business days of the date it is uploaded to ERAS.
Please Note: If your school participates in EMSWP ERAS, your school must upload the medical school transcript on your behalf and you will not be able to submit this request.
If you are unable to secure a medical school transcript, you must indicate this on the Additional Documents page of the MyERAS application. A neutral placeholder letter will be provided in place of the transcript and will state, “This document is provided in lieu of the applicant’s medical school transcript. Please contact the applicant with any questions you may have.” This will ensure that your application will appear as complete for those programs that require a medical school transcript before considering your application.
If the medical school transcript is not in English, you must have an English translation prepared and certified to be correct by one of the following:
Submit only the English translation to ERAS Support Services at ECFMG.
If you are a transfer student and would like to submit more than one medical school transcript for your MyERAS application, please see Transfer Students for more information. If you have any questions about the processing of your transcripts, please contact ERAS Support Services at ECFMG.
Please Note: The transcript does not need to be assigned to your programs. This is done automatically when the transcript is submitted.
Letters of Recommendation (LoRs)
Submitting LoRs that are substantive in content will ultimately provide the residency training program director with a clear picture of your current skills and clinical ability, in addition to your personal characteristics such as professionalism, leadership, and interpersonal skills both with patients and colleagues. You should select your letter writers carefully and contact each program for its LoR requirements. Contact potential letter writers early to allow them plenty of time to reflect upon your performance and provide the letter in time to meet program deadlines for receiving LoRs.
ERAS Support Services does not process LoRs addressed to specific programs or program directors. Your letter writer should begin the letter with a general salutation, such as "Dear Program Director," or "To whom it may concern:".
The AAMC LoR Portal (LoRP) enables LoR Authors and/or their designees to upload LoRs to ERAS for distribution to training programs.
Please Note: Programs are able to view who has uploaded the document.
In order for your LoRs to be available to programs, you must:
There is no limit to how many LoRs you can submit. However, you can assign a maximum of four LoRs to each program. Once LoRs are assigned to a program and you apply, they cannot be unassigned.
If you have certified and submitted an application in a previous ERAS season (from the ERAS 2016 season and onwards), your LoRs are saved in the History section of your MyERAS application. For more information, please visit the AAMC's website at https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-residencies-eras/history-and-imports-repeat-applicants .
If the LoR is not in English, you must have an English translation prepared and certified to be correct by one of the following:
Submit only the English translation to ERAS Support Services at ECFMG.
Asking for a Letter of Recommendation (LoR)Programs will use your photograph to identify you at the interview and as a memory aid when creating a rank order list. The photograph must:
If you wish to submit a photograph, you must submit a digital version via ECFMG’s OASIS.
Your photograph must conform to the following technical specifications:
You will receive confirmation of acceptance if the system uploads your digital photograph successfully. Your photograph will transmit within 24 hours to your MyERAS application.
If your photograph is rejected, you will need to submit a new file that meets the specifications above.
Do not e-mail your photograph to ERAS Support Services at ECFMG. We are unable to modify files for applicants.
To make your photograph available to programs, you must assign it on the Additional Documents tab of MyERAS.
You can update your photograph at any time by submitting a new version via OASIS. Once processed, it will replace the previous version in your MyERAS application.
ECFMG Status Report
The ECFMG Status Report confirms your ECFMG Certification status. The ECFMG Status Report contains the month and year that you passed examinations for ECFMG Certification. It does not include your USMLE scores, which can be reported only as part of an official USMLE transcript.*
ECFMG Status Reports contain the following information:
Important Note for Pathways Applicants:
If you meet the clinical and communication skills requirements for ECFMG Certification through an ECFMG Pathway, this will be reported on your ECFMG Status Report. If you are ECFMG Certified based on a Pathway, your ECFMG Status Report will list your certificate's expiration date.
*If you received your Standard ECFMG Certificate based on any of the following exams, the scores will be listed on your ECFMG Status Report:
Your ECFMG Status Report will be transmitted automatically to your MyERAS application and will update automatically as new information is available. You do not need to request the Status Report or automatic updates, and the cost is included in your ERAS Token fee.
The USMLE transcript contains your examination history on Step 1, Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK), the former Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS), if taken, and Step 3, if taken. It includes all attempts: passed, failed, incomplete, etc. The USMLE transcript is required by many residency programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) as part of the application to be considered for their positions. For complete information on what is included in the USMLE transcript, refer to Scoring & Score Reporting in the USMLE Bulletin of Information .
Your request will not be processed until you have assigned the document to at least one program and applied. Each time you apply to a program, it may take one to two business days for your USMLE transcript to be transmitted to the MyERAS application, where it can be accessed by the program.
If you receive a new score after you have applied to programs, log in to MyERAS and go to the Additional Documents page in the Document section to select the option to "Resend My Scores" in the action column for USMLE Transcript.
If you receive a new score before you have applied to programs, your USMLE transcript will include your complete USMLE history when you do apply, regardless of when you authorized the release of the USMLE transcript in MyERAS. The request is not processed until you actually apply and pay the fee.
If you are applying to programs that do not participate in ERAS and require a USMLE transcript, you must request one from FSMB .
No. Applicants must authorize the release of the USMLE transcript in MyERAS, assign the document to programs, and pay the one-time $80 fee for it to be transmitted.
Log in to MyERAS and go to the Additional Documents section. You will see the option to authorize the release of the USMLE transcript. Read the information on that page carefully before saving.
There are different methods for submitting supporting documents, depending on the document type. See below for specific information on OASIS, EMSWP ERAS, and the AAMC’s Letter of Recommendation Portal (LoRP).
As your designated Dean’s office, ERAS Support Services at ECFMG will evaluate each uploaded document to ensure clarity of image and to verify that each document has been uploaded to the slot designated for that document type. Document types that are not part of the MyERAS application—diplomas, foreign language documents, curriculum vitae, etc.—should not be uploaded. ECFMG will not transmit these documents to your MyERAS application.
ECFMG’s OASIS allows ERAS applicants to submit several document types in support of their residency application, including MSPEs, medical school transcripts, and photographs.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Some international medical schools submit supporting documents on behalf of their students/graduates who participate in ERAS through EMSWP. Schools that participate in the EMSWP ERAS program can electronically submit supporting documents on behalf of ERAS applicants. If your medical school participates in EMSWP ERAS, you will not be able to submit your MSPE and transcripts using OASIS. Please contact your medical school to have these documents uploaded via EMSWP ERAS on your behalf. ERAS Support Services uploads these documents to your MyERAS application within five business days of their receipt. To find out if your medical school participates in EMSWP ERAS, you can contact the Dean’s office at your medical school.
Documents submitted via OASIS will take up to five business days to process. ERAS Support Services at ECFMG will contact you within five business days, via the MyERAS message center, about any discrepancies found during the quality control process.
If your document is rejected, you will need to submit a new file that meets the technical specifications. Do not e-mail your documents to ERAS Support Services at ECFMG. We are unable to modify files for applicants.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Submission of any falsified or altered document to ECFMG is an example of irregular behavior. A determination by ECFMG that an individual engaged in irregular behavior may be sufficient cause to bar an individual from ECFMG Certification, revoke an ECFMG Certificate, or take other appropriate action. ECFMG will send notice of a determination of irregular behavior to residency program directors, among others. See ECFMG Policies and Procedures Regarding Irregular Behavior .
LoRs must be submitted through the AAMC’s Letter of Recommendation Portal (LoRP) . If you have waived your right to view an LoR, your letter writer must upload the letter on your behalf. If you have not waived your right to view an LoR, you are permitted to upload a copy through the AAMC’s LoRP by logging in using your AAMC account. Programs are able to view who has uploaded the document. For tips on uploading your LoRs, please see the Letter Writer Assistance page of the ECFMG website.
LoRs submitted through the LoRP will take up to five business days to process.
EMSWP provides access to ECFMG’s web-based services for international medical schools and includes a program for ERAS.
Through EMSWP ERAS, international medical schools can upload supporting documents on behalf of their students and graduates; track receipt of these supporting documents by ECFMG; and verify the ERAS registration activity of their students and graduates. To determine if your medical school participates in EMSWP ERAS, please contact the Dean’s office at your medical school.
Students and graduates of EMSWP ERAS-participating medical schools will not have the ability to upload their own MSPEs and medical school transcripts. If your medical school participates in EMSWP ERAS, please contact the Dean’s office at your medical school to request upload of your MSPE and medical school transcript. ECFMG processes documents uploaded through EMSWP ERAS within five business days.
For more information on how your medical school can establish an EMSWP ERAS account, please ask a representative from your medical school to e-mail ERAS Support Services at [email protected] .
For more information on all of the services available to medical schools through EMSWP, please visit the EMSWP Overview page.
If you attended more than one medical school to earn your medical degree, you are considered a transfer student and should submit the medical school transcripts from each of the medical schools you attended.
The method used to submit your transfer school transcripts is determined by whether or not your medical school of graduation participates in EMSWP ERAS. To find out if your medical school participates in EMSWP ERAS, you can contact the Dean’s office of your medical school.
Upload your medical school transcripts using OASIS. Please be sure to scan, save, and upload all pages of your medical school transcripts as one single PDF file.
If your medical school of graduation is willing and authorized to upload transcripts from your transfer school, you or your transfer school must provide your transfer transcripts to the EMSWP ERAS Coordinator at your medical school of graduation. The EMSWP ERAS Coordinator will need to merge all pages of all transcripts into one single PDF file before uploading the file. Please note that medical schools may have policies against submitting medical school transcripts to, or on behalf of, other medical schools. Please contact your medical schools regarding their policies.
If either school has a policy that prevents submission of your transcripts together, the transcripts can be submitted separately. Your medical school of graduation should submit its transcript using EMSWP ERAS. If you have a copy of your transfer transcript from your transfer school, you may submit it as a PDF file to ERAS Support Services at ECFMG at [email protected] . If you do not have a copy of your transfer transcript, contact the Dean’s office of your transfer school and request that they submit your transcript as a PDF file to [email protected] . Please note this e-mail address is for transfer students’ transcripts ONLY, and we cannot accept transcripts from third-party services, such as Parchment. Transfer student transcripts must be received directly from the transfer school or applicant. Other types of supporting documents, such as LoRs or transcripts for non-transfer students, should not be submitted to this e-mail address and will not be processed.
Once all transcripts have been received by ERAS Support Services at ECFMG, we will merge them together and process them to your MyERAS application.
If you participated in the ERAS 2024 season and also participate in the ERAS 2025 season, you will be eligible to reuse your documents at the time you make an ERAS 2025 Token request via OASIS.
If you are eligible to reuse your documents, you are not required to resubmit:
Within five business days from the time you register your Token at the MyERAS website , ERAS Support Services will upload your stored MSPE, medical school transcript, and photograph to the MyERAS 2025 application.
If you would like to submit a new photograph, you must submit a digital version using ECFMG’s OASIS. This will automatically replace the previously submitted photograph.
You can import your LoRs from a previous ERAS season in MyERAS. To access your LoRs from the previous season, you must request your Residency Token using OASIS and register at MyERAS. For more details, please see the information on the AAMC's website .
Please note that once you complete the transfer process in MyERAS, your LoRs will immediately be available to assign to programs. There is no additional processing of those documents.
ERAS Support Services at ECFMG provides an option for submitting confidential LoRs early. Applicants who wish to submit LoRs the year before they intend to apply to U.S. residency programs should follow these steps:
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are only submitting LoRs early and do not wish to participate in the current Match season, you are required to fill out, certify, and submit the on-line application portion of MyERAS. Your LoRs will not be saved if you do not certify and submit the MyERAS application before the end of the season. You do not need to apply to any programs or pay an application fee.
ERAS Support Services at ECFMG will not provide copies of your letters to you and will not provide copies of your letters to programs except via the MyERAS application system.
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[Last update: August 21, 2024]
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