For the 2026–27 residency-application cycle, applicants may begin submitting their applications through the Association of American Medical Colleges’ MyERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service) platform Sept. 2, 2026. Programs can begin reviewing applications Sept. 23.
Ahead of that date, residency applicants should arm themselves with as much information as possible to help them determine where to apply. Residency program open houses, typically taking place before the application-submission deadline, offer medical students another way to ask questions and determine their fit with a program.
So, how can medical students get the most out of residency open house events? One former residency program director offered insight.
Understand the nuts and bolts
Virtual residency program open houses tend to take the form of a low-pressure online video forum. The open houses typically aim to share what the program is about, answer applicant questions and provide insight into what days are like for residents on the wards and what life is like off of them.
Leigh Eck, MD, is associate dean for student affairs at the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC). She previously spent 11 years as the director of KUMC’s internal medicine residency program. In the years since the COVID-19 public health emergency, KUMC has held virtual open houses highlighting all their residency programs and smaller specialty-specific events.
As far as program-specific research, Dr. Eck said the first stop for anyone researching a program is likely to be that program’s website, with program social media pages also offering useful information. Still, a virtual open house can offer unique data points that provide valuable perspective.
“The opportunity to spend more time with programs in a virtual open house may allow students to better understand the values and goals of the program—to ensure that that program is going to meet the needs of the student,” said Dr. Eck, an AMA member.
For applicants looking for a one-stop shop for residency program research, no online resource contains as much information as FREIDA™, the AMA Residency and Fellowship Database®, which includes more than 13,000 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited residency programs, and offers a streamlined user experience.
“An opportunity, not an obligation”
Understanding that medical students have limited time and energy, residency programs have made their open-house events optional.
“I can speak specifically to our program and open house: Your attendance or lack of attendance has no impact on your application process with our program. This is an opportunity, not an obligation,” Dr. Eck said. “My hope, as a program director, is that would be the situation for our students across the board. We do not want to put more obligations on our students through this matching process.”
With limited time, residency applicants are likely to have to be selective about the virtual open houses they attend. Dr. Eck said it makes little sense to attend a virtual open house at your home program or those with which you have done any away rotations. You know how those institutions operate.
“Certainly, I would attend the open houses for the programs I was most interested in first,” Dr. Eck said. “If I had a specific geographic interest or I had a specific area of focus within my training that was unique to a subset of residency programs, I might focus on attending open houses for those programs.”
Getting a feel for a program
A 2023 study examining two cohorts of applicants to psychiatry residency programs found that prospective residents who attended virtual open houses considered them a valuable resource for gaining insight into program culture and assessing overall fit. Survey responses indicated that virtual open houses were especially useful for helping applicants decide where to apply but were less influential in shaping their post-interview ranking decisions.
If you do attend, Dr. Eck highlighted that in any interaction, medical students should behave professionally and courteously. Not following those tenets can make the wrong kind of impression. Even though the sessions are online, participants should look engaged by keeping their camera on and asking questions when the opportunity arises.
In terms of making a mark in the positive column, she advised students to show that they are informed and enthusiastic. Your being there coupled with your application—especially if you signal a program—expresses interest on your behalf.
In interactions with residents or faculty members, show that you have done some legwork and research on the program and have a few pointed questions, Dr. Eck advised.
“When you're spending time with resident physicians, I’d recommend asking questions about the nuts and bolts of the residency program, so you better understand schedules, duty hours, work-life balance,” she said. “It’s also a chance to get an understanding of camaraderie among resident physicians. Do residents interface outside of work? How much bandwidth do residents have to be engaged in priorities outside of work like relationships and hobbies? Those are the types of questions you’ll want to ask.”
A chance to connect
A professor and vice-chair of orthopaedic surgery at the University of Kansas (KU) School of Medicine and Health System, AMA member Kimberly Templeton, MD, previously spent almost two decades as a residency program director.
In addition to getting an understanding of how a program operates, Dr. Templeton sees residency open houses as a valuable tool for applicants to demonstrate interest and establish early connections with faculty and residents in programs with which the students previously had not done rotations.
“We keep track of which students attend open houses and from where,” Dr. Templeton said. She added that a student who is proactive during a session has the opportunity to get on the program’s radar.
If a student attends an open house then applies, they’ve “at least expressed enough interest and put in a little time to learn about our program. However, we also understand the reality of the limited time that students have, so not attending an open house doesn’t mean that we won’t look at your application, especially if you send a signal.”
Students who attend open houses and engage with faculty or residents are more likely to be remembered and considered for interviews. This can be particularly helpful for students who don’t have obvious geographic ties to the Midwest.
“You can have somebody that's always lived and been educated in New York City, for example, but if they're interested enough in us that they're going to take an hour and a half on a virtual meeting to listen and ask questions about the program, it will get noticed if they decide to apply, especially if they send a signal or indicate a geographic preference for the Midwest” she said.
For medical students, the residency-selection process can be filled with twists and turns, and it’s natural to feel a little daunted, even overwhelmed. With that in mind, the AMA Road to Residency Guide offers medical students valuable data points, strategies and tips to help them successfully navigate the match.
