With participation from two core specialties and five combined specialties, more than 4,900 residency positions in the most recent Match cycle were filled by applicants who began their Match journey by applying through the Residency Centralized Application Service (ResidencyCAS).
Piloted as a new obstetrics and gynecology application in the 2024–2025 Match cycle, ResidencyCAS will enter its third year as an alternative application to the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). Emergency medicine and several combined emergency medicine specialties moved to ResidencyCAS for the 2025–2026 cycle.
For the 2026–2027 application cycle, the deadline to submit applications for graduate medical education (GME) residency positions through the platform is Sept. 17. Here’s a look at what aspiring residents should know ahead of that date.
Move toward holistic admissions
In addition to emergency medicine and ob-gyn, combined specialties using ResidencyCAS for the upcoming application cycle are:
- Emergency medicine-family medicine.
- Emergency medicine-internal medicine.
- Emergency medicine-aerospace medicine.
- Emergency medicine-pediatrics.
- Emergency medicine-anesthesiology.
Aiming to allow for holistic application review, reduce application costs and cut down on application totals, the platform’s initial launch in 2024 was inspired by the Right Resident, Right Program, Ready Day One initiative, which was funded by the AMA Reimagining Residency grant program. Among other goals, the grant program is dedicated to improving the transition from undergraduate to graduate medical education.
“This application evaluates multiple domains,” said Maya Hammoud, MD, MBA, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology who spearheaded the Right Resident, Right Program, Ready Day One project. “You have to consider that applications have typically been evaluated and measured largely on one domain, academic metrics. That’s test scores and grades. This application presents a view where program directors can see an applicant’s skills across a number of domains. It will ideally lead to each program getting a group of residents with diverse backgrounds and skill sets.”
The cost is $99 for applicants to apply to as many as 18 programs. The service costs $18 per for each application to between 19–30 programs and $23 for every application to 31 or more programs. In recent years, the number of applications filed across a number of specialties has fallen in part due to a move toward program signaling. A review of the pilot year in ob-gyn found that application numbers per candidate declined, reflecting lower costs and more targeted application strategies.
How does it work
The ResidencyCAS platform incorporates the full suite of interview-season functions, including application submission, review, offer and interview, and rank-order list submission. As the platform only supports applications to participating specialties, the majority of dual applicants will have to apply to other specialties through the traditional ERAS platform.
The actual Match process in specialties using ResidencyCAS applicants continues to be conducted through the National Residency Match Program (NRMP). This application does not change how the applicant or programs interact with the NRMP Match system. If applicants go unmatched, the new platform will allow applicants to upload all necessary materials to enter the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program.
