For the 2026–2027 Match cycle, the vast majority of residency specialties on the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) platform will allow applicants the option to indicate geographic preferences.
A 2025 article published in the Journal of Graduate Medical Education found that applicants who express interest in a residency program's region are significantly more likely to receive interview invitations than applicants whose geographic preferences do not align. But the same research also suggests that residency applicants should think carefully before narrowing their options.
Before you decide whether to utilize optional geographic preferences on your residency application, you may want to consider if you are using them strategically. Data and expert insights offer direction on how that can be done.
How MyERAS geographic preferences work
The geographic-preferences section of the MyERAS application gives applicants another way to communicate their preference or lack of preference for particular geographic divisions based on their connections, ties, or interests in a given area. Rather than listing individual states, applicants may select up to three of the nine U.S. Census geographic divisions or indicate that they have no geographic preference. Residency applicants also have an opportunity to briefly explain the reasons behind their choices.
If a residency applicant selects geographic preferences, programs only see selections that are relevant to their location. For example, if an applicant indicates a preference for New England, programs within the five-state footprint of that region will be the only ones that are able to see that stated preference. Residency programs outside of selected regions will not see explanations, but they will know their region was not selected. If you choose "no geographic preference," every residency program you apply to will see that response.
In addition to geographic preferences, the MyERAS application lets residency applicants indicate setting preferences—urban, suburban, rural or combinations such as urban/suburban—or select “no preference.”
Of the 54 core specialties using the MyERAS platform, a large majority are giving residency applicants the option to include their geographic preferences. Notable specialties opting out of offering geographic preferences include otolaryngology, orthopaedic surgery, and integrated plastic surgery.
How residency applicants use geographic preferences
An analysis of geographic and setting preference use in the 2023–2024 Match cycle, conducted by researchers at the Association of American Medical Colleges, found that across 22 specialties studied, more than 50% of applicants in 19 of 22 medical specialties indicated at least one geographic preference, and most used all three. U.S. DOs and MDs, the analysis showed, were more likely to indicate geographic preferences than IMG applicants.
In this AMA news article, medical students and other residency applicants will get valuable information regarding:
- Why residency applicants use geographic preferences.
- How residency program directors weigh geographic preferences versus other factors.
- How geographic preferences improve residency interview odds in selected regions.
- The limiting factors of selecting geographic preferences for applying broadly.
- Program director insight on which applicants should use geographic preferences.
- The benefits of indicating “no preference.”
