Anesthesiology Has 15% More Applicants Than Four Years Ago
On the day programs opened ERAS 2027 applications, 3,856 people had applied to anesthesiology, against 3,364 at the same point of ERAS 2023. Programs interviewed 55% of the applicants who sent a gold signal and 0.7% of those who didn't.
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That is a 15% increase, comparing the same day of each cycle. Of the 20 specialties with at least 300 applicants, 17 grew; anesthesiology had the 14th-largest increase. Over full seasons, the change from ERAS 2023 to 2026 was +4%. By applicant type, the same-day change since ERAS 2023 was +16% for MDs, +21% for DOs and +4% for international graduates.
Below are five seasons of AAMC ERAS data for anesthesiology: who applies, how many applications they send, how signals are used and how often programs interviewed applicants who did and didn’t signal them, split by MD, DO and international medical graduate.
The mix of MD, DO and international applicants has barely changed
In ERAS 2026, 3,761 people applied to anesthesiology. The pool was 59.2% MD, 19% DO and 21.9% international graduates. 20.8% applied to no other specialty, a count that treats required preliminary and transitional years as another specialty.
Applicants are up 9.6% from the same day last year
| Season | All | MD | DO | Intl. grads | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ERAS 2027so far, vs. same day of 2026 | ▲+9.6% | ▲+11.9% | ▲+20.9% | ▼−8.5% | ▼−1.8% |
| ERAS 2026vs. 2025 | ▲+3.4% | ▼−0.7% | ▲+4.6% | ▲+17.0% | ▼−19.5% |
| ERAS 2025vs. 2024 | ▼−0.2% | ▲+3.6% | ▼−10.9% | ▼−0.3% | ▼−20.1% |
| ERAS 2024vs. 2023 | ▲+1.3% | ▲+0.5% | ▲+7.2% | ▼−2.6% | ▼−8.6% |
The median applicant sends 30 applications, down from 60
By type in ERAS 2026: MDs 27, DOs 36, international graduates 34.5. The middle half of applicants sent between 18 and 48. The overall median is the ninth lowest of 23 specialties covered here.
On the programs’ side, the median anesthesiology program received 559 applications in ERAS 2026, against 873 in ERAS 2023.
About 40% of a program's applicants signal it
In ERAS 2027, 100% of anesthesiology applicants used gold signals, and the median signaling applicant used 5 gold and 10 silver.
At the median program, 43% of applicants had signaled it, up from 36% in ERAS 2026. The median program received 285 signals; the busiest tenth received 479 or more.
Signals per applicant by season: 2024: 5 (gold), 10 (silver) · 2025: 5 (gold), 10 (silver) · 2026: 5 (gold), 10 (silver) · 2027: 5 (gold), 10 (silver).
Without a signal, interviews are rare
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| Did not signal | Silver signal | Gold signal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All applicants | 0.7% | 32% | 55% |
| MD | 1% | 43% | 67% |
| DO | 0% | 25% | 59% |
| Intl. graduates | 0% | 3% | 15% |
22% of anesthesiology programs interviewed no one who hadn’t signaled them. At 100% of programs, signaled applicants were interviewed at a higher rate than those who didn’t signal. With rates this low, applications beyond an applicant’s signals rarely turn into interviews.
These are last season’s rates. Track who is sending anesthesiology interview invites this season.
A DO's signal returns 88% of what an MD's does; an international graduate's, 23%
An MD who signaled an anesthesiology program was interviewed at 67% of the median program, the seventh highest of 21 specialties with interview data. For DOs, anesthesiology ranks the fourth most DO-friendly of 16.
An international graduate who signaled (15%) did better than an MD who didn’t (1%), one of the few specialties where that holds.
These are outcomes by group, not the effect of belonging to one. The groups differ in exam timing, visa needs and U.S. clinical experience, and none of that is controlled here.
The most common backup is internal medicine, chosen by 23%
| Also applied to, ERAS 2026 | Share of applicants |
|---|---|
| Transitional YearPGY-1 year | 50% |
| Internal Medicine (preliminary)PGY-1 year | 49% |
| Internal Medicine (categorical) | 23% |
| General Surgery (preliminary)PGY-1 year | 10% |
| Internal Medicine (primary care) | 10% |
| Family Medicine | 7% |
Rows marked PGY-1 year are preliminary and transitional programs, which specialties that start at PGY-2 require. Categorical programs in another specialty are the real backup plan.