Family Medicine Has 15% More Applicants Than Four Years Ago
On the day programs opened ERAS 2027 applications, 10,148 people had applied to family medicine, against 8,815 at the same point of ERAS 2023. Programs interviewed 42% of the applicants who signaled them and 19% of those who didn't.
By Rezumab · Data as of
That is a 15% increase, comparing the same day of each cycle. Of the 20 specialties with at least 300 applicants, 17 grew; family medicine had the 13th-largest increase. Over full seasons, the change from ERAS 2023 to 2026 was +15%. By applicant type, the same-day change since ERAS 2023 was −4% for MDs, −9% for DOs and +35% for international graduates.
Below are five seasons of AAMC ERAS data for family medicine: 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 international-graduate share of applicants rose 6 points
In ERAS 2026, 12,815 people applied to family medicine. The pool was 17.3% MD, 17.3% DO and 65.4% international graduates. 30.7% applied to no other specialty, a count that treats required preliminary and transitional years as another specialty.
Applicants are down 3.8% from the same day last year
| Season | All | MD | DO | Intl. grads | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ERAS 2027so far, vs. same day of 2026 | ▼−3.8% | ▼−3.5% | ▼−1.7% | ▼−4.5% | ▼−8.5% |
| ERAS 2026vs. 2025 | ▲+13.5% | ▲+2.3% | ▼−6.1% | ▲+25.8% | ▲+11.6% |
| ERAS 2025vs. 2024 | ▲+11.7% | ▲+1.6% | ▲+4.2% | ▲+19.8% | ▲+0.2% |
| ERAS 2024vs. 2023 | ▼−5.6% | ▼−3.9% | ▼−5.4% | ▼−6.5% | ▼−18.1% |
The median applicant sends 29 applications, down from 32
By type in ERAS 2026: MDs 24, DOs 30, international graduates 30. The middle half of applicants sent between 13 and 50. The overall median is the eighth lowest of 23 specialties covered here.
On the programs’ side, the median family medicine program received 384 applications in ERAS 2026, against 541 in ERAS 2023.
Most applications still arrive without a signal
In ERAS 2027, 99% of family medicine applicants used signals, and the median signaling applicant used 5.
At the median program, 11% of applicants had signaled it, up from 10% in ERAS 2026. The median program received 45 signals; the busiest tenth received 127 or more.
Signals per applicant by season: 2024: 5 · 2025: 5 · 2026: 5 · 2027: 5.
Unsignaled applicants still get interviews
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| Did not signal | Signaled | |
|---|---|---|
| All applicants | 19% | 42% |
| MD | 49% | 78% |
| DO | 45% | 75% |
| Intl. graduates | 4% | 12% |
At 92% of programs, signaled applicants were interviewed at a higher rate than those who didn’t signal. Applying beyond your signals still pays in family medicine; a signal raises the odds but isn’t required.
These are last season’s rates. Track who is sending family medicine interview invites this season.
A DO's signal returns 96% of what an MD's does; an international graduate's, 15%
An MD who signaled a family medicine program was interviewed at 78% of the median program, the third highest of 21 specialties with interview data. For DOs, family medicine ranks the second most DO-friendly of 16.
An international graduate who signaled (12%) still did worse than an MD who didn’t (49%).
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 57%
| Also applied to, ERAS 2026 | Share of applicants |
|---|---|
| Internal Medicine (categorical) | 57% |
| Internal Medicine (primary care) | 42% |
| Internal Medicine (preliminary)PGY-1 year | 26% |
| Pediatrics | 15% |
| Transitional YearPGY-1 year | 12% |
| Psychiatry | 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.