Interventional Radiology (Integrated) Has 43% More Applicants Than Four Years Ago
On the day programs opened ERAS 2027 applications, 560 people had applied to interventional radiology, against 393 at the same point of ERAS 2023. Programs interviewed 50% of the applicants who signaled them and 20% of those who didn't.
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That is a 43% increase, comparing the same day of each cycle. Of the 20 specialties with at least 300 applicants, 17 grew; interventional radiology had the largest increase. Over full seasons, the change from ERAS 2023 to 2026 was +29%. By applicant type, the same-day change since ERAS 2023 was +43% for MDs, +30% for DOs and +51% for international graduates.
Below are five seasons of AAMC ERAS data for interventional radiology: 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 7 points
In ERAS 2026, 579 people applied to interventional radiology. The pool was 51.6% MD, 14.3% DO and 34% international graduates. 0.7% applied to no other specialty, a count that treats required preliminary and transitional years as another specialty.
Applicants are up 17.9% from the same day last year
| Season | All | MD | DO | Intl. grads | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ERAS 2027so far, vs. same day of 2026 | ▲+17.9% | ▲+21.1% | ▲+41.2% | 0.0% | ▲+26.0% |
| ERAS 2026vs. 2025 | ▲+3.7% | ▲+0.7% | ▲+7.9% | ▲+7.9% | ▼−3.4% |
| ERAS 2025vs. 2024 | ▲+7.5% | ▲+10.7% | ▼−28.4% | ▲+32.3% | ▲+2.0% |
| ERAS 2024vs. 2023 | ▲+8.4% | ▲+6.1% | ▲+18.9% | ▲+5.5% | ▲+17.7% |
The median applicant sends 27 applications, down from 29
By type in ERAS 2026: MDs 36, DOs 24, international graduates 9. The middle half of applicants sent between 8 and 46. The overall median is the fifth lowest of 23 specialties covered here.
On the programs’ side, the median interventional radiology program received 129 applications in ERAS 2026, against 128 in ERAS 2023.
About 20% of a program's applicants signal it
In ERAS 2027, 99% of interventional radiology applicants used signals, and the median signaling applicant used 8.
At the median program, 19% of applicants had signaled it, up from 20% in ERAS 2026. The median program received 36 signals; the busiest tenth received 67 or more.
Signals per applicant by season: 2024: 6 (gold), 9 (silver) · 2025: 6 (gold), 6 (silver) · 2026: 8 · 2027: 8.
Unsignaled applicants still get interviews
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| Did not signal | Signaled | |
|---|---|---|
| All applicants | 20% | 50% |
| MD | 27% | 70% |
| DO | 12% | 50% |
| Intl. graduates | 0% | 0% |
At 88% of programs, signaled applicants were interviewed at a higher rate than those who didn’t signal. Applying beyond your signals still pays in interventional radiology; a signal raises the odds but isn’t required.
These are last season’s rates. Track who is sending interventional radiology interview invites this season.
A DO's signal returns 71% of what an MD's does; international graduates who signaled were rarely interviewed
An MD who signaled an interventional radiology program was interviewed at 70% of the median program, the fifth highest of 21 specialties with interview data. For DOs, interventional radiology ranks the seventh least DO-friendly of 16.
An international graduate who signaled (0%) still did worse than an MD who didn’t (27%).
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 diagnostic radiology, chosen by 89%
| Also applied to, ERAS 2026 | Share of applicants |
|---|---|
| Diagnostic Radiology | 89% |
| Transitional YearPGY-1 year | 62% |
| General Surgery (preliminary)PGY-1 year | 53% |
| Internal Medicine (preliminary)PGY-1 year | 49% |
| Internal Medicine (categorical) | 27% |
| Internal Medicine (primary care) | 14% |
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.