Otolaryngology Has 37% More Applicants Than Four Years Ago
On the day programs opened ERAS 2027 applications, 713 people had applied to otolaryngology, against 521 at the same point of ERAS 2023. Programs interviewed 34% of the applicants who signaled them and 1% of those who didn't.
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That is a 37% increase, comparing the same day of each cycle. Of the 20 specialties with at least 300 applicants, 17 grew; otolaryngology had the second-largest increase. Over full seasons, the change from ERAS 2023 to 2026 was +23%. By applicant type, the same-day change since ERAS 2023 was +35% for MDs.
Below are five seasons of AAMC ERAS data for otolaryngology: 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 MD share of applicants fell 4 points
In ERAS 2026, 675 people applied to otolaryngology. The pool was 78.2% MD, 10.2% DO and 11.6% international graduates. 64.1% applied to no other specialty, a count that treats required preliminary and transitional years as another specialty.
Applicants are up 11.4% from the same day last year
| Season | All | MD | DO | Intl. grads | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ERAS 2027so far, vs. same day of 2026 | ▲+11.4% | ▲+15.2% | ▲+18.5% | ▼−32.1% | ▼−0.6% |
| ERAS 2026vs. 2025 | ▲+10.3% | ▲+6.6% | – | – | ▲+2.4% |
| ERAS 2025vs. 2024 | ▲+5.1% | ▲+7.3% | ▼−10.0% | – | ▼−13.1% |
| ERAS 2024vs. 2023 | ▲+6.0% | ▲+2.5% | – | – | ▼−26.3% |
The median applicant sends 35 applications, down from 86
By type in ERAS 2026: MDs 36, DOs 40, international graduates 26.5. The middle half of applicants sent between 27 and 51. The overall median is the 12th lowest of 23 specialties covered here.
On the programs’ side, the median otolaryngology program received 58 applications in ERAS 2026, against 126 in ERAS 2023.
Most applicants a program sees have signaled it
In ERAS 2027, 99% of otolaryngology applicants used signals, and the median signaling applicant used 25.
At the median program, 63% of applicants had signaled it, up from 56% in ERAS 2026. The median program received 139 signals; the busiest tenth received 207 or more.
Signals per applicant by season: 2024: 25 · 2025: 25 · 2026: 25 · 2027: 25.
Without a signal, interviews are rare
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| Did not signal | Signaled | |
|---|---|---|
| All applicants | 1% | 34% |
| MD | 1% | 37% |
| DO | 0% | 0% |
| Intl. graduates | 0% | 0% |
45% of otolaryngology programs interviewed no one who hadn’t signaled them. At 97% 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 otolaryngology interview invites this season.
DOs and international graduates who signaled were rarely interviewed
An MD who signaled an otolaryngology program was interviewed at 37% of the median program, the third lowest of 21 specialties with interview data. For DOs, otolaryngology ranks the least DO-friendly of 16.
An international graduate who signaled (0%) still did worse than an MD who didn’t (1%).
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 13%
| Also applied to, ERAS 2026 | Share of applicants |
|---|---|
| Internal Medicine (categorical) | 13% |
| General Surgery (preliminary)PGY-1 year | 12% |
| General Surgery (categorical) | 12% |
| Family Medicine | 5% |
| Internal Medicine (primary care) | 5% |
| Internal Medicine (preliminary)PGY-1 year | 4% |
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.