Plastic Surgery (Integrated) Has 25% More Applicants Than Four Years Ago
On the day programs opened ERAS 2027 applications, 469 people had applied to plastic surgery, against 374 at the same point of ERAS 2023. Programs interviewed 32% of the applicants who signaled them and 0.8% of those who didn't.
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That is a 25% increase, comparing the same day of each cycle. Of the 20 specialties with at least 300 applicants, 17 grew; plastic surgery had the seventh-largest increase. Over full seasons, the change from ERAS 2023 to 2026 was +28%. By applicant type, the same-day change since ERAS 2023 was +31% for MDs and −3% for international graduates.
Below are five seasons of AAMC ERAS data for plastic surgery: 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 rose 4 points
In ERAS 2026, 521 people applied to plastic surgery. The pool was 76.4% MD, 4.4% DO and 19.2% international graduates. 43.6% applied to no other specialty, a count that treats required preliminary and transitional years as another specialty.
Applicants are down 2.3% from the same day last year
| Season | All | MD | DO | Intl. grads | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ERAS 2027so far, vs. same day of 2026 | ▼−2.3% | ▲+1.1% | – | ▼−18.3% | ▼−5.8% |
The median applicant sends 84 applications, up from 67
By type in ERAS 2026: MDs 88, DOs 45, international graduates 20. The middle half of applicants sent between 45 and 89. The overall median is the highest of 23 specialties covered here.
On the programs’ side, the median plastic surgery program received 96 applications in ERAS 2026, against 66 in ERAS 2023.
About 30% of a program's applicants signal it
In ERAS 2027, 99% of plastic surgery applicants used signals, and the median signaling applicant used 20.
At the median program, 32% of applicants had signaled it, up from 30% in ERAS 2026. The median program received 102 signals; the busiest tenth received 135 or more.
Signals per applicant by season: 2026: 20 · 2027: 20.
Without a signal, interviews are rare
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| Did not signal | Signaled | |
|---|---|---|
| All applicants | 0.8% | 32% |
| MD | 0.8% | 40% |
| Intl. graduates | 0% | 0% |
22% of plastic surgery 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 plastic surgery interview invites this season.
International graduates who signaled were rarely interviewed
An MD who signaled a plastic surgery program was interviewed at 40% of the median program, the sixth lowest of 21 specialties with interview data. The AAMC didn’t report a DO figure (under 50 DO applicants).
An international graduate who signaled and an MD who didn’t were both interviewed at essentially zero.
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 general surgery, chosen by 43%
| Also applied to, ERAS 2026 | Share of applicants |
|---|---|
| General Surgery (categorical) | 43% |
| General Surgery (preliminary)PGY-1 year | 27% |
| Internal Medicine (categorical) | 5% |
| Family Medicine | 4% |
| Anesthesiology | 3% |
| Transitional YearPGY-1 year | 3% |
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.