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There’s a New and Improved ERAS Fee Structure on its Way

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The AAMC recently announced an updated fee structure for the next ERAS cycle with the goal of lowering total application costs and simplifying the current cost framework, which has been criticized for its complexity. In theory, the change should be an improvement for this year’s applicants.

Essentially, residency candidates will pay $11 per application for up to 30 and $30 per application for 31+. Of note, the structure restarts for any new specialty. So if you plan to apply to two, your costs will be higher.

The AAMC estimates most applicants will see discounts of up to 36%.

The old system was triple tiered. You can see it here. Of note, as I previously blogged about, this year the AAMC will also expand their Fee Assistance Program to include some residency applicants, a first.

You can see the new ERAS fee structure in graphic form here.

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Diversity in Medical School?

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The AAMC recently published a piece about racial, socioeconomic, and gender diversity in 2023-4 medical school classes. The good news is that there’s some more representation of those from Latino and Native American backgrounds. 

African-American student enrollment remained mostly stable.

Women matriculants rose slightly to 56.6%. Economic diversity was still a problem. See the article here for details.

Interestingly, those who entered medical school in 2023-4 had a median undergraduate GPA of 3.84, which was even higher than in previous years.

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AAMC Virtual Medical School Fair

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For those of you applying to medical school this year or next cycle, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) is holding an online medical school fair on October 17 and 18. Topics for the first day include financing medical school, combined degrees, and a timeline for application. On the second day, medical schools and student groups will be available to answer questions. I’m registered and looking forward to the conference. Of note, if you’ve not yet subscribed to the Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR), you should wait until you’ve signed up for the fair, as your registration will include a 15% discount on the MSAR database.

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Changes in the AMCAS

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Premeds applying this cycle will notice a few changes to the AMCAS. There are no drastic modifications, so don’t worry, but it’s worth knowing what to expect.

Back in 2012, an important, new addition appeared on the AMCAS: Applicants were being asked to identify their most significant extracurricular experiences (up to three) and support their choices with more writing. Now the Most Meaningful Paragraphs are par for the course, but the change was a big surprise back then.

This year the updates are comparatively minor. One difference is the Other Impactful Experiences section. It is not an addition, however. It replaces the Disadvantaged Status section, allowing for a broader understanding of challenges that can adversely affect an applicant’s life and candidacy.

To their credit, the AAMC also changed the “other” pronoun and gender identity categories to “another pronoun set” and  “another gender identity.”

Please see this short article from the AAMC regarding other changes in this year’s AMCAS.

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What Coursework is Really Required for Medical School?

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While there is a core curriculum that is a prerequisite for medical school, certain schools require additional coursework or competencies (like the CASPer exam). The AAMC does a good job of keeping up a database of that information, listed by school. An applicant can sort through to see what each institution requires. You might have to do a little bit of digging once you open a school’s link, but the information is usually accessible.

Of note, if a course is required for admission, it’s probably best not to take the class on a pass/fail basis.

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About Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to
stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital.
She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated
Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more

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