Residency Explorer Tool

Residency Explorer

Learners seek guidance on determining which residency programs align with their professional and personal goals, while residency programs seek candidates whose objectives and competencies reflect their individual program’s values and mission.  In an effort to meet these needs, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) developed the Residency Explorer (RE) tool. Residency Explorer was designed to empower all applicants to explore and make informed decisions about where to apply for residency.

The Residency Explorer tool uses source-verified data from multiple organizations involved in the undergraduate to graduate medical education transition space. The platform provides greater program transparency to Internal Medicine (IM) students, offering tremendous benefits to a large population of IM learners, including International Medical Students (IMS), International Medical Graduates (IMGs), and osteopathic physicians, and USA MD seniors. Through this tool, AAIM, the AAIM Residency Application Process Work Group, and AAMC hope to ameliorate a component of application surplus.

Residency Explorer Tool

Requires AAMC Login

2025 National GME Census Timeline

May 13 Program survey opened
July 11 August FREIDA deadline
July 22 Roster certification opens
Sept. 30 October FREIDA deadline
Dec. 12 Final GME track deadline

Upcoming Changes for the 2025 – 2026 Season and Data Extraction


Since FY 2021, the Alliance has collaborated with AAMC’s Residency Explorer team to improve the platform’s interface and functionality.  On August 2024, AAMC re-launched an enhanced RE, with personalized profile comparisons, program-level interview invitation data, and detailed program comparisons.

AAMC continues to build and improve the tool. In summer 2025, the IM community can expect:

  1. Newer way of displaying data, making these easier to interpret.  As an example, using bar charts to illustrate interview rates.  
  2. Display year and sources of data to reduce confusion.  As an example, program characteristics and offerings will reflect 2025 information from the GME Track Program Survey.  
  3. Separation of Prelims, Categorical, Primary Care, and Physician Scientist data from the Main Residency Match, including number of positions offered and number of positions filled.  To note, RE displays both USMLE and COMLEX exam data and does not separate by NRMP track (including physician scientist, Primary Care, Preliminary, or Categorical tracks).  AAMC is exploring opportunities to separate these data.  Disclaimers are indicated in the RE Explore and Program pages.  
  4. Addition of licensing exams scores (USMLE and COMLEX-USA) of those interviewed. 10th – 90th percentile score ranges will be displayed.  
  5. Addition of program signal data for Internal Medicine.
  6. Number of required letters of recommendation, to include type of letters (culled from the GME Track Program Survey).
  7.  NEW  Program Highlights feature (pulled from the GME Track Program Survey).  This is a short paragraph about your program and what sets it apart from other programs in the specialty: community, patient population, unique curriculum, training opportunities, clinical experiences, and other distinctive features.

Residency Program Data Sources

The platform extracts residency program data from these sources:

  • ACGME WebADS (will reflect fall 2024 data).
  • AAMC/AMA GME Track, which contains the National GME Census.  The Census consists of the GME Track Program Survey (will reflect summer 2025 data) and the Residency Roster Certification Survey (will reflect winter 2024 data). ERAS Program Management System, specifically the Program Directors Workstation (PDWS), will reflect the 2024 – 2025 application cycle.
  • Thalamus Core (will reflect 2024 – 2025 interview invitation data)
  • National Board of Medical Examiners, NBME (will reflect 2024- 2025 Step 1 and Step 2 CK data)
  • National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners, NBOME (will reflect 2024 – 2025 Level 1 and Level 2 CE data)
  • National Resident Matching Program, NRMP (will reflect 2024 – 2025 number of positions offered and filled

For Program Directors

Program Directors are strongly advised to access Residency Explorer and review their program’s data for accuracy this summer 2025.

Please use your AAMC credentials to login

We recommend that Program Directors pay particular attention to the upcoming GME Track Program Survey:
  • There will be new questions on your program’s USMLE and COMLEX requirements by applicant type. 
  • As mentioned above (reference Program Highlights), the survey will request a paragraph highlighting your program’s unique attributes.
  • Your answers to questions in the GME Track Program Survey will be pulled into Residency Explorer to help applicants find programs attributes that match their needs.

Additional Information

If inaccurate data is pulled from the GME National Census Track Surveys, contact GME Track for help at  gmetrack@aamc.org  or (202) 862-617.  For identified data discrepancies from the ACGME WebADS, contact ADS support staff at ADS@acgme.org or (312) 755-7474.  If you are unsure where data is pulled or have other data extraction and display questions, please direct them to the AAMC Residency Explore team at residencyexplorer@aamc.org.

To ensure that users can easily navigate and fully appreciate Residency Explorer’s enhancements, helpful resources are available in AAMC’s Residency Explorer webpage.  A support team is available to answer programs’ questions and to address any technical or data issues: Residency Explorer Contact Form or residencyexplorer@aamc.org.