Dermatology Residency Application Instructions

For the 2025-2026 application season (for residents starting the program in 2027), all interviews will be conducted virtually in accordance with the AAMC recommendations.

We accept applications to the Dermatology Residency Program through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-residency/article/myeras-application-residency-applicants/.

Document Requirements

• Current curriculum vitae
• ERAS application including all recent updates
• Personal statement
• Dean’s letter
• USMLE Step 1 scores and USMLE Step 2 scores (No minimum score for Step 2) or Comlex - Level 1 scores and Comlex - Level 2 scores

• Medical School Transcript
• Letters from three references (including program director for the preliminary year or previous residency, if applicable, and at least one letter from Dermatology)

Application Requirements

Applicants to the UNM Dermatology Residency Program must be students at or graduates of approved medical schools in the United States or Canada and must successfully complete a preliminary (PGY-1) year before being eligible to begin dermatology residency training (PGY-2). We also accept applications from osteopathic (DO) physicians who must complete a transitional year, or a first year residency in emergency medicine, family medicine, general surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics & gynecology, pediatrics, or preliminary year https://www.abderm.org/residents-and-fellows/primary-certification-examination/requirements-to-take-the-certifying-exam.aspx#AdeqClinTrn.We also accept applications from International Medical Graduates, but only if they have graduated from a medical school recognized by the Medical Board of California (https://www.mbc.ca.gov/Applicants/Schools_Recognized/),  completed PGY-1 training in the US in one of the specialties approved by the American Board of Dermatology, hold a current, valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), and are eligible for a New Mexico Medical License. Eligibility requirements for New Mexico Medical License are found at https://www.fsmb.org/siteassets/ua/states/032/instructions.pdf.  We accept only J-1 Visas.We welcome applications from physicians with previous residency training beyond internship, particularly in internal medicine or pediatrics (even if their additional years of training make them ineligible for Medicare GME funding).

Holistic Application Review

https://www.aamc.org/services/member-capacity-building/holistic-review

Holistic Review considers the “whole” applicant

Holistic Review refers to mission-aligned selection processes that take into consideration applicants’ experiences, attributes, and academic metrics as well as the value an applicant would contribute to learning, practice, and teaching. Holistic Review allows selection committees to consider the “whole” applicant, rather than disproportionately focusing on any one factor. 

Core Principles of Holistic Review

1. Applicant selection criteria are broad, clearly linked to Department mission and goals, and promote numerous aspects of diversity as essential to excellence.
2. Selection criteria include experiences and attributes as well as academic performance. These criteria are:​​​​​
   • Used to assess applicants in light of their unique backgrounds and with the intent of creating a richly diverse interview and selection pool and student body,
   • Applied equitably across the entire candidate pool, and
   • Supported by student performance data that show that certain experiences or characteristics are linked to that individual’s likelihood of success as a learner and/or physician.
3. Schools consider each applicant’s potential contribution to both the Department and the field of medicine, allowing them the flexibility to weigh and balance the range of criteria needed in a class to achieve their institutional mission and goals. 
4. Race and ethnicity may be considered as factors when making admission-related decisions only when aligned with mission-related educational interests and goals associated with learner diversity; and when considered as a broader mix of factors, which may include personal attributes, experiential factors, demographics, or other considerations.*

*Under federal law (and permitted by state law)