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Application Process

Saint Louis University's General Surgery Residency Program exclusively uses the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).

For the 2025 ERAS® cycle, our program will participate in the Supplemental ERAS application. All applicants are required to complete the MyERAS application, however, participation in the Supplemental ERAS application is optional. Paper applications will not be accepted.

Application Requirements

Applications should consist of all ERAS® materials and the following documents:

  • Medical student performance evaluation
  • Transcripts
  • Three letters of recommendation from American Board of Surgery-certified surgeons who are familiar with your work
  • USMLE Step I and Step II results
  • Personal statement

A dean’s letter is not required for initial review.

There is significant competition for our academic general surgery residency training positions. Successful applicants are above-average medical students with work-oriented personalities. We seek residents who will contribute to general surgery now and throughout their careers. Our students are clinically and intellectually advanced enough to handle, without difficulty, the rigorous patient care and didactic aspects of surgical training, allowing them to take full advantage of the educational benefits we can provide.

Passage of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) is required on first attempts, with minimum scores of 230. We will review your completed application and consider all provided information. Please note that high scores and honors do influence the selection committee.

If you are an international medical graduate, contact your local Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) office for more information on ERAS. Foreign medical graduates are required to have ECFMG certification before applying to our program. We sponsor the J-1 visa and do not review applications of candidates who have been out of medical school for more than three years.

All offers and scheduling will be managed through the Thalamus program. Be sure to include your preferred personal email address as part of your application; please do not use your school email address.

For questions, contact the surgery education office at 314-617-3811 or jenna.degnerlopez@ssmhealth.com.