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// The ERAS photo spec, explained

ERAS Photo Requirements for 2026, Explained

The 2026 spec.

MyERAS accepts one applicant photo: 2.5 × 3.5 inches maximum, under 150 KB, JPG or PNG, face centered. That's the entire published spec, from the AAMC 2026 MyERAS Applicant User Guide. This page explains what each rule means when you're actually preparing the file, and what quietly goes wrong.

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01 / The requirements Four rules, two conventions

What the AAMC requires, and what it merely expects.

The first four cards are published AAMC requirements — the upload enforces the size and format. The last two are industry conventions: the portal won't stop you, but they're what residency programs are used to seeing. Full detail on the session itself lives on the ERAS headshot page.

// Dimensions · AAMC rule
2.5 × 3.5"
A maximum, not a target — but submit at exactly 2.5 × 3.5 (a 5:7 aspect ratio). Smaller photos upload fine, then render small next to applicants who used the full frame.
// File size · AAMC rule
< 150 KB
A hard ceiling at upload. A straight-from-phone photo is 3–8 MB — 20–50× over. The fix is clean export compression, not cropping harder.
// Format · AAMC rule
JPG / PNG
The only two accepted formats. The iPhone default, HEIC, isn't on the list — convert before you upload, not by taking a screenshot.
// Composition · AAMC rule
Face centered
The AAMC explicitly requires your face centered in the frame. Selfie framing tends to sit low and off-axis; shoot from eye level, camera a few feet away.
// Background · convention
Neutral
Not an AAMC rule — an industry standard. A light, even, neutral backdrop reads cleanly at the small size programs actually view photos at.
// Attire · convention
Business pro
Also not an AAMC rule, but the near-universal expectation: blazer or suit, solid colors, no white coat in the primary photo. More in the what-to-wear guide.
02 / Where files go wrong

The portal checks the file. Nobody checks the photo.

MyERAS enforces the size and format rules automatically — those failures are loud. The quiet failures pass validation and simply represent you badly for an entire application season.

01
Crushed compression
Re-saving a large photo over and over to squeeze under 150 KB leaves visible artifacts on skin and hair. One clean export from the original at the right quality setting gets under the cap without the damage.
02
After-the-fact cropping
Cropping a horizontal photo down to 5:7 usually leaves the face off-center, too tight, or with cut-off shoulders. The frame needs to be composed for the ratio, not rescued into it.
03
Selfie geometry
At arm's length, a phone's wide-angle lens distorts facial proportions — and it's most visible at exactly the small print size directors review. Distance and eye-level camera height fix it.
04
Screenshot re-saves
Screenshotting a photo to "convert" it re-encodes and shrinks the image. If you need a JPG, export one from the original file — every generation of re-saving costs quality you can't get back.
// DIY or professional

Can you do this yourself? Honestly, sometimes.

If you have a decent camera, a person to operate it, even light, a neutral wall, and the patience to crop to 5:7 and export under 150 KB — a DIY ERAS photo can pass and look respectable. The spec above is everything you need. No photographer is required by the AAMC.

What a studio session buys is the part the spec can't check: lighting that flatters without looking retouched, coached expressions instead of a frozen one, and a file that's right the first time, days before your deadline instead of the night of. That's the entire pitch — one session, one price, built around this exact spec, on the ERAS headshot page.

Either way: the photo you upload is the one every program sees. Make it deliberate.

03 / If you'd rather not gamble it

Spec-ready, without the spec anxiety.

Every session delivers a file already built to the 2026 MyERAS requirements — sized, formatted, compressed, and composed. Upload it the day it arrives.

// The First Headshot · ERAS
$249
20 min session · 2 retouched images · 48-hour delivery
  • Studio session in South Riding, VA
  • Full coaching: every angle, expression, and adjustment
  • ERAS-spec file (2.5 × 3.5", JPG/PNG, <150 KB)
  • Web and print resolution versions included
  • Pre-session prep guide sent before your appointment
  • Free reschedule up to 48 hours before
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Requirement questions.

What are the ERAS photo requirements for 2026?
The AAMC's 2026 MyERAS Applicant User Guide specifies: maximum 2.5 × 3.5 inches, maximum file size 150 KB, JPG/JPEG or PNG format, with your face centered in the frame. Those four rules are the entire published spec. Neutral backgrounds and business-professional attire are industry standards rather than AAMC requirements.
What size should an ERAS photo be in pixels?
The AAMC publishes the requirement in inches, not pixels: 2.5 × 3.5 inches maximum. At 300 DPI that works out to 750 × 1050 pixels, which is a common delivery size. The binding limits are the inch dimensions, the 150 KB file-size cap, and the JPG/PNG format.
Can I resize an existing photo to meet the ERAS spec?
Sometimes. It works when the original is sharp, evenly lit, and has enough room around your face to crop to the 5:7 aspect ratio with your face centered. Then export as JPG and check the result lands under 150 KB without visible compression artifacts. If the original is a selfie or a group-photo crop, resizing usually can't fix the framing.
Can I use a selfie for my ERAS photo?
The portal will accept any file that meets the size and format rules, so technically yes. But arm's-length framing distorts facial proportions and usually leaves the face off-center, and phone front cameras shoot wide-angle, which exaggerates it. If you're doing it yourself, use the rear camera on a tripod or have someone else take it from a few feet away at eye level.
Do all residency programs see the same photo?
Yes. You upload one photo to your MyERAS application, and that same file represents you at every program you apply to. There's no per-program photo, which is why it's worth getting the one file right.
When should I take my ERAS photo?
Before application-season crunch, and recently enough that you still look like the person who will show up to interviews. If you're planning a haircut or a new pair of glasses, do that first, then shoot. A photo taken a few weeks before you submit is ideal; one from several years ago is not.