Application Documents · 2027 Cycle
The MSPE (Dean's Letter), Explained
The MSPE is the one document programs read that you don't write — a standardized, school-authored evaluation of your entire medical school performance. This guide explains exactly what it contains, how the Noteworthy Characteristics section works, when programs see it, and the few real ways you can influence it.
Updated 21 June 2026 · For the 2027 ERAS season
What the MSPE is — and isn't
The Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE), long known as the “Dean's Letter,” is a synthesized evaluation of your academic performance and professional attributes, written in the fall of your fourth year by a designated school official using the AAMC's standardized template. The key word is evaluation: unlike a letter of recommendation, it is meant to be an objective, comparative summary of your record — not an advocacy letter. Programs use it to understand how you performed and how your school contextualizes that performance.
The standardized sections
| Section | What it contains |
|---|---|
| Identifying Information | Your name, school, and basic program identifiers. |
| Noteworthy Characteristics | Up to three bulleted highlights that add context beyond grades. |
| Academic History | Your progression, including any leaves, remediation, or gaps. |
| Academic Progress | Clerkship performance and narrative comments across rotations. |
| Summary | An overall characterization that situates you relative to peers. |
| Medical School Information | Appendices such as grade and clerkship distributions for context. |
Noteworthy Characteristics: your three lines
The Noteworthy Characteristics section is the part of the MSPE you can most influence. AAMC guidance is a maximum of three characteristics, presented as a bulleted list, each highlighting something salient that grades alone wouldn't reveal — a significant leadership role, meaningful research, resilience through hardship, or a distinctive prior career. Because there are only three, help your MSPE author choose well: give them the context and the specific examples you most want programs to see.
When programs see it
MSPEs are released to programs on the date application review opens. For the 2027 cycle, programs may begin reviewing MyERAS applications and MSPEs on September 23, 2026 at 9 a.m. ET. The MSPE is finalized in the fall of M4 and incorporates clerkship grades and evaluations available by your school's cutoff — so your performance through third year and into early fourth year is what shapes it.
How to influence your MSPE
- Perform and behave consistently. Clerkship grades and professionalism narratives are the raw material — there is no shortcut.
- Meet your MSPE author. Many schools offer a meeting; use it to convey context and goals.
- Supply a complete, accurate CV. Make it easy to capture your strongest experiences.
- Shape your three Noteworthy Characteristics. Suggest the specific accomplishments you want represented.
- Proofread the facts. When given the chance, correct errors in the identifying and factual sections.
Key facts at a glance
- Type: a school-authored evaluation, not a recommendation.
- Author & timing: written by a dean/designee in the fall of M4.
- Noteworthy Characteristics: maximum of three, bulleted.
- 2027 release: programs access MSPEs on September 23, 2026.
- Your control: indirect — performance, professionalism, and the three characteristics.
Sources: AAMC MSPE guidance and recommendations (aamc.org) and the 2027 ERAS Residency Timeline (students-residents.aamc.org). Verified June 2026. Practices vary by school — confirm details with your dean's office.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MSPE (Dean's Letter)?
The Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE), historically called the Dean's Letter, is a synthesized evaluation of your academic performance and professional attributes across medical school. It is written in the fall of your fourth year by a designated school official (often an associate dean or MSPE author) using the AAMC's standardized template, and it is submitted to programs through ERAS.
Is the MSPE a letter of recommendation?
No. The MSPE is an evaluation, not a recommendation. It is meant to be an objective, comparative summary of your performance — drawing on clerkship grades, narrative comments, and academic history — rather than an advocacy letter. Your actual letters of recommendation are separate documents written by individual faculty.
What are the sections of the MSPE?
The AAMC's standardized template includes: Identifying Information; Noteworthy Characteristics; Academic History; Academic Progress (including clerkship performance and narratives); a Summary that situates your overall performance; and Medical School Information with appendices (such as grade and clerkship distributions that give programs context for your results).
What are Noteworthy Characteristics?
Noteworthy Characteristics is a short section that highlights up to three of the most salient things about you as a learner — context that may not be obvious from grades alone, such as a major leadership role, research, resilience through a challenge, or a distinctive prior career. Current AAMC guidance is a maximum of three, presented as a bulleted list, so each one should earn its place.
When is the MSPE released to programs?
MSPEs become available to programs on the date application review opens. For the 2027 cycle, programs may begin reviewing MyERAS applications and MSPEs on September 23, 2026 at 9 a.m. ET. The MSPE is typically finalized in the fall of M4 and incorporates clerkship grades and evaluations available by the school's cutoff.
Can I write or edit my own MSPE?
No — the MSPE is authored by your school, not by you, and it is designed to be an independent evaluation. At most schools you may review the factual identifying information for accuracy (and flag errors), but you cannot rewrite the evaluative content. The best way to shape it is indirectly: perform well in clerkships, behave professionally, and give your MSPE author an accurate, up-to-date CV and any context they request.
Does the MSPE compare me to my classmates?
Often, yes — in a structured way. The Summary section and appendices typically place your performance relative to peers using each school's chosen keywords or distribution graphs. Schools vary in exactly how they do this, so ask your dean's office how your school characterizes overall performance and where the comparative language appears.
How do I get a strong MSPE?
Because the MSPE synthesizes your record, the work starts early: strong clerkship performance and consistent professionalism are what populate it. Beyond that, meet your MSPE author, provide a complete and accurate CV, surface the experiences you want reflected in Noteworthy Characteristics, and proofread the factual sections when given the chance.
What if I have a red flag like a failed course or a leave of absence?
The MSPE reports academic history, including remediation or leaves, so a significant event will usually appear. The right move is to get ahead of it: address it briefly and constructively in your personal statement and be ready to discuss it maturely in interviews. Reviewers respond far better to a candid, growth-oriented explanation than to a gap they have to guess about.
Related guides
- Letters of Recommendation — the documents that complement your MSPE.
- Personal Statement — where to address anything the MSPE will flag.
- Residency CV — give your MSPE author accurate source material.
- ERAS Timeline — when the MSPE is released in the 2027 cycle.
Control what you can control
You can't write your MSPE — but you can make every document you do write exceptional. Our physician reviewers help you do exactly that.