The Society of Academic Urologists (SAU), in collaboration with the AAMC, is implementing a Standardized Letter of Evaluation (SLOE) pilot for the 2026 – 2027 Urology Residency Match to enhance objective assessment of applicants. The SLOE replaces traditional narrative letters of recommendation with a structured, competency-based evaluation designed to decreased subjectivity, ambiguity and bias. The Urology SLOE introduces standardized, specialty-specific evaluation metrics that enable clearer, more consistent, and comparative assessment of applicants across institutions and will be completed directly in the AAMC Letter Writer Portal.  

Letters of recommendation are among the most important components of the residency application, particularly in an era of decreasing objective metrics. The SAU has long explored ways to improve their utility in the resident selection process with ample stakeholder buy-in. Over the past three years, the SAU funded an educational grant and convened a task force to improve the utility of letters of recommendation in applicant review, with a focus on decreasing subjectivity, ambiguity, interrater variability, and bias.  Through this work, the task force developed a urology-specific Standardized Letter of Recommendation (SLOR), informed by national survey data. Building on this foundation, the SAU partnered with the AAMC to integrate principles of selection science and further refine the SLOR into the SLOE, resulting in a more rigorous, standardized evaluation tool for the 2026–2027 Match cycle.

SLOE Framework
The SLOE framework includes:

• Standardized Rating Scale: Objective assessment of applicant competencies using defined scales, where meaningful differentiation is expected and not all applicants should receive top ratings.
• Letter Writer Background and Context: Clear description of the writer’s experience and relationship with the applicant.
• Candidate Evaluation Domains: Assessment across key areas such as medical knowledge, teamwork, communication, and professionalism.
• Flexible Authorship: Letters may be authored by an individual or a group (e.g., institutional faculty or clinical teams).
• Narrative Component: Opportunity to provide individualized context in addition to standardized scores.
• Overall Residency Rank: Explicit comparative ranking of the applicant relative to other urology candidates.

Key New Policy Features of the 2026–2027 Match Cycle

• At least 3 total letters are required, 2 of which must be SLOE letters
• SLOE writers should be urologists
• Applicants may submit up to 4 letters
• Individual or group-authored letters are accepted for all formats
• All letters must be submitted electronically through the ERAS/AAMC Letter Writer Portal

We know this pilot represents a significant change in the residency application process, and the SAU and AAMC are committed to supporting applicants, letter writers, and advisors through this transition. As always, we will actively solicit stakeholders’ feedback through applicant and program director surveys, focus groups, roundtable discussions, and other forums to guide ongoing refinement and continuous improvement.

Featuring:

• Dr. Benjamin Breyer (University of California, San Francisco)
• Dr. Richard Lee (Cornell University)
• Richard Peng (Association of American Medical Colleges)

Resources

F.A.Q.’s

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