Application Process

The Henry Ford Ophthalmology Program offers five positions per year. Applications are accepted only through the Central Application System (CAS) and positions are filled through the San Francisco Matching Program. All applications are carefully reviewed, and interviews are awarded to the most qualified candidates.

Eligible applicants:

• Students or graduates of LCME or AOA accredited medical schools in the US and Canada.
• Students or graduates from outside the US and Canada who hold a currently valid ECFMG certificate.
• All applicants must provide USMLE Step I results in order to be considered for an interview.

New for applicants applying in 2026 for a July 2027 start: Henry Ford Hospital’s Ophthalmology Residency will transition to a fully integrated program. As part of the integrated curriculum, residents will complete four months of ophthalmology training during the PGY-1 year, providing earlier exposure to the specialty and greater continuity throughout residency.

Application deadline: September 15

The selection process:

The Residency Selection Committee is comprised of residents, program director, and associate program director, chief resident for education, chief resident for clinical care, chair, and interested faculty. This group reviews completed applications and also interviews, discusses, and ranks the applicants.

Answers to commonly asked questions about interviews:

1. Do you have minimum score requirements? While high USMLE scores can complement a strong academic transcript, our primary focus is to create a well-rounded team of residents. Distinctions such as AOA, Gold Humanism (or similar), leadership/community awards can often outweigh USMLE scores.
2. Do you accept Comlex scores? Osteopathic applicants may submit COMLEX scores but USMLE scores are required for consideration of an interview.
3. Do you have a graduation date cut off? Although there is no "date of graduation" cut-off, lapses in clinical training/clinical practice may be cause for concern.
4. Do you accept international graduates? We have accepted and do consider international graduates into our program; however, our department sponsors only J-1 visas. International graduates must have a valid ECFMG certificate uploaded to the CAS by December 31st of the interview year.
5. Does your program include the internship year as a joint or integrated program? As of 2026, the Henry Ford Ophthalmology program is now integrated. A separate application through ERAS is not needed.