How to get into dentistry in Australia

What are the routes into dentistry?

There are two. You can start a five-year dentistry degree straight from school, or complete a first degree and then a graduate-entry dentistry course of three and a half to four years. Both lead to registration as a dentist.

What makes a course count is accreditation. A graduate of a program accredited by the Australian Dental Council and approved by the Dental Board of Australia can apply to register as a dentist. The Australian Dental Council's list is the place to check any course you are considering.

Which universities offer dentistry?

Ten courses at nine universities lead to registration as a dentist. This table is taken from the Australian Dental Council's list of accredited programs, checked in October 2026.

UniversityCourseLengthWho it is for
Adelaide UniversityBachelor of Dental Surgery5 yearsSchool leavers
Charles Sturt UniversityBachelor of Dental Science5 yearsSchool leavers
Griffith UniversityBachelor of Dental Health Science / Master of Dentistry5 yearsSchool leavers
James Cook UniversityBachelor of Dental Surgery5 yearsSchool leavers
La Trobe UniversityBachelor of Dental Science (Honours)5 yearsSchool leavers
The University of QueenslandBachelor of Dental Science (Honours)5 yearsSchool leavers
The University of QueenslandDoctor of Dental Medicine3.5 yearsGraduates
The University of MelbourneDoctor of Dental Surgery4 yearsGraduates
The University of SydneyDoctor of Dental Medicine4 yearsGraduates
The University of Western AustraliaDoctor of Dental Medicine4 yearsGraduates, or school leavers through an assured pathway

Some are taught away from the capital cities. Charles Sturt's course is at its Orange campus, James Cook's at Cairns and La Trobe's at Bendigo.

Which entrance test does each route use?

Most undergraduate courses use the UCAT ANZ. Adelaide, Charles Sturt, Griffith and The University of Queensland use it for their undergraduate dentistry courses, and the University of Western Australia uses it for school leavers entering its assured pathway. The universities guide lists every course that requires the test.

Two undergraduate courses are not on that list. James Cook University selects dentistry applicants on academic results and a written application. La Trobe's course page sets out how it selects. Check both before you assume you need the test, or that you do not.

Graduate-entry courses use GAMSAT. Melbourne, Sydney, The University of Queensland and the University of Western Australia all ask domestic graduate applicants for a GAMSAT result. GAMSAT is a different test, run by the Australian Council for Educational Research and open to people who have completed or are enrolled in a bachelor degree.

What do undergraduate courses look for?

Most look at three things: your school results, your UCAT ANZ result and, at some universities, an interview. Each university sets its own mix.

  • School results and prerequisites. Your ATAR or its equivalent, plus set Year 12 subjects. Adelaide asks for two Year 12 sciences from its lists. James Cook asks for English, Mathematical Methods and Chemistry.
  • The UCAT ANZ. Sat in the middle of Year 12, at the courses that use it.
  • An interview, where one is used. Adelaide invites eligible applicants to an interview. Griffith runs a recorded online interview. The University of Western Australia uses a multiple mini interview of eight stations.

Check the prerequisites in Year 10, before you choose your senior subjects.

What do graduate-entry courses look for?

They look at your first degree, your grades and your GAMSAT result. For 2027 entry these were the published rules at four of them.

  • The University of Melbourne. A bachelor degree, prerequisite subjects and GAMSAT. Your marks and your GAMSAT result are both considered.
  • The University of Sydney. A minimum grade point average of 5 out of 7, and at least 50 in each section of GAMSAT. Applicants are ranked on their GAMSAT section scores.
  • The University of Queensland. A degree in health or the sciences, recent study in anatomy and physiology, a grade point average of at least 5.0 and GAMSAT. It holds no interview.
  • The University of Western Australia. GAMSAT for domestic graduates, and an interview.

These rules change from year to year. Read each course's own admissions page for the year you apply.

Are there rural and access pathways?

Yes. Several universities hold places, or a separate path, for applicants from rural areas and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants. A few examples:

  • James Cook University. Applicants who have lived in a rural or remote area long enough can apply for a reserved place through the QTAC Rural Access Scheme.
  • Charles Sturt University. Rural and First Nations applicants complete a supplementary form with their application.
  • La Trobe University. Its dentistry course has a Regional Entry and a First Nations Australian Entry option.
  • The University of Sydney. Rural applicants to the Doctor of Dental Medicine faced a lower minimum grade point average for 2027 entry.
  • The University of Melbourne. Its Graduate Access Melbourne scheme considers rural background among other circumstances.

Each scheme has its own definition of a rural background. If you live outside a major city, ask each university whether you qualify.

How do you apply?

For an undergraduate course, you apply through the admissions centre for the state the university is in: QTAC in Queensland, UAC in New South Wales and the ACT, VTAC in Victoria, SATAC in South Australia and TISC in Western Australia. Dentistry deadlines can be early: Charles Sturt's applications for 2027 entry closed on 13 September 2026. Some universities also ask for their own form or a written application.

For a graduate-entry course, follow the university's own admissions page. Each sets its own application steps and dates.

What about oral health and dental hygiene?

These are separate careers with their own degrees. A Bachelor of Oral Health, usually three years, leads to registration as a dental hygienist, a dental therapist or an oral health therapist. Many universities offer one, including Adelaide, Charles Sturt, CQUniversity, Curtin, La Trobe, Melbourne, Newcastle and Sydney, and Griffith offers a Bachelor of Dental Hygiene.

Some students later move from oral health into dentistry. The University of Melbourne, for example, lets registered oral health therapists meet its prerequisites through a special entry scheme.

Related guides

Sources

Each university's own website is the authority on its course. Check it before you apply.

MyelinMed is not affiliated with UCAT ANZ, the UCAT Consortium, Pearson VUE or any university.

Common questions

How long does it take to become a dentist?

Five years from school on an undergraduate course. On the graduate route, a bachelor degree of at least three years and then a graduate course of three and a half to four years.

Do you need Biology at school for dentistry?

Not always. James Cook University recommends Biology but does not require it, and Adelaide University accepts it as one of its two required sciences. Check each course's prerequisites.

Is there an interview for graduate-entry dentistry?

It depends on the university. The University of Queensland holds none for its Doctor of Dental Medicine, the University of Western Australia uses one, and the University of Sydney may use one only to separate applicants who are ranked equally.

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