What happens after the UCAT ANZ: results to offers
What happens after my child sits the UCAT ANZ?
Four things happen, in this order: your child receives their scores, applies to universities, is invited to interviews if shortlisted, and receives offers. The whole process runs from the middle of Year 12 to the following summer.
| Stage | Roughly when | Who acts |
|---|---|---|
| Scores arrive | Within a day of the test | Sent to your child automatically |
| Results reach universities | Early September | Sent by the UCAT ANZ Office |
| Applications | Spring, with early deadlines for medicine | Your child |
| Interviews | Late spring and summer | The universities invite |
| Offers | Summer | The admissions centres and universities |
The months above are the usual pattern. Each university sets its own dates, and they change from year to year.
When does my child get their results?
Within about a day. After the test your child receives an email with instructions for opening their score report in their online account. The official results page describes the report as being for the candidate's own records.
So your child knows their scores weeks before most university deadlines. That is useful, because it leaves time to decide where to apply.
What do the scores mean?
The report gives a score for each section of the test. By themselves the numbers say little until you know how other candidates did.
The test's owners publish that comparison in stages. Preliminary statistics come out late in August, and summary statistics with percentiles follow in September. Our scoring guide explains how the scores are built and how to read a percentile.
We do not publish converted or predicted scores, and nobody can tell your child what score will be enough. Each university decides how it uses the result and publishes that on its own website.
Do we send the results to the universities?
No. The UCAT ANZ Office sends every candidate's results directly to the universities in early September. Your child never forwards them.
What your child does need is their UCAT ANZ ID number. It appears on the score report and in their online account, and it is quoted in university applications so the results can be matched.
How does my child apply to universities?
Through the admissions centre for each state, and sometimes directly to the university as well. The UCAT ANZ booking is not a university application. That is a separate step.
| State or territory | Admissions centre |
|---|---|
| New South Wales and the ACT | UAC |
| Victoria | VTAC |
| Queensland | QTAC |
| South Australia and the Northern Territory | SATAC |
| Western Australia | TISC |
Three things are different for medicine.
- Deadlines come early. In New South Wales, several medicine courses close to new preferences around the end of September, well before most other courses.
- Some universities want their own form. A separate application to the university can be required on top of the admissions centre one.
- Applying in several states means several applications. Each centre handles its own state.
The New South Wales centre publishes a page of medicine dates and pathways each year, and it is a good model of what to look for in other states. The universities guide lists every course that uses the test.
How should my child order their preferences?
In the order they genuinely want the courses. The New South Wales centre's advice is that the first preference should be the course the applicant would most like to do.
Listing a course lower does not count against an applicant there. An applicant who misses their first preference is considered equally with other eligible applicants for the next one. Where interviews are part of selection, eligible applicants are invited whatever order they listed their preferences in.
It is also wise to list courses other than medicine. A good second plan sits lower on the same list and costs nothing to include.
When are interviews, and how do they work?
Late in the year and over summer. In New South Wales, for example, the published steps for the latest medicine intake put interview invitations from October and interviews from November into January.
Many medical schools use a multiple mini interview, or MMI. The applicant moves through a series of short stations, each with its own scenario. Not every university uses it. Each university explains its own interview on its website.
Interviews are by invitation. An applicant who is not invited by one university may still be invited by another, because each one shortlists in its own way.
Practical points for parents.
- Keep the summer flexible. Interview dates are set by the university and may fall in the holidays.
- Watch the email account your child applied with. That is where the university will write.
- Ask how the interview is held. Some are online. If one is in person in another city, budget for travel.
When do offers come out?
Over summer. In New South Wales, the published offer rounds for the latest medicine intake fall mostly in January, with some in December and February. Each university names its rounds in advance.
An offer has a deadline for accepting it. If your child holds an offer for another course while waiting on medicine, read the conditions on both before accepting or declining.
Can the result be used again next year?
No. A UCAT ANZ result is valid for one admissions cycle only. A student who applies again the following year sits the test again.
If the offers do not come, there are still several ways forward. Our page on what to do if medicine doesn't work out sets them out.
Sources
- UCAT ANZ Consortium, UCAT ANZ Results
- UCAT ANZ Consortium, Frequently Asked Questions
- UCAT ANZ Consortium, Dates and Fees
- Universities Admissions Centre, Medicine/dentistry/vet key dates and pathways
- The University of Auckland, MMI Interviews: Key Information
- VTAC, QTAC, SATAC and TISC
Each university's own website is the authority on its dates. Check it before your child applies.
MyelinMed is not affiliated with UCAT ANZ, the UCAT Consortium, Pearson VUE or any university.
Common questions
Does my child need to send their UCAT ANZ results to universities?
No. The UCAT ANZ Office delivers every candidate's results directly to the universities in early September. Your child quotes their UCAT ANZ ID number in each application.
Does booking the UCAT ANZ count as applying to university?
No. Sitting the test and applying to university are separate steps. Applications go through each state's admissions centre, and sometimes directly to the university as well.
Does the order of preferences affect interview invitations?
The New South Wales admissions centre states that, where interviews are part of selection, all eligible applicants are invited whatever order they listed their preferences in. Check the rule for each state.
When are percentiles published?
The test's owners publish preliminary statistics late in August and summary statistics with percentiles in September.
Related guides
Facts checked 13 Oct 2026