How to get into medicine in Australia from high school

What does a school leaver need to get into medicine?

Most school leavers need three things: strong school results, a UCAT ANZ score and a good interview. Universities combine the three in different ways, and each sets its own rules.

• School results. An ATAR or its equivalent, plus any Year 12 subjects the course requires.
• The UCAT ANZ. An admissions test sat in the middle of Year 12.
• An interview. Offered to shortlisted applicants, usually late in the year or over summer.

The admissions centre for New South Wales describes entry to undergraduate medicine as highly competitive, with a rigorous selection process. That is true in every state. It is worth knowing early, so that your child applies widely and has a plan for more than one outcome.

What are the routes into medicine?

There are three: direct entry from school, provisional entry from school, and graduate entry after a first degree.

Direct entry

Direct entry is the route most families picture. Selection usually rests on school results, the UCAT ANZ and an interview. The universities guide lists the courses that use the test.

Provisional entry

Provisional entry sets aside a future place in a graduate medical course for a school leaver. The student first completes a bachelor degree at that university, and keeps the place by meeting conditions such as a minimum grade average. The University of Queensland's provisional entry listing is one example, and it also requires the UCAT ANZ and an interview.

Graduate entry

Graduate entry is a later route to the same career. A student completes a bachelor degree, sits a different test called GAMSAT, and applies to graduate medical schools. Applications to the member schools of GEMSAS go through that one shared system.

Does every medicine course need the UCAT ANZ?

No. The test's owners state that some pathways into medicine do not require it, and that some applicants need a different test. They also state that there are no general exemptions for the courses that do require it. Check each course's entry requirements on the university's own website before your child books.

What is the interview like?

Many medical schools use a multiple mini interview, often shortened to MMI. The applicant moves through a series of short stations, and each station has its own scenario. Some are held online. The University of Auckland's MMI information page shows how one university runs its interview.

Interviews are by invitation, and each university shortlists in its own way. Not every university uses the MMI format, so read what each one publishes about its own interview.

What are rural entry schemes?

Some universities consider applicants from rural backgrounds separately, or hold interviews for them at different times. The reason is workforce planning. The Australian Government notes that health students from a rural background are more likely to take up rural practice when they graduate.

Each university sets its own definition of a rural background. If your family lives outside a major city, ask each university whether your child qualifies. It costs nothing to check.

What is a bonded place?

A bonded place is a government-supported place in a medical course that comes with a commitment to work in an area of need. Under the Australian Government's Bonded Medical Program, the graduate agrees to work in eligible regional, rural and remote areas for three years after finishing the course.

Four things are worth understanding before your child accepts one.

• It is legally binding. The conditions are set in legislation.
• It is not a scholarship. Normal student contributions still apply.
• Entry standards are the same. Bonded applicants meet the same requirements as other applicants.
• Universities manage the offers. Questions about applying go to the university.

A bonded place is neither better nor worse than an unbonded one. It suits a student who is happy to spend part of their career outside the major cities.

How and where does my child apply?

Your child applies through the admissions centre for the state where the university is, and sometimes directly to the university as well.

A student can apply to universities in several states by applying to each centre. Medicine deadlines are often earlier than the deadlines for other courses, and some universities ask for their own form too. Each university's admissions page sets out its steps.

What decides who gets an offer?

Each university decides for itself how to weigh school results, the UCAT ANZ and the interview. The weightings, and the scores needed, differ between universities and change from year to year.

For that reason this page gives no entry scores. Each university publishes how it selects. The scoring guide explains what the UCAT ANZ scores mean.

Sources

• UCAT ANZ Consortium, Universities
• Universities Admissions Centre, Medicine/dentistry/vet key dates and pathways
• QTAC, Doctor of Medicine (MD) (Provisional Entry for School-Leavers)
• Australian Council for Educational Research, GAMSAT
• GEMPASS Australia, GEMSAS
• The University of Auckland, MMI Interviews: Key Information
• Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, About the Bonded Medical Program
• Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training program

Each university's own website is the authority on its course. Check it before your child applies.

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

Facts checked 13 Oct 2026