Disciplines beyond medicine
GAMSAT for veterinary medicine
One course in the world admits to veterinary medicine on the GAMSAT, and it is the single most unusual entry in the whole system: the only GAMSAT course in Ireland that scores anything other than your test result.
- 1veterinary course admitting on GAMSAT
- 100points in the supplementary form
- 2.2degree class required — lower than medicine
- 0published cut-off
Why this page exists
Irish graduate-entry medicine is famously blunt: GAMSAT alone ranks you, a First is worth exactly what a 2H1 is worth, and ties are broken by random number. Nothing else on your file counts.
UCD Veterinary Medicine is the one exception in the country — and it inverts the rule completely. A PhD, publications, veterinary work experience and leadership are worth up to 80 of 100 points on its supplementary form, and worth precisely nothing at UCD Medicine, twenty minutes across the same campus.
The course
Graduate entry to the MVB at University College Dublin, CAO code DN301.
| DN301 — Veterinary Medicine (graduate entry) | |
|---|---|
| Institution | University College Dublin |
| Award | MVB (Hons) |
| Length | 4 years |
| Degree required | 2.2 honours or above in a Biological, Biomedical or Animal Science discipline — or a Master’s, or a PhD in a relevant area |
| Admissions test | GAMSAT — the same test, same score, same validity window as medicine |
| Ranked on | GAMSAT combined with a 100-point Supplementary Application Form |
| Published cut-off | None. Neither CAO nor UCD publishes one. |
| Application route | CAO for EU applicants; VMCAS for non-EU — not Atlantic Bridge |
| Interview | Possible — “applicants may be invited to attend for an interview” |
The 100-point supplementary form
Graded by at least two independent assessors. This is the part no competitor writes up.
| Criterion | Max | How the points are earned |
|---|---|---|
| Degree award | 20 | 2.2 = 4 · 2:1 = 8 · First = 16 · Master’s = 16 · PhD = 20 |
| Training in the biological sciences | 20 | School level: 1 science subject = 3 · 2 = 6 · 3 = 10. Degree level: bio/physical sciences degree = 3 · Master’s = 6 · PhD = 10 |
| Veterinary and relevant experience | 20 | Days spent across different types of veterinary practice or institute |
| Responsibility, leadership and achievement | 20 | Extramural activities |
| Publications and academic honours | 20 | — |
Two rules that change how you should read that table
Points come from your highest attainment only, not cumulatively. UCD’s wording: “Points are derived from the highest attainment level, not incrementally from all attainment levels.” You cannot stack a 2.2, a 2:1 and a First — a PhD scores 20 and that is the whole of criterion 1.
Everything must already be awarded. “Points will only be given for qualifications that have been awarded and submitted by 6 July of the current year.” A thesis submitted but not conferred scores nothing. Offers then issue in CAO Round 0, in early August — earlier than the main rounds.
What nobody can tell you, including us
UCD does not publish how the GAMSAT score and the form score are combined. The only public statement is that applicants are ranked on “a combination of” the two.
So we are not going to tell you the form is “half your application”, or weight it against your GAMSAT in any ratio, because that number is not in the public record and anyone quoting one has made it up. If the balance matters to your decision, ask UCD directly at vetprogrammes@ucd.ie.
DN301 against UCD Medicine — the same test, opposite systems
This comparison is the reason a GAMSAT candidate should know DN301 exists at all.
| Medicine (DN401) | Veterinary (DN301) | |
|---|---|---|
| Ranked on | GAMSAT alone | GAMSAT + the 100-point form |
| Degree class needed | 2H1 | 2.2 — lower |
| Degree discipline | Any | Biological, biomedical or animal science (any discipline via the 5-year route) |
| Master’s or PhD counts? | No — no marginal value | Yes — scores explicitly |
| Work experience counts? | No | Yes — up to 20 points |
| Leadership and extracurriculars? | No | Yes — up to 20 points |
| Publications? | No | Yes — up to 20 points |
| Interview | No, for EU applicants | Possible |
| Extra form | No | Yes — to CAO within 10 days of applying online, with transcripts |
| Published cut-off | 58 (2025 entry) | None published |
| EU fee, 2026/27 | €19,260 | €25,118 plus a €254 student centre levy |
| Non-EU fee, 2026/27 | €66,360 | €44,880 |
| Non-EU route | Atlantic Bridge | VMCAS — Atlantic Bridge does not cover veterinary |
The practical consequence is worth stating plainly. A candidate with a bio-science PhD, a publication record and two summers in practice is scored on all of it at DN301 and on none of it at DN401 — where a score one point below the line is simply rejected, and a score on the line goes into a random draw. If that describes you, DN301 is a materially different proposition from the one the rest of the Irish system offers, and it is almost never mentioned in GAMSAT preparation material.
What is not published, and what we refuse to guess
Three open items
- No GAMSAT cut-off exists for DN301.Neither CAO nor UCD publishes one, and structurally that makes sense — ranking on a composite means a bare GAMSAT figure would not mean anything. Treat any circulating “DN301 cut-off” as invented.
- The number of places is unverified. A figure of 10 appears in secondary aggregators. We could not confirm it against a primary UCD source and are not publishing it as fact.
- The GAMSAT-to-form weighting is unpublished, as set out above.
Frequently asked questions
Can you use the GAMSAT for veterinary medicine?
Yes, at one institution: University College Dublin. DN301 is the four-year graduate entry route to the MVB, and DN300 is a five-year route open to graduates of any discipline. Both require the GAMSAT. No Australian or UK veterinary course uses it.
What GAMSAT score do I need for UCD veterinary medicine?
There is no published cut-off, and that is not an oversight — ranking combines your GAMSAT with a 100-point supplementary form, so a bare test threshold would not be meaningful. Any specific number you see quoted for DN301 is unverified.
Is UCD veterinary easier to get into than UCD medicine?
Different, not easier. The degree bar is lower — a 2.2 rather than a 2H1 — and postgraduate study, publications, experience and leadership all score, none of which count for medicine. But the discipline requirement is narrower for DN301, an interview is possible, and no cut-off is published to measure yourself against.
Does my degree have to be in science?
For DN301, yes — biological, biomedical or animal science, or a Master’s or PhD in a relevant area. For the five-year DN300, no: any discipline is accepted.
How do non-EU applicants apply?
Through VMCASplus UCD’s own supplemental application — not Atlantic Bridge, which does not cover veterinary medicine at all. This catches out applicants who have read about the Irish medicine route.