Australia
Pathways to medicine in Australia
There are five main pathways to medicine in Australia. Two start from Year 12 and use UCAT ANZ. One starts from a bachelor degree and uses GAMSAT. Rural and First Nations pathways run inside both, and some of them drop the admissions test.
The short version
- School-leaver entry: apply in Year 12 with your school results, a UCAT ANZ score and usually an interview.
- Provisional or assured entry: apply in Year 12 for a conditional place in a Doctor of Medicine, held while you complete a first degree.
- Graduate entry: apply with a bachelor degree, a GPA and a GAMSAT score.
- Rural pathways: reserved places and lower bars for applicants from a rural background.
- First Nations pathways: separate entry for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants, often without GAMSAT.
The pathways to medicine in Australia at a glance
| Pathway | When you apply | Admissions test | Main criteria |
|---|---|---|---|
| School-leaver entry | Final year of high school | UCAT ANZ | Academic results, UCAT ANZ, interview |
| Provisional or assured entry | Final year of high school | UCAT ANZ | ATAR, UCAT ANZ, interview, then a minimum GPA in your first degree |
| Graduate entry | Final year of a degree, or after it | GAMSAT | GPA, GAMSAT, interview, Casper at some schools |
| Rural pathways | Either stage | Usually the same test | Rural background, often a separate ranking |
| First Nations pathways | Either stage | Often waived | Separate application and assessment, set by each school |
School-leaver entry with UCAT ANZ
Undergraduate medical degrees take students straight from Year 12. Universities in the UCAT ANZ Consortium use the test alongside interviews and academic results.
UCAT ANZ is run by a consortium of universities in Australia and New Zealand. You sit it in the year you apply. For 2027 entry the test window was 1 July to 5 August 2026. Results cannot be carried over, so a 2026 score can only be used for courses starting in 2027.
You can sit UCAT ANZ only if you are in, or have finished, the final year of secondary school. The consortium states there are no general exemptions from the test.
| University | Course that requires UCAT ANZ |
|---|---|
| Adelaide University | Medicine |
| Charles Sturt University | Medicine |
| Curtin University | Medicine |
| Flinders University | Clinical Sciences / Medicine |
| Monash University | Medicine |
| University of Newcastle and University of New England | Joint Medical Program |
| University of New South Wales | Medicine |
| University of Queensland | Medicine (provisional entry pathway) |
| University of Tasmania | Medicine |
| University of Western Australia | Doctor of Medicine via Bachelor of Biomedicine (Specialised) |
| Western Sydney University | Medicine |
| Central Queensland University | Medical Science (provisional entry to UQ) |
| University of Southern Queensland | Medicine Pathway (provisional entry to the UQ MD) |
| University of the Sunshine Coast | Medical Science, UCAT optional (provisional entry to the Griffith MD) |
UCAT ANZ and GAMSAT are different kinds of test. The GAMSAT vs UCAT comparison covers the format of each.
Provisional and assured entry
Provisional entry gives a Year 12 student a conditional place in a Doctor of Medicine. You complete a first degree, meet a GPA condition, and move into the MD without sitting GAMSAT.
Two examples show how the conditions work:
- University of Queensland. You apply in your final year of school with an adjusted ATAR of at least 95, a competitive UCAT ANZ score and a multiple mini interview. You then complete your first degree at UQ in the minimum time with a GPA of at least 5.0. Regional versions run through CQUniversity and UniSQ.
- University of Western Australia.The Assured Pathway asks for an ATAR of at least 98 (90 for the Indigenous school-leaver pathway), UCAT ANZ and an interview. You complete UWA’s Bachelor of Biomedicine (Specialised) with a selection GPA of at least 5.5 in its first two years. Both degrees take six years full time.
Some graduate-entry schools also hold places for their own undergraduates. ANU reserves about 40 places for its undergraduate pathway students. Macquarie keeps up to 30 interview places for its Bachelor of Clinical Science students. Melbourne runs a Guaranteed Entry Pathway for two cohorts of its own undergraduates.
Graduate entry with GAMSAT
Graduate entry suits you if you already hold, or are finishing, a bachelor degree. There are 12 graduate-entry medical programs in our dataset. Most apply through GEMSAS, and each sets its own GAMSAT minimum, GPA rule and interview.
The full list with each school’s requirements is on graduate entry medicine in Australia. The step-by-step process, with timings, is on how to get into medicine as a graduate.
Rural pathways to medicine
Most Australian medical schools must give at least 25% of their Commonwealth Supported Places to applicants from a rural background. For GEMSAS, rural background means living in an area classed MM2 to MM7 for 5 consecutive or 10 cumulative years.
Rural applicants often compete in a separate ranking. Some examples:
- Flinders published a cutoff of 61 for its rural sub-quota and 76 for standard applicants (2027 entry).
- Wollongong guarantees an interview to rural-origin NSW applicants who put it first and meet the minimums.
- UQ allocates 28% of new domestic MD places to applicants from a rural background, and runs regional pathways in Central Queensland, Wide Bay and the Darling Downs.
- Deakin’s Rural Training Stream and Melbourne’s MD Rural Pathway can admit you without GAMSAT (see the table below).
Many schools also offer Bonded Medical Places. A bonded student receives a Commonwealth Supported Place and must work in eligible regional, rural or remote areas for 3 years after completing the MD.
First Nations pathways to medicine
Every graduate-entry school in our dataset runs a separate pathway for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants. Several take direct applications instead of going through GEMSAS, and some have uncapped places.
Many of these pathways waive GAMSAT. Tasmania’s Aboriginal Entry Pathway asks for neither GAMSAT nor UCAT. At school-leaver level, UQ runs an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander provisional entry pathway, and UWA sets a lower ATAR minimum for its Indigenous school-leaver pathway.
Pathways to medicine that waive GAMSAT
In our dataset, 14 pathways at 10 Australian universities admit without a GAMSAT score.
| University | Pathway |
|---|---|
| Deakin University | Rural Training Stream Tier 1: waives GAMSAT entirely |
| Flinders University | Indigenous Entry Stream: no GAMSAT required |
| Griffith University | First Peoples Health Pathway: GAMSAT not required, GPA 5.0 |
| Macquarie University | Indigenous Pathway: GAMSAT optional |
| University of Melbourne | MD Rural Pathway: no GAMSAT if Melbourne is sole preference |
| University of Melbourne | North Western pathway (Victoria University graduates): no GAMSAT |
| University of Melbourne | Indigenous entry: GAMSAT waived, GPA 5.0 plus MMI |
| University of Melbourne | MD Guaranteed Entry Pathway (Chancellor's Scholars and Guaranteed Full Fee Entry, University of Melbourne undergraduates): no GAMSAT |
| University of Queensland | Indigenous MD applicants: GAMSAT not mandatory |
| University of Sydney | Indigenous Facilitated Entry (MD only): GAMSAT waived from 2027 entry. The DMD Indigenous scheme still requires GAMSAT results, with 50 per section preferred. |
| University of Western Australia | Boola Boola Djinda Indigenous pathway: ranked on GPA and interview, no GAMSAT weighting |
| University of Wollongong | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Pathway (direct application): neither GAMSAT nor Casper required |
| University of Tasmania | Aboriginal Entry Pathway: neither GAMSAT nor UCAT required |
| University of Tasmania | Bachelor of Medical Research (BMedRes) pathway: no GAMSAT, ranked on BMedRes average (65% minimum). Being replaced from 2027 by the BBiomed quota, which does require GAMSAT. |