Although the process for undergraduate medicine may seem never-ending, the process of entering undergrad medicine is a path to a career which is truly unlike any other. While intellectually rewarding and stimulating for those who undertake it, what is perhaps the biggest pleasure will be your potential to apply your skills in a clinical environment to real patients and people.
When it comes to the undergrad med application process, unlike most other courses, applying for undergraduate medicine has a few more steps. In addition to waiting for your final ATAR at the end of the year after your exams, there are several preceding steps to obtain entry into undergraduate medical schools.
Hence, applications for undergraduate medicine courses can, for many, be a daunting process, and this is only just the beginning. There are numerous factors to consider, such as UCAT dates and application deadlines, a time strenuous UCAT exam, and your own high school studies which stand in the way.
These are the aspects of the journey to medical schools in Australia, which are often unknown or difficult to navigate for many students in Year 11 and 12. This article ultimately serves to assist you with the undergrad medicine application process!
Undergraduate Medicine Course Overview
The majority of undergraduate medicine degrees are based on a 5 year system where you balance campus-based work and hospital placements. Typically, the first 2 years are spent developing personal, medical, professional skills, and knowledge needed by students in the medical field. The final clinical years constitute the execution of your learnt skills in the clinical environment.
Undergraduate Medicine Eligibility
To apply for medicine in Australia, whether as a domestic or international student, students must have completed their respective school leaving qualifications.
The application process can be quite tedious if relevant documents are not kept handy. As a quick tip, accumulate important documents before you begin the application process and make certain you have the following details:
- Proof of identity and citizenship
- Academic transcripts
Domestic Students Applying To Undergraduate Medicine
As a domestic applicant for undergraduate medicine, you are eligible to apply for any undergraduate medical school university in Australia. This means you satisfy the requirements of:
- Academic grades: in the form of an ATAR ranking (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank)
- UCAT scores (University Clinical Aptitude Test), with marking scheme as based on a bell-curve scale out of 3600.
Both of these scores will be the primary determinants of your success in securing a medical school interview and potentially, an undergraduate medicine place.
International Students Applying To Undergraduate Medicine
The entry requirement for an international student is not all different compared to domestic students. Similar to the domestic pathway, medical schools in Australia for international students focus on:
- Academic merit (such as grades in A-Levels or International Baccalaureate or equivalent)
- An aptitude test score (ICAT or any other international equivalent)
Both of these scores will be primary determinants of your success in securing a medical school interview and potentially, an undergraduate medicine place.
Note that the University of Adelaide excludes the use of the ISAT, instead running its own aptitude test called the PQA. Additionally, Bond University, Curtin University, and the University of Newcastle, do not currently accept international students.
How Do I Apply to Undergraduate Medicine?
Each medical school in Australia has their own admissions centre relative to their respective academic authorities of each state. Hence, your Australia study options are stated below:
- Victoria : Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC)
- New South Wales : Universities Admissions Centre (UAC)
- Queensland : Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC)
- South Australia : South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC)
- Western Australia : Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC)
- Tasmania : University of Tasmania (UTAS)
To apply, you should seek to complete appropriate documentation by around the last working day of September, and submit payment and application to your desired universities or their relative state education authorities for consideration in the January offer rounds.
What varies for different medical schools in Australia is their weighting of each of the ATAR, UCAT and interview. While some universities equally weigh the three criteria listed above, other universities might value a certain criterion more than the other. As such, university websites and the information they provide with regards to selection criteria for medicine can often be difficult to comprehend for many students.
It is also important to note that ATAR entry requirements and cut-offs vary from year to year and the continuous impact of the COVID-19 pandemic renders these changes even more difficult to predict.
University Specific Undergraduate Medicine Requirements
From us at Fraser’s, our biggest recommendation is that if you are truly passionate about securing a place at one of the medical schools listed above, cast your net wide! Apply to as many medical schools as possible, as this will ultimately heighten your overall chance of securing a place at one of many prestigious medical schools in Australia.
The compounding factors of varying weighting across the three core assessment criteria, in addition to the natural subjectivity of the interview process, means applying to multiple universities best increases your chances of securing a medical place.
Undergraduate Medicine Fee Structures
It can be a major challenge to get your head around the types of places available and how to pay your medical school fees.
The university education system in Australia is heavily regulated and subsidised by the government. This means that there is fixed funding that a medical school receives to run its course. Consequently, there are different tiers of payment contracts that a student can enter into with a medical school.
CSP - Commonwealth Supported Place
This is the basic university course fee structure that is familiar to most students studying in Australia. A Commonwealth Supported Place is heavily subsidised by the government, meaning that most of your university course fees are covered by federal funding. It is important to know that while the majority of your fees are covered, there is still an outstanding balance known as the ‘student contribution amount’ that university attendees are required to pay.
Eligibility: To qualify for a medical CSP position, you must be an Australian or New Zealand citizen. Alternatively, being a permanent visa holder is also acceptable.
BMP - Bonded Medical Place
The Bonded Medical Place is a scheme that aims to improve healthcare in rural and remote areas by obligating junior doctors to spend time in a predefined ‘area of need’ following their graduation from medical school. It is important to understand that the nature of a BMP contract is dynamic. What is meant by this is that the terms of a BMP rural placement following graduation, including the duration and location of placement, are subject to change every year. But once you have accepted a BMP position, the terms of your agreement are fixed.
Beyond the employment obligation, a BMP is no different from a CSP from a financial point of view. These bonded positions have identical eligibility requirements as a CSP and are also subsidised to the same degree. Furthermore, both CSP and BMP places are eligible for HECS-HELP loans should the student require such assistance.
Domestic Full Fee Place
The domestic full-fee place is not supported by the Commonwealth government financially but is identical to the CSP in that it is a no strings attached medical place. The major application of such a high cost is that the fees exceed the limit of $155,448 afforded to students by the HECS-HELP loan. In practical terms, this means that by approximately the second year of a standard medicine degree, a student will no longer be able to delay medical school fee payment, and will be charged for tuition upfront.
Need more information about the UCAT exams and how the interview process works? Be sure to check out part 2 of this article here: 'Undergraduate Entry Pathways into Medicine in Australia: Your guide to UCAT & Med interviews.'
Where To Next?
- Check out some of our Free Tools and UCAT Articles!
- Or visit our Online UCAT Atlas, featuring written guides, video tutorials, and model answers.
- If you need guidance on preparing for your UCAT in 2025, enrol into one of our ultimate UCAT online courses - get a chance to learn from expert tutors!
Want more personalized study guidance to help drastically improve your marks? A private tutor can make the biggest difference!
