Local applicants

Students learning in the Medicine & Health facilities at the UNSW Kensington campus

To study the Bachelor of Medical Studies/Doctor of Medicine (BMed/MD) at UNSW, you must sit the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT ANZ). You’ll also need to apply through UNSW’s Medicine Application Portal (MAP) before submitting a UAC application. Additionally, you will need to undertake an interview (if competitive). Offers to study medicine at UNSW are based on your academic performance (ATAR or equivalent), UCAT ANZ result and interview.

  1. Apply for and sit UCAT ANZ (University Clinical Aptitude Test for Australia and New Zealand)
  2. Complete the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) application by the closing date.
  3. Begin your application on the Medicine Application Portal (MAP). Once you've started your application, you'll receive an e-mail containing your password (receipt). You must log back in and submit your application by the deadline. We do not accept late or incomplete applications. We do not select applicants for interview based on the details provided on the application form. However, some information you provide will be passed on to interviewers before your interview.
  4. Once both your UAC and MAP applications have been received, we will invite you for a face-to-face interview, if you are ranked high enough based on our selection for interview criteria.
  5. Wait for the outcome of your application. The final ranking of applicants will be completed in January and a list of selected students will be sent to UAC. If you are accepted, your offer will be available through your UAC account.
  6. Accept or decline your offer online as instructed
  7. Selected applicants will receive information on the UNSW Orientation Program, instructions for enrolment, information on NSW Health requirements, timetabling and other important information.

Late exam results

Applications cannot be considered if results or changes to results are made available after applicants have been selected for our last interview round in January (see important dates tab for more details).

*Entry requirements and the information on this page change from time to time based on several factors. Make sure you check this page before applying to get the most up-to-date entry information.

5-Mar-24

Registration for UCAT ANZ opens

3-Apr-24

Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) applications open

2-Apr-24

The Medicine Application Portal (MAP) opens

10-May-24

UCAT ANZ concession application deadline

17-May-24

On-time registration deadline for UCAT ANZ

17-May-24

UCAT ANZ access arrangements application deadline

31-May-24 Late UCAT ANZ booking closes 

1 Jul - 9 Aug 24

UCAT ANZ testing dates

7-Sep-2024

UNSW Open Day

30-Sep-24

Last day to lodge on-time application with UAC

30-Sep-24

(11.59pm)

Last day to submit UNSW Medicine application through the Medicine Application Portal (MAP)

TBC Nov 24 Interview round for Rural Entry Scheme applicants (face-to-face)

1-Dec-24

Last day to include UNSW BMed/MD as a UAC preference

TBC Dec-24 ATARs released by UAC on UAC’s website
TBC Dec-24

 

Interview invitations are sent to all applicants whose high school and/or tertiary results have been finalised

 

TBC Dec 24  First interview round (non-rural entry scheme applicants)
TBC Jan-25 January Round 1 offers released via UAC
TBC Jan-25 January Round 2 offers released via UAC
TBC Jan-25 Interview invitations are sent to applications whose high school and/or tertiary results were finalised late
TBC UNSW O-Week
TBC February Round 1 offers released via UAC

If your application meets the required criteria to study medicine at UNSW, you may be selected for an interview with us. 

How am I selected for an interview?
Interviews are offered based on your selection rank and UCAT ANZ overall score only. Interviews are offered to applicants with the highest combined ranking in these two areas. Your results won’t be averaged. You must receive sufficiently high marks on both selection criteria to be successful at this stage. There are approximately 450 interview places for local applicants each year.

How do interviews work?
Interviews are structured and cover a wide range of relevant topics. There will be two interviewers who are either academic staff, medical practitioners or community representatives. If you’re shortlisted, you must be available to attend an interview during the interview period, which is listed in important dates. All interviews will take place face-to-face on the UNSW Kensington campus. If you can't attend, your application will not progress further. Selected information from your application form (UNSW Medicine Application Portal) will be shared with your interviewers before your interview.

Once an interview has been scheduled, rescheduling is not permitted. Once you enter the interview room you're deemed fit to be interviewed. If before the scheduled interview you believe you're not fit to be interviewed, you should immediately advise the admission team and follow their guidance. An alternative day and time of interview may be offered based on availability but cannot be guaranteed. 

Selection criteria

  • If you're applying to study based on your NSW Higher School Certificate (HSC) results, you'll require a minimum ATAR of 96.00 to be eligible for consideration.

    The minimum requirements for other secondary results are: 

    • 38 International Baccalaureate (IB)

    Applicants with EAS points still need to meet the minimum selection criteria before an EAS application is considered. 

  • I have not completed a full year of study

    If you have completed less than 0.75 FTE (full time equivalent) of tertiary study at the end of the year in which you apply, you will be assessed only on your secondary school results.

    I have completed at least one full year of study (but not completed a degree)

    If you have completed an equivalent of 0.75 FTE (full time equivalent) or more of tertiary study in a single degree at the end of the year in which you apply, you will be assessed for admission to the Medicine program on either your secondary OR your tertiary study results. Each applicant needs to meet the minimum requirements for both of the following criteria:

    • Your secondary school qualification component must reach 96.00 ATAR (or equivalent); AND
    • your tertiary study component must reach WAM 70 or equivalent.

    Once you have met the minimum requirement, a "best of" algorithm will apply and the qualification with a higher selection rank will be used as a final selection rank for Medicine program admissions purposes.

    I have completed a degree

    If you have completed any tertiary degree before the end of the year in which you apply (e.g. applying for T1/24 and completing a bachelor’s degree in December 2024), only the completed tertiary qualification(s) will be considered for admission.

    • Completed tertiary studies must reach a minimum WAM/GPA equivalent of a 96.00 ATAR.

    As you have completed a tertiary degree, we will no longer consider your secondary qualification.

  • When selecting applicants to proceed to the interview stage, we consider the overall UCAT ANZ score. The University Clinical Aptitude Test for Australia and New Zealand (UCAT ANZ) is a two-hour computer-based test. The test assesses a range of abilities through five separately timed sub-tests. You'll be tested on verbal reasoning, decision making, quantitative reasoning, abstract reasoning and situational judgement, each containing several multiple-choice questions.  

    Applicants can only use test scores from the prior year for current year admissions. For example, only 2024 results can be used for the 2025 intake. 

    Applicants must reach the 50th percentile on the UCAT ANZ to be considered for the interview stage of the application process. The situational judgement mark from the UCAT ANZ will not be considered. To learn more or register for the test, visit UCAT ANZ.

Your offer to study medicine at UNSW will be based on three selection criteria:  

  • your academic rank 
  • your UCAT ANZ overall score 
  • your interview score 

Applicants are ranked using these three selection criteria. Offers will be made to applicants with the highest rank determined by all measures. Scores aren’t averaged - a high score in one area won’t compensate for a low score in another. 

    • Unbonded places are available to Australian and New Zealand citizens and Australian permanent residents. This is the standard entry category and there are no scholarships or bonding attached to these places.
    • The Bonded Medical Program (BMP)  is only available to Australian citizens and permanent residents. In exchange for a medical place, once students have graduated, bonded students agree to work in an area of workforce shortage. You can learn more about a bonded place in our FAQs.
    • The Australian Government determines the number of unbonded and bonded places available. All applicants are automatically considered for both types of places.
    • Unbonded places are offered to the top-ranking students at the final stage until the allocation is exhausted. Bonded places are then offered until all places have been filled.
    • All local applicants who receive an offer will be allocated to the Kensington Campus. Only under exceptional circumstances will a local applicant be allocated to a rural campus.
    • All local students are expected to study in rural areas for a period of time.

We offer a range of special entry schemes for local applicants. Visit the special entry schemes page to find out if you're eligible and for all information about scheme applications. 

We understand the process prior to commencing study with us can be daunting, with many unanswered questions. This is why we've compiled the questions we're most commonly asked by prospective students. The information below may be subject to change but we update this regularly.

  • Unbonded medical places

    • This is the standard entry category. These places have no bonding or scholarships attached to them.
    • Unbonded medical places are offered to Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents and New Zealand citizens.

    Bonded medical places

    • Places under the Bonded Medical Program (BMP) are only available to Australian citizens and Australian permanent residents.
    • Applicants who accept a place in this category will be bonded to areas of workforce shortage. They will be required to work in an area of workforce shortage for their chosen speciality. The Australian Government has indicated that outer metropolitan and rural areas are the most likely locations.

    Information about benefits and participant obligations under the Bonded Medical Program are available on the Bonded Medical Program website.

  • Yes, we consider UAC EAS points for admission to the medicine program. However, applicants need to meet the minimum selection criteria on their own merit (without EAS points). It's important to note the minimum selection criteria must be met before an EAS application is considered.

    You can find more information at UAC Educational Access Schemes or at UNSW Adjustment Factors.

  • If you've undertaken university studies and your secondary or tertiary studies were affected by circumstances beyond your control, then SCATS is for you. Visit the entry requirements page where you can find further details and information on how to apply under the ‘Non-recent school leavers section’.

    Please note that even if applicants are applying for SCATS, they still need to meet the minimum selection criteria before their SCATS application is considered.

    If you're a Year 12 student, you can apply for EAS points through the UAC Educational Access Schemes.

  • UNSW Medicine has always been a very sought-after Medicine program, usually receiving more than 3500 applicants for 198 domestic student places (bonded and unbonded). The number of domestic places is determined by the Federal Government.

    You're most likely to be offered a position in the UNSW Medicine program if you achieve the highest possible result for all three criteria: ATAR, UCAT ANZ and interview. These criteria are used to rank students. Places are offered from the highest-ranked applicant down until no further places are available.

    Applicants with minimum scores are unlikely to be selected, while the minimum ATAR for eligibility is 96.00, the median required for entry is generally greater than 99.60. Similarly, the UCAT ANZ and interview median rankings required for entry are close to the top of their respective ranges.

    Due to the limited number of places, only the top-ranked students can be selected. However, many more would potentially be suitable to train as doctors. It's important to note that unsuccessful candidates are not being judged as unsuitable to study Medicine. Unsuccessful applicants can reapply in the following years.

  • If you believe that during the selection process to the UNSW Bachelor of Medical Studies / Doctor of Medicine program, the standard selection procedures were applied to you improperly, you must advise us by e-mail (MH.MedAdmission@unsw.edu.au) within 24 hours of the event taking place. Your e-mail must include all necessary details (including the precise time and location of the event) to allow us to appropriately review your claim and address your concerns in a timely manner. If we do not receive an e-mail from you within 24 hours of the event, it will be deemed that the selection process has been duly followed.

  • You find information about your right of appeal in the “Admission to Coursework Programs Procedure” which you can download on the UNSW Policies website.

    Please also refer to “What to do if you believe something went wrong in the selection process?” above.

  • It's not considered appropriate for children under the age of 16 to participate in clinical training. Applicants who will be under the age of 16 years at the commencement of Year 1 should discuss their proposed application prior to submitting an application through the Medicine Application Portal (MAP). You can e-mail us at MH.MedAdmission@unsw.edu.au.

  • After completing one of the medicine programs, new graduates usually work for at least a year as a Junior Medical Officer (JMO), also known as ‘intern’, in selected hospitals to obtain registration as a medical practitioner with a State Medical Board. Further study and experience is required before specialist qualifications can be obtained.

    For further information:

  • Applicants may be aware of courses that claim to improve performance in UCAT ANZ or in the interview however, we would like applicants to be aware that:

    • UNSW Medicine does not recommend or endorse any commercially available courses offering UCAT ANZ preparation. Neither the UCAT ANZ Consortium or any of the Consortium universities conducting UCAT ANZ preparation courses.
    • Some claims by those who provide these courses have been found either to be untrue or profoundly exaggerated.
    • Some providers also give misleading information about the application process for UNSW Medicine. One false claim is that the UNSW Medicine Application Form is used as part of the selection of applicants for the interview. Students are selected for the interview solely on their UCAT ANZ result and their academic result. Applicants will not increase their chances for an interview by paying someone to review their UNSW Medicine Application Form.
    • The interview at UNSW is significantly different from those at other medical schools. There's no evidence that applicants who undertake interview training courses perform better at the interview. On the contrary, feedback from interviewers has indicated that applicants who have obviously been coached were likely to have been at a disadvantage in our style of interview.
  • Although there are no prerequisites for entry into UNSW Medicine, we recommend that students study English for their final secondary school examinations. There's assumed knowledge of this subject and it's desirable for success in the medicine program. Students who don't have the assumed level of knowledge can apply and enrol but may find themselves disadvantaged.

    In addition, study in chemistry is recommended.

  • Achieving the minimum academic merit and UCAT ANZ result does not guarantee selection for an interview. You can find details on how we select students for an interview in the interview tab. 

  • Please note that domestic students who are currently enrolled in a medical degree at another Australian university aren't eligible to seek admission to UNSW Medicine as a commencing student. Please visit our Special Entry Schemes page to learn more.

  • Please note that domestic students who are currently enrolled in a medical degree at another Australian university aren't eligible to seek admission to UNSW Medicine as a commencing student. Please visit our Special Entry Schemes page to learn more.

  • No, we do not have a separate quota for non-school leavers.

  • Due to the structure of the curriculum, we're rarely able to provide credit to students transferring after partly completing or completing another degree. Exemption from all or part of the 12 Units of Credit of General Education courses will be considered and granted when applicable.

  • We don't offer a graduate pathway into our program. It's not possible to join our program for the MD component alone.

    There's a graduate-entry stream into the medicine program, but only for students enrolled in the UNSW Bachelor of Medical Science (BMedSc).

    More details can be found on the Special Entry Schemes page. 

  • Applicants who have not completed the NSW Higher School Certificate (or equivalent) are required to complete a minimum of one year full-time recognised university studies. The GPA will then be converted into an ATAR equivalent.

  • Cases vary depending on the particular student and their circumstances. Applicants should carefully consider their commitment to pursuing a career in medicine and their willingness to spend one year repeating the HSC or at least one-year undertaking tertiary studies to attempt admission to UNSW Medicine.

    An alternative to repeating the HSC is to enrol in another tertiary program. A challenge is that some students undertake tertiary programs they have no vocational interest in and, having completed one or more years, fail to achieve entry into the first year of UNSW Medicine. Students can find themselves on a degree path they have limited interest in.

    No guarantee can be given about your chances of success obtaining entry to UNSW Medicine and students should choose tertiary programs carefully. As a result, if you don't succeed in obtaining a place to study at UNSW Medicine, you'll still be studying in an area of interest and which you can use to pursue an alternate career.

    Students should note that when electing to undertake tertiary studies in another program with the aim of obtaining a place in UNSW Medicine, they're not restricted to degrees at UNSW. Degrees offered by any Australian university, including science and arts-based degrees, are acceptable.

    There is a separate admission process for students applying from the Bachelor of Medical Science program at UNSW. You can find more information on the Graduate Entry Stream for UNSW BMedSc Students on the Special Entry Schemes page. 

  • There are no full-fee paying places available for local applicants. 

    Full-fee paying places are only available to international students who gain Australian permanent residency status, Australian citizenship or become a New Zealand citizen after they arrive in Australia, as they are unable to continue in the UNSW BMed/MD Program as an international student. This is a requirement of the Australian Government and UNSW has no discretion in the situation.

  • For information on undergraduate scholarships, visit UNSW Scholarships. The scholarships team will be able to assist you directly if you have any questions.

  • For information on accommodation, visit UNSW Accommodation.

    Residential college accommodation is limited and there are waiting lists. Students interested in college accommodation are advised to apply three to six months before starting at UNSW.

  • Classes in the first three years commence in February and conclude in late November or early December.

    UNSW Medicine has one intake of students each year.

    For more details view the UNSW Medicine academic calendar.

  • The main Sydney hospitals used for clinical teaching are:

    • Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick
    • St George Hospital, Kogarah
    • St Vincent's Hospital, Darlinghurst
    • Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool
    • Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick
    • Royal Hospital for Women, Randwick
    • Sutherland Hospital, Caringbah
    • Bankstown Hospital, Bankstown
    • Fairfield Hospital, Fairfield

    The main hospitals located outside of Sydney and in rural New South Wales and Victoria used for clinical teaching are:

    • Wagga Wagga Rural Referral Hospital, Wagga Wagga
    • Albury Wodonga Health, Albury-Wodonga
    • Port Macquarie Base Hospital, Port Macquarie
    • Coffs Harbour Hospital, Coffs Harbour
    • Griffith Base Hospital, Griffith

There are several state and federal government policies our students need to be aware of and adhere to. 

Find out more

Want to find out more about UNSW Medicine?

If you have any questions about your application or studying at UNSW, please contact us below. We're here to help.