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ATAR Requirements to Study Medicine in Australia

Published on
September 19, 2024
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The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), and variations thereof (such as GPA, NCEA and IB) are necessary to assess your academic capacity to study medicine. Medical schools will also use your UCAT score, accompanied by a medical interview, to determine which individuals are best suited to study medicine at an undergraduate level

What ATAR Do I Need To Study Medicine in 2024-25?

ATAR is a metric used to assess your academic performance in Australia. Medical schools often provide data relating to pre-requisite scores and scores considered to be competitive with regard to entry into medicine, denoted as ATAR requirements. Most candidates will be in year 12 and would have already sat the UCAT between the months of June and July of that year. 

The table below provides a summary of academic prerequisites (ATAR, IB and GPA) to study medicine and dentistry in Australia and New Zealand. Note that meeting the prerequisite score does not guarantee entry into medicine or dentistry, and a much higher academic score is needed to be considered competitive in entry into such programmes. In many programmes, your UCAT score and interview score will also factor into receiving an offer to study medicine or dentistry. 

ATAR, IB, GPA Needed to Study Medicine in Australia and New Zealand

University Programme ATAR Score IB Score* GPA (7.00 Scale)* UCAT Required Notes
The University of Adelaide • Medicine • Dental Surgery • Oral Health 90 33 5.00 Yes Competitive minimum ATAR: 99.75
Bond University Medicine 96 38 6.00 No Competitive minimum ATAR: 98.5+; psychometric testing
Charles Darwin University Medicine 90 33 5.00 Yes 20 places, increasing to 40 (2026). Majority reserved for NT-residents, rural or First Nations People. Application process involves written responses.
Central Queensland University • Medical Science (Regional Medical Pathway, provisional entry to University of Queensland) 95.50 37 Only accepts Y12 leavers Yes
Charles Stuart University • Dental Science • Medicine (Joint Medical Program) 95.50 38 5.50 Yes 50% spots reserved for students with significant rural or First Nations background
Curtin University Medicine 95 37 5.50 Yes Competitive minimum 98.35. GPA equivalent notional ATAR of 92. Need to sit CASPer and meet Chemistry ATAR.
Flinders University • Clinical Sciences • Medicine 96.50 39 5.25 Yes Competitive ATAR ~99.95
Griffith University Dental Health Science N/A N/A N/A Yes Prerequisites for admission are specified in terms of levels of achievement in particular Year 12 subjects. Please contact the University for more information.
Griffith University Medical Science (pathway to medicine) 99.80 39 5.00 (only accepts Y12 leavers; MD pathway for tertiary students)
James Cook University Medicine 97.50 40 5.75 No Need to apply through both QTAC and direct through the JCU website.
La Trobe University Dental Science 99.35 43 6.25 Yes In relation to GPA - prerequisites are, in effect, equivalent to stated Year 12 prerequisites.
Monash University Medicine 90 34 6.00 Yes Minimum competitive ATAR of 99.45. GPA entry not allowed into direct 5y UG pathway, but for postgraduate pathway.
The University of Newcastle & The University of New England Joint Medical Program 94.30 37 5.0-5.5 Yes ATAR used as a cut-off/hurdle and the UCAT is used to competitively rank applicants for interview offers
The University of New South Wales Medicine 97.20 43 5.63 Yes Minimum competitive ATAR ~99.55. Graduate applicants are ranked for interviews by 50:50 weighting of GPA and ATAR.
The University of Queensland • Medicine (Provisional Entry Pathway) • Dental Science 95 37 5.00 (only accepts Y12 leavers; MD pathway for tertiary students) Yes Median competitive ATAR ~99.65
University of Tasmania Medicine 95 36 5.25 Yes 95 is the minimum ATAR, not the minimum competitive ATAR. Most of the seats are reserved for Tasmanian Y12 leavers (75%) and rural students (50% intake quota). Non-Tasmanian, non-rural students need a very high ATAR (high 99) to be competitive.
The University of Western Australia • Medicine (Direct Pathway) • Dental Medicine (Direct Pathway) 99 42 6.50 Yes Competitive entry ATAR ~99.75
Western Sydney University Joint Medical Program 95.5 38 5.50 Yes Entry score requirements are different for students from GWS area vs those outside of it. 5.5 min GPA needed for non-GWS applicants
The University of Auckland Medicine 98 41 6.00 Yes
University of Otago • Medicine • Dentistry 80 29 5.00 Yes Information regarding academic requirements is significantly limited, consult with the website directly to determine eligibility.

*Scores based upon IB and GPA conversions from ATAR (where actual GPA scores could not be found).

About The UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test)

The UCAT ANZ is used to assess various attributes and qualities desirable in prospective medical and dental students. These qualities are assessed over a two-hour period, across 234 multiple choice questions broken down into five subsections, namely: verbal reasoning, decision making, quantitative reasoning, abstract reasoning and the situational judgement test.

Any individual currently studying or has completed Year 12 of secondary schooling is eligible to sit the UCAT. Individuals who have also begun studying a tertiary qualification, such as a bachelor's degree or a diploma, are also eligible to sit the UCAT. Year 11 students and lower, however, are not eligible to sit the UCAT.

What University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) Score Is Needed To Gain Entry Into Medicine?

Your overall UCAT score is an aggregate of four of the five the exam sections, and will range from 1800 to 3600. If an individual scored around 2920 in 2020, they were considered to be in the top 10% (or decile) of all UCAT candidates. It is worth noting that each university listed above assigns a different weighting to the UCAT. 

Which Universities Do Not Use The University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT)?

There are only two universities in Australia that do not use the UCAT as a means of assessing a student’s capacity to study medicine: Bond University and James Cook University. Instead, Bond University utilises psychometric testing to assess the cognitive and emotional capacity of prospective medical students, whereas James Cook University requires students to respond to three questions in an essay format in order to be considered to study medicine. 

How Do I Balance ATAR And UCAT Study?

Time management and effective study habits provide the key to undergraduate medical admission and ultimately success as a medical student. It is recommended that secondary school students treat the UCAT as though it is another subject, and ultimately focus on their cognitive “soft” skills as well as reiterative practice. You might also find that creating a timetable, or perhaps a Roadmap to UCAT study, will help orientate and divide your time better as a high school student

Where To From Here?

A UCAT score and ATAR is highly crucial to kickstart your undergraduate medical degree in Australia. We hope that our article was informative and provides a detailed overview on the ATAR and UCAT requirements per university.

Also remember to check the university website to understand the entry requirements before applying to the medical degree.

Alternatively, Fraser’s offers abundant Free Resources and Tools to get you started on your UCAT preparation:

  1. What UCAT score is needed for Medicine?
  2. UCAT scores | Frequently asked questions.
  3. GAMSAT or UCAT: What is the difference?