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Compare undergraduate medicine and dentistry universities in Australia and New Zealand, including school-leaver pathways into graduate medical and dental degrees. The tables separate medicine from dentistry and distinguish courses where UCAT ANZ is required, optional or not required.
- UCAT ANZ: Requirements depend on the course, applicant category and intake. Optional UCAT can still affect selection.
- Interview: Some courses use MMIs, panel interviews or other assessments; others do not interview standard applicants.
- Academic achievement: ATAR, prerequisites and university progression requirements differ between courses. Meeting a minimum does not guarantee an offer.
Understand the Entry Pathway Before You Apply
- Direct or integrated school-leaver entry: begin the designated medical or dental degree sequence after secondary school, subject to its progression rules.
- Provisional, assured or packaged entry: begin a specified undergraduate degree with a conditional route to a later MD, DMD or DDS. Academic and other conditions still apply.
- Competitive first-year entry: complete prescribed university study, then compete for a place in the professional degree. Starting the first year does not secure that place.
- Competitive graduate pathways: complete a degree before medical selection. An interview opportunity or reserved selection pool is not a guaranteed medical place.
This page focuses on domestic applicants. The UCAT categories below describe standard domestic selection for the named pathway, primarily for 2027 admission. Special entry schemes can have different requirements. International-specific pathways are outside this comparison. For New Zealand, professional-programme admission follows university study; starting first-year study in 2027 is different from entering the professional programme in 2027.
Medicine Universities in Australia and New Zealand
Medicine options include direct-entry degrees, conditional school-leaver pathways and competitive first-year routes. Use the course description as well as its UCAT category when comparing universities.
Medicine: UCAT ANZ Required
| University / location | Course or pathway | Selection overview |
|---|---|---|
| Adelaide University — SA | Bachelor of Medical Studies / Doctor of Medicine. | Integrated medical degree; academic results, UCAT ANZ and interview. |
| Charles Sturt University — NSW | Joint Program in Medicine with Western Sydney University. | School-leaver medical entry; academic eligibility, UCAT ANZ and interview. |
| Curtin University — WA | Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery. | Undergraduate medical degree; academic results, UCAT ANZ, Casper and interview requirements apply. |
| Flinders University — SA | Bachelor of Clinical Sciences / Doctor of Medicine pathway. | School-leaver pathway using academic results and UCAT ANZ; progression conditions apply. |
| Monash University — VIC | Bachelor of Medical Science / Doctor of Medicine, direct entry. | School-leaver selection considers academic results, UCAT ANZ and MMI. |
| University of Newcastle and University of New England — NSW | Joint Medical Program. | Five-year medical program offered by both universities; academic eligibility, UCAT ANZ and personal qualities assessments. |
| UNSW Sydney — NSW | Bachelor of Medical Studies / Doctor of Medicine. | Integrated medical degree; academic results, UCAT ANZ and interview. |
| University of Queensland — QLD | Six-year Bachelor of Medical Science / Doctor of Medicine direct entry, plus separate provisional pathways. | UQ publishes a new direct-entry option for 2027 alongside its provisional route. UCAT ANZ and MMI apply to standard domestic school-leaver selection. |
| University of Tasmania — TAS | Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine. | Direct-entry medical degree; academic selection and UCAT ANZ. Standard admission does not include an interview. |
| University of Western Australia — WA | Assured pathway through designated undergraduate study to the Doctor of Medicine. | Conditional pathway; academic results, UCAT ANZ and interview for standard domestic applicants. |
| Western Sydney University — NSW | Joint Program in Medicine with Charles Sturt University. | School-leaver medical entry; academic eligibility, UCAT ANZ and interview. |
| CQUniversity — QLD | Regional Medical Pathway to the University of Queensland MD. | Conditional undergraduate pathway; academic results, UCAT ANZ and MMI, with regional selection provisions. |
| University of Southern Queensland — QLD | Darling Downs–South West Medical Pathway to UQ medicine. | Conditional pathway; academic results, UCAT ANZ, MMI and regional priorities. |
| Charles Darwin University — Flinders pathway — NT | Bachelor of Clinical Sciences pathway to the Flinders MD. | Separate from CDU Menzies. Standard selection uses UCAT ANZ; confirm intake eligibility and progression conditions. |
| University of Auckland — NZ | Medicine following eligible first-year study; a separate graduate category also exists. | UCAT ANZ applies for 2027 professional-programme entry. For 2028 entry, Auckland specifies Casper instead. This is not immediate school-leaver MBChB entry. |
| University of Otago — NZ | Medicine through Health Sciences First Year; other categories also exist. | UCAT ANZ applies to standard domestic HSFY and graduate applicants. Meeting thresholds is followed by further selection; this is not immediate Year 12 medical entry. |
Medicine: UCAT ANZ Optional
Optional means applicants can be considered without a test result. It does not mean a UCAT score is ignored: both pathways below use it to distinguish applicants within the same ATAR band.
| University / location | Course or pathway | Selection overview |
|---|---|---|
| Griffith University — QLD | Bachelor of Medical Science followed by the Griffith MD. | Provisional pathway. ATAR is primary; optional UCAT ANZ provides second-order ranking. MD progression conditions apply. |
| University of the Sunshine Coast — QLD | Bachelor of Medical Science followed by the Griffith MD. | Provisional pathway. Optional UCAT ANZ ranks applicants within ATAR bands; applicants without a result rank at the bottom of their band. |
Medicine: UCAT ANZ Not Required
These routes use other selection methods. They remain competitive, and some have restricted eligibility or substantial undergraduate progression requirements.
| University / location | Course or pathway | Selection overview |
|---|---|---|
| Bond University — QLD | Bachelor of Medical Studies / Doctor of Medicine. | Academic selection, psychometric testing and interview. |
| Charles Darwin University — Menzies Medical Program — NT | Bachelor of Clinical Science Medicine / Doctor of Medicine. | CDU’s own five-year medical program. Academic assessment, application material and panel interview; distinguish it from CDU–Flinders. |
| James Cook University — QLD | Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery. | Academic eligibility and JCU’s selection process, including interview for shortlisted applicants. |
| University of Sydney — NSW | School-leaver double-degree medicine pathway. | Very high academic results and an assessment process. Complete the undergraduate component and meet progression conditions before the MD. |
| La Trobe University — VIC | Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Medical), leading to Melbourne’s rural MD pathway. | Designated rural pathway, rather than a La Trobe medical degree. Rural eligibility, academic selection, interview and progression requirements apply. |
Dentistry Universities in Australia and New Zealand
The courses below lead towards qualification as a dentist. Oral health therapy, dental hygiene and dental prosthetics are separate professions and should not be treated as equivalent dentistry degrees.
Dentistry: UCAT ANZ Required
| University / location | Course or pathway | Selection overview |
|---|---|---|
| Adelaide University — SA | Bachelor of Dental Surgery. | Undergraduate dentist qualification; academic results, UCAT ANZ and interview. |
| Charles Sturt University — NSW | Bachelor of Dental Science. | Undergraduate dentist qualification; academic eligibility, UCAT ANZ and interview. |
| Griffith University — QLD | Bachelor of Dental Health Science followed by Master of Dentistry. | Both components are needed for the dentist qualification. UCAT ANZ is compulsory for standard domestic entry; medicine’s optional rule does not apply. |
| University of Queensland — QLD | Bachelor of Dental Science (Honours). | Undergraduate dentist qualification; academic eligibility and UCAT ANZ. Standard selection does not include an interview. |
| University of Western Australia — WA | Assured pathway through designated undergraduate study to the Doctor of Dental Medicine. | Conditional school-leaver pathway; academic results, UCAT ANZ and interview for standard domestic applicants. |
Dentistry: UCAT ANZ Not Required
| University / location | Course or pathway | Selection overview |
|---|---|---|
| James Cook University — QLD | Bachelor of Dental Surgery. | Academic results, written application, supporting references and rurality. Standard domestic selection does not include an interview. |
| La Trobe University — VIC | Bachelor of Dental Science (Honours). | Undergraduate dentist qualification; standard school-leaver selection is academic, without UCAT ANZ. |
| University of Otago — NZ | Bachelor of Dental Surgery, normally following Health Sciences First Year. | Competitive university entry to the professional programme, with academic assessment and interview. UCAT is no longer required for dentistry. |
| University of Melbourne — VIC | School-leaver packages combining Science or Biomedicine with the Doctor of Dental Surgery. | Conditional undergraduate-to-graduate route. Complete the undergraduate degree and satisfy the package’s academic and prerequisite conditions. See Melbourne information below. |
University of Sydney dentistry: school-leaver pathway closed to new entrants
The Bachelor of Science / Doctor of Dental Medicine double degree is not offered to newly commencing students from 2027. Sydney’s graduate-entry DMD remains a separate option requiring a prior degree; it is not included above as an available school-leaver pathway.
Additional Undergraduate-to-Medicine and Dentistry Pathways
These domestic options need separate explanation because eligibility and the point of medical selection differ. They should not be presented as interchangeable with direct-entry medical degrees.
University of Melbourne — Medicine and Dentistry
Melbourne offers dentistry graduate-degree packages and medicine pathway arrangements requiring undergraduate study first. Its medicine guidance distinguishes earlier guaranteed-entry cohorts from the Full Fee Priority pathway for new undergraduate commencements from 2027. Do not assume an older ATAR guarantee applies to a new applicant.
Read Melbourne’s official undergraduate-to-graduate pathway guidance . Fee type, prerequisites, university results and any interview conditions need checking for the particular route.
Australian National University — Competitive Health Science Pathway
ANU’s Bachelor of Health Science provides a competitive route to its Doctor of Medicine and Surgery. Medical selection takes place during undergraduate study and includes university performance, selection responses and interview. Admission to Health Science does not itself guarantee a medical place.
See ANU’s official Health Science-to-medicine selection information . This belongs with competitive university pathways, rather than immediate school-leaver medical entry.
Medical and Dental Interview Offers, Dates and Formats
Open the relevant NIE university guide above for published interview invitation timing, interview dates and the assessed format. Universities may use an MMI, panel, group activity, written task or online recorded assessment; the format is specific to the course and applicant category.
Check the university’s official instructions and your invitation before making arrangements. An interview for medicine at a university does not mean its dentistry course uses the same process. Where dates or station details have not been confirmed, they should not be inferred from a previous intake.
Application deadlines and test bookings are separate from interview invitations. Refer to the relevant university and admissions centre for current deadlines.
How to Use This University Comparison
- Choose medicine or dentistry and identify whether the entry route is direct, conditional or competitive after university study.
- Check the UCAT category for your course and applicant type. For Auckland, distinguish 2027 professional entry from the changed 2028 rules.
- Read the linked university guide for academic requirements, prerequisites, interviews and access schemes.
- Confirm the current university rules before applying, including rural, Indigenous and progression requirements.
The official UCAT ANZ university list provides a useful test-requirement cross-check. The university’s intake-specific admissions rules remain essential, particularly for new courses, exceptions and changes.
Medicine, Dentistry and UCAT: Frequently Asked Questions
Which Australian medicine universities do not require UCAT ANZ?
Examples include Bond, James Cook, the CDU Menzies Medical Program and Sydney’s school-leaver medicine pathway. La Trobe’s designated rural pathway to Melbourne medicine also does not require UCAT ANZ. These routes use different selection and progression rules; CDU’s separate Flinders pathway should not be confused with Menzies.
Is UCAT compulsory for Griffith and UniSC medicine?
UCAT ANZ is optional for the Griffith and UniSC Bachelor of Medical Science pathways, but a result is used to rank applicants within the same ATAR band. Griffith dentistry has a different rule: UCAT ANZ is compulsory for standard domestic entry.
Which dentistry universities do not require UCAT ANZ?
James Cook and La Trobe offer undergraduate dentistry options without UCAT ANZ for standard school-leaver selection. Otago dentistry also does not require UCAT, but entry follows university study and competitive selection. Melbourne offers conditional school-leaver pathways to its graduate DDS.
Can I enter medicine directly from Year 12 in New Zealand?
Auckland and Otago require eligible university study before competitive selection into medicine. Their first-year routes are not guaranteed medical places awarded straight from school. Auckland specifies UCAT for 2027 professional-programme entry and Casper for 2028 entry.
Does a provisional or assured medicine offer guarantee progression?
Progression depends on satisfying the conditions attached to that pathway, such as completing a specified degree, achieving the required university results and meeting other requirements. A competitive interview pathway or priority selection pool does not itself guarantee a medical place.
Disclaimer: The National Institute of Education's primary mission is to provide information, advice, and educational and training services to assist clients on their journey into Australian and New Zealand universities. We regularly review the admission processes for medical, dental and health careers courses; however, universities reserve the right to change their admission criteria without notice. For detailed and the most current admission guides, please visit the respective university’s website.