ATAR for Medicine – every course in Australia
There is more to consider than just the ATAR for medicine. There are a number of entry requirements for medical degrees for both the undergraduate and postgraduate entry pathways.
ATAR for medicine – undergraduate entry pathway
Apart from your ATAR, entry requirements for undergraduate medicine may also include:
- a UCAT ANZ score
- an interview
- a portfolio
- a personal qualities assessment
- a written application, assessment or registration form
- pre-requisite subjects
- a psychometric test
- inherent or professional requirements
- a police check
- a working with children check
- health checks
- immunisations
- the completion of first aid training before starting the course
Some universities also have different entry requirements for Indigenous students, and students from a rural, or refugee (Humanitarian Visa) background.
Some universities have entry pathways to their postgraduate medical course for Grade 12 graduates provided you complete a relevant undergraduate degree at their institution. These places are highly competitive and generally require an ATAR of at least 90. The pathway may involve provisional entry into medicine following a 3-year undergraduate degree, which in some cases can be accelerated and completed in 2 years.
Some universities take a mixture of undergraduate and postgraduate students into their Bachelor of Medicine / Bachelor of Surgery 5 or 6-year degree, although a number of universities have changed to a Bachelor of Medical Science or Bachelor of Medical Studies followed by a Doctor of Medicine (MD). Many universities have links to PDF documents that contain detailed information about the admissions process to their medical program. Be sure to check with the admissions officers at the universities you are looking at applying to in order to ensure that you are aware of the full admissions process.
Following is a guide to the ATAR scores for every medical degree in Australia in 2023:
Postgraduate entry into medicine
Some universities offer a 4-year Doctor of Medicine program specifically for postgraduate entry.
Apart from your Grade Point Average, entry requirements for postgraduate medicine may also include:
- a GAMSAT score
- an interview
- a portfolio
- a personal statement
- a situational judgement test
- pre-requisite subjects
- inherent requirements
- a police check
- a working with children check
- the completion of first aid training before starting the course
Some universities have different cut-off requirements for students from a rural background, Indigenous background or for humanitarian visa holders. It is unusual to be able to transfer from one medical school to another, but a limited number of universities will consider admissions for students in this situation.
Universities that offer postgraduate Doctor of Medicine programs usually have an undergraduate pathway for school leavers. These are covered in the Undergraduate Entry into Medicine section of this article.
Following is a guide to the entry requirements for every postgraduate medical degree in Australia in 2023:
Pathways to becoming a doctor
There are medical schools distributed in a range of capital cities and regional centres throughout Australia. Most medical schools will accept undergraduate students either directly into their medical degree or with provisional entry via a Bachelor/Masters degree program. Some medical schools require the completion of an undergraduate (Bachelor) degree for entry into their medical degree.
Please note that following medical school, further training is required to become a fully qualified doctor. The length of training required depends on the specialty area you choose. Below we show the training pathway to become a general practitioner in Australia. For more pathway infographics, go to our become a doctor page.
Current list of approved programs of study to become an intern (doctor)
The information presented in this article was correct at the time of publishing. Please check with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency for an up to date list of approved programs of study to become an intern (doctor) with general registration in Australia.
If you would like to find approved medical courses in Australia:
1. Go to https://www.ahpra.gov.au/Accreditation/Approved-Programs-of-Study.aspx
2. In Profession select Medical Practitioner
3. In Country make the appropriate selection – for example, Australia
4. In Qualification Type select General
5. Click Search
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Disclaimer
This information is general in nature and does not take into account your personal circumstances. My Health Career accepts no responsibility for ensuring that you enrol in a course that is right for you. Please do your own research to ensure that you enrol in the correct course, especially if you are considering an undergraduate biomedicine, health science or biomedical science degree as a pathway to a postgraduate medical course. This may include speaking with doctors, a careers advisor, guidance officer, career development practitioner, representatives of the Australian Medical Association, and admissions officers from the university or universities you are looking at applying to.