Selection Criteria for Australian Medical Schools

by Alisha Tang, 27 April, 2023
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Medical school entry requirements can be extremely complicated and difficult to navigate. Here, we’ve outlined some of the key things you need to know so that you can get your applications successfully completed by the deadline.

How does the medical school admissions system work?

There are 13 graduate entry medical schools in Australia - consisting of the 10 GEMSAS consortium schools plus The University of Sydney (USyd), Monash and Flinders. Each medical school ranks applicants according to different criteria so it’s important to understand this in order to make an informed decision about how you will preference medical schools in your GEMSAS application. If you would like to be considered for a position at USyd, Monash or Flinders, you will need to prepare and submit a separate, direct application to the respective university. For more tips on choosing which medical school to apply to, see our blog article Which Med School is for Me?

Combination scores for entry into medicine

Many medical schools use both GAMSAT® Exam and GPA to rank applicants for interview offers. This score is known as the combination score and is calculated as:
(GAMSAT score ÷ 100) + (GPA ÷ 7)

Other schools just set a minimum GPA for application and use your GAMSAT score as the sole determinant of whether you will get an interview. These medical schools are called ‘hurdle’ schools, because your GPA is just a hurdle. Some schools use a weighted GPA scale, whereas others use an average GPA calculation. Some schools also offer bonuses for honours, masters and PhDs. With many schools transitioning to pass/fail classes in the 2020-2021 period, GPA calculations have been adjusted in many schools.

What are the entry requirements for Australian medical schools?

This is best understood by carefully looking at the entry criteria in the table below. Important things to consider are:

Do you have a score (either combination or just GAMSAT® Exam) that is competitive (looking at prior year cut-offs will help you judge this)?
Do you have any bonuses (eg. rural background, previous experience as a health professional)?
Is there a portfolio that will be considered as part of the application?
How heavily is medical school interview performance weighted in the final ranking for offers?

Entry Requirements: (Note, to view the full table, scroll horizontally)

Medical school	Minimum GPA	Minimum GAMSAT*	Bonuses / sub-quota		Criteria for INTERVIEW offer			Criteria for FINAL OFFER of place				2022 GAMSAT cutoff scores
			Rural & Indigenous	Postgraduate	GPA	GAMSAT	Portfolio	GPA	GAMSAT	Portfolio	Interview
USyd¹	5.0 (4.5 for rural applicants)	50^*	✓		Hurdle	100%	-	-	100%¹	-	-	72
UNDS²	5.2	52^*	✓	✓	30%	30%	CASPER 30%, bonus points (10%)	50%			50%	63
UOW	5.5	50^*	✓		Hurdle	50%	50% (CASPER hurdle)	-	-	50%	25%, CASPER 25%	60
ANU	5.6	55^*	✓	✓	50%	50%	-	25%	25%	-	50%	67
UMelb³	5.0	50^*	✓	✓	50%	50%	-	25%	25%	-	50%	67
Deakin⁴	5.0	50^*	✓^X	✓	50%	50%	-	25%	25%	-	50%	64
UQ³	5.0^	50*	✓		50%	50%	-	25%	25%	-	50%	65
Griffith	5.0^	50^*	✓	✓ ^	50%	50%	-	25%	25%	-	50%	67
Flinders	5.5	50^*	✓		Hurdle	100%	-	33%	33%	-	33%	63
UNDF²	5.2	52^*	✓	✓	30%	30%	CASPER 30%, bonus points 10%	50%			50%	61
UWA⁵	5.5	55^*	✓	✓^{^}	50%	50%	-	30%	20%	-	50%	69
Macquarie	5.0	50^*	✓		50%	50%	Personal Statement Satisfactory	50%	-	-	50%	63
Monash⁶	70 (WAM)	N/A	✓		100%	-	-	40%	-	-	60%	N/A

1 USyd removed interviews from their application process in 2020. Selection for USyd now relies solely on GAMSAT scores, with situation judgement tests, interview or GPA used as a tiebreaker if required.
2 UNDF/UNDS may consider scores below the minimum where applicants are competitive in other areas. A CASPER score is also required for applications to UNDF/UNDS.
3 Prerequisites apply (check the relevant university websites for more information).
4 Flinders may accept applicants with a lower GAMSAT ® Exam, where GPA is outstanding. A minimum of 50 is required for all sections of the GAMSAT.
5 Offers for rural students are calculated using the following: GPA 22.5%, GAMSAT 15%, Interview Score 37.5%, Rural Rating 25%.

6 Graduate entry offers are made only to applicants who have completed eligible undergraduate degrees at Monash University.

^ A GPA of 7 is awarded to masters by research and PhD studies (NB: UWA award this for PhDs only).
* A minimum of 50 in each section is required.
X Deakin also provides bonuses for relevant prior clinical experience, work experience, prior study at Deakin and financial disadvantage. Deakin has a high emphasis on rural practice and aims to recruit 50% of its cohort from rural applicants. Applications to the Rural Training Scheme require a written statement, which will also be considered for interview selection.

Conclusion

It is important that you review the minimum requirements for each university to ensure that you will be eligible for selection. You don’t want to waste all your hard work on an application that is ineligible and waste a preference in your GEMSAS application! Although the information above has been compiled for your convenience, it is also imperative that you check the requirements for each individual university yourself prior to applying. Most universities have a detailed application guide which will give you the most accurate information regarding the minimum requirements for that institution. Application requirements change regularly, and the information provided here may not provide all the information you require to make a well-informed choice about your preferences.

Whilst it is crucial that you meet minimum requirements for the schools you apply for, it may also be a good idea to compare your scores to these minimum standards. Remember that you are competing against a dedicated, hard-working group of students and the minimum requirements are often far exceeded by the applicant groups. Looking at previous GAMSAT/GPA/combined cut-off scores may be a good way to judge your competitiveness for a particular program. Again, most of this information is confidential and numbers found online are often a result of self-reporting. This means it may not be accurate, however can give you a broader sense of the numbers needed in each section, which may allow you to preference your schools strategically.

If you would like more in depth information about admission requirements for each specific university, please refer to our Admission Requirements article and the official GEMSAS Admissions Guide.