Yes, a 98 ATAR is an excellent score and can get you into medicine, especially with good UCAT/GAMSAT scores and interviews, but direct entry is extremely competitive, often requiring 99+; however, you have strong chances through rural pathways, Indigenous entry, or pathway programs (like Bachelor of Health Science/Medical Science) that allow internal transfers, making a 98 ATAR very viable for medicine in Australia.
The minimum ATAR for medicine is typically around 90-95, but competitive scores are often 99+, as it's highly competitive, with factors like the UCAT score and interviews crucial for entry into both direct-entry and postgraduate pathways. While some pathways (like rural entry) can lower the ATAR, expect to need a near-perfect score for top universities, often combined with high UCAT results and strong interview performance.
ATAR Requirements for Medicine
Although the exact ATAR needed to get into medicine can differ depending on the university, it is crucial to understand that medical schools are amongst the most competitive in Australia. That means that you need to achieve anywhere between 95-99.95 to be accepted in a medical course.
A 3.2 GPA is considered low for medical school, as the average accepted GPA is closer to 3.7+, but it's not impossible; you'd need an exceptional MCAT score, strong clinical experience, research, volunteering, and a significant upward trend in grades to compensate and get accepted into DO programs or some MD programs, especially if you have compelling extracurriculars and personal narrative.
The ATAR is an estimate of the percentage of the population that you outperformed. So if you receive an ATAR of 60, it means you performed better than 60% of students that year. The ATAR is a number from 0 and 99.95 in intervals of 0.05. The highest rank is 99.95, the next highest 99.90, and so on.
Yes, a 98 ATAR is an excellent score and gives you a strong chance for medicine in Australia/NZ, but it's not a guarantee; you also need a high UCAT score, strong interview skills, and potentially bonus points (SEAS/EAS), as medical admissions are extremely competitive and often require selection ranks well above 98 (sometimes 99+) for direct entry. A 98 ATAR is often the minimum for provisional entry or for some universities, but competitive entry can push requirements to 99+; focus on maximizing your UCAT and interview performance.
An "okay" ATAR score is subjective but generally starts around 70, which opens doors to many university courses, with scores from 70-89 considered average to strong and allowing access to most fields like arts, science, and business, while 90+ is excellent for competitive degrees like medicine or law. The average ATAR for students aiming for university is around 70, meaning you performed better than 30% of your peers, but an ATAR of 80 means you're in the top 20%.
The 32-hour rule for medical school admissions is a policy used by some admissions committees that focuses on an applicant's most recent credit hours of coursework instead of their entire undergraduate GPA.
According to US News, aspiring med school students should aim for a 3.5 GPA or higher to be considered for the top medical schools in the country. Getting into med school with a low GPA is certainly possible, but striving for a competitive score is always in your best interest.
A 3.7 GPA is generally not too low for medical school—it's actually quite competitive! Most successful applicants to MD programs have overall GPAs in the range of about 3.5 to 3.9, so a 3.7 places you comfortably within that bracket.
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.
There isn't one "easiest" medical school, as it's highly competitive, but James Cook University (JCU) is often cited for its direct-entry MBBS without UCAT, focusing on rural medicine and offering pathways with specific ATARs, while Deakin University, Griffith, and Macquarie have lower GPA/ATAR/GAMSAT thresholds or specific streams (like rural/indigenous) that can make entry more accessible than other top-tier programs. The "easiest" depends on your strengths (ATAR vs. GAMSAT/UCAT, rural focus, interview skills) and whether you're seeking undergraduate or graduate entry.
The fourth-year is then an extension of year three and oftentimes will be the students' "test" period where they will be evaluated and given a score on their general performance. Overall the first year of medical school is generally regarded as the most challenging year.
For example, the table below illustrates the 2021 ATAR profile for the University of New South Wales' (UNSW) undergraduate entry Bachelor of Medical Studies/Doctor of Medicine program. The lowest ATAR to receive an offer was 91.65 (excluding adjustment factors), the median ATAR was 99.65 and the highest ATAR was 99.95.
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Medicine has the lowest offer rate of all areas of study, with approximately one out of every three undergraduate applicants receiving an offer. There are approximately 4,500 places every year across Australia and New Zealand, but bear in mind that these are spread across both undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
A 3.6 GPA is considered strong on the standard 4.0 scale. It usually means you're earning mostly A's with some B's, which places you above the national high school average of about 3.1. More importantly, admissions officers will weigh your GPA alongside the rigor of your classes.
This might mean retaking old courses for a better grade.
Can you rest easy or should you step it up and work a bit harder in the next few weeks? Read on to find out. A 3.5 GPA is equivalent to 90% or a B+ letter grade.
Most medical schools set a cap at a 3.0 GPA. Generally, a low GPA is less than a school's 75th or 80th percentile. You can also review your chosen school's average GPA for accepted students.
How Long Do Medical School Prerequisites Last? For most medical school schools, there is no strict expiration date for your prereqs. In the last couple of years, some medical schools have started to say that they would like to see the coursework within the last 5 years.
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Yes, a 97 ATAR is an excellent score, placing you in the top 3% of students (better than 97% of your peers) and often qualifying you for highly competitive university courses like Law or Medicine at many institutions, though it's crucial to check specific course cut-offs as some top-tier programs might require higher.
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