The minimum ATAR for medicine in Australia is very high, generally ranging from 95 to 99.95, with specific requirements varying by university, pathway (direct entry, rural, special entry), and year, often requiring scores above 96-99 for non-special entry, plus UCAT ANZ and interviews, though rural pathways can lower this to around 91-96.
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. You may use your 2022 ATAR alongside your aptitude-test score to judge how likely you are to receive a medical school interview offer.
The lowest reported ATAR is 30.00, but if you score lower, your result will simply say "30.00 or less," with no specific score given below that threshold. While 30.00 is the minimum reported rank, some universities offer alternative entry paths, and specific courses can have lower entry requirements, with some offers reported in the 20s and 30s for certain programs.
Many medical schools have a cut-off for GPAs below 3.0. The average GPA at most MD medical schools ranges from about 3.7 to 3.9.
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.
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At university, the average ATAR tends to be higher, at around 80. Remember that almost all courses require a score above 50 for entry, and only students in higher education are included. The average ATAR among uni students has to be above 75 therefore.
There isn't a single "lowest ATAR ever" because scores below 30.00 are officially reported as "less than 30" or "30 or less," though theoretically, the lowest possible score is 0.00, with actual offers sometimes going as low as 22 for certain degrees or under special consideration, often through Educational Access Schemes.
Apply for Bonded Medical Places (BMP): Many universities offer Bonded Medical Places, which have lower UCAT thresholds compared to standard places. This can increase his chances of securing a spot in medicine.
University of Melbourne: The ATAR requirement is around 99.65 for the Bachelor of Biomedicine pathway leading into medicine. University of Queensland: The ATAR score for entry into medicine is usually above 99, though some students may be accepted with an adjusted rank through their selection process.
Least Competitive Medical Specialties
This means that if your ATAR is too low for your dream course, it might still grant you entry into an institution with lower demand that offers a very similar course, or allow you to take a slightly different route to your end goal.
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.
Domestic Students requirements
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 a rank, not a mark. It is a number between 0 and 99.95 with increments of 0.05.
Harvard (1500–1580), MIT (1520–1570), and Stanford (1510–1570) admit students with almost exclusively 1500+ scores. Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Penn, and Northwestern cluster around 1470–1570. Even selective non-Ivies like Rice and Vanderbilt expect 1510–1560. Public flagships show more range.
A 1.3 grade point average (GPA) is considered a low GPA on most grading scales. While schools may differ in their interpretation of grades, in many cases, this GPA equates to the letter grade D+. Most consider this a reflection of a weak semester or cumulative academic performance.
*Admission pathways are open to domestic applicants on the basis of equity or other adjustment factors, including for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants (a minimum ATAR of 90 to be considered) and Regional and Remote Entry Scheme or MySydney applicants (a minimum ATAR of 99.5 to be considered).
A very small number of students achieve the perfect 99.95 ATAR each year, typically ranging from the low 40s to low 50s across Australia, with specific numbers varying by state and cohort size (e.g., 53 in NSW/ACT 2025, 42 in Victoria 2025, 37 in Queensland 2025). This top rank signifies performance in the top 0.05% of the age group, making it exceptionally rare.
Indeed, a common criticism of the ATAR is that it doesn't tell universities enough about potential students, and doesn't do enough to ensure diversity. Our research suggests students also see it as unfair.
According to AAMC data, some of the top feeder schools for medical students in the U.S. include: