Australia sees thousands of med school applicants each year, many of them international applicants. As New Zealand has only two universities offering medical degrees, competition can be even fiercer. Average admission rates for med school programs in Australia sit at around 30%.
Total Australian medical school offer rates
Applications: 7972. Offers: 2399. Acceptances: 1813. Offer rate: 30.1%
The medical schools with the most competitive admission processes in Australia include the University of Sydney School of Medicine, the University of New South Wales Faculty of Medicine, and the University of Melbourne's Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences.
ATAR scores form part of the entry criteria for the Undergraduate pathway. As entry into medical school is highly competitive, students need to achieve extremely high ATAR scores, often a minimum of 95+ (though higher to be competitive).
In Australia, the lowest minimum ATAR required by a medical program is an ATAR of 90 (Monash University) or adjusted ATAR of 90 (University of Adelaide). If you're a rural student, you could also apply to La Trobe's medical program, which has a minimum unadjusted ATAR requirement of 80.
The short answer is that all medical schools in Australia are competitive! There is no 'easy' route to becoming a doctor, and no 'easy' medical school option. It can be argued that some universities may be more prestigious (e.g. University of Sydney, University of Melbourne etc.)
Medical school in Australia is a great choice for students who dream of being a doctor before they even graduate. The national funding model sets low tuition rates and allows students to complete the program in four years instead of six. In addition, there are many perks to getting your degree in Australia.
Some universities required significantly higher ATARs (e.g. Flinders required a 99.95 ATAR, including adjustment factors, for medical entry), and universities like UNSW have recently started to require an ATAR of around 99.5 (on top of a competitive UCAT score) just to land an interview.
For non-rural students who do not qualify for any special access schemes, UNSW Medicine has an official ATAR minimum cut-off of 96.00, and no official UCAT ANZ cut-off exists. However, to have a realistic shot, your scores need to be higher than around ATAR 99.50 & UCAT 92%tile.
Australian Medical School Commencements
In 2021 there were 4,153 commencing medical students in Australia, a 2.4% increase on 2020 numbers (Table 4). Commencements comprised 3,533 domestic and 620 international students. Projections are for 4,065 students to commence in 2022.
There is no shortage of doctors in Australia and never has been - the problem is one of mal-distribution. The numbers speak for themselves - 3.3 doctors per 1000 head of population in Australia compared to an average in the developed world of somewhere between 2-3 doctors per head of population.
Some medical disciplines are saturated with local physicians and have few openings for international medical graduates; neurosurgery, orthopaedics, plastic surgery are among the most competitive and difficult to enter. However other specialisms face constant shortages, some regional and some national.
Some of the most sought-after doctors include general practitioners, psychiatrists, surgeons, and medical professionals specializing in rural and remote medicine. General practitioners (GPs) are at the forefront of primary healthcare, providing essential medical services to communities across the country.
FAQs. →Does it matter which medical school you go to in Australia? While the quality of medical education in Australia is generally high across all universities, there are some differences between institutions. Factors such as curriculum structure, teaching methods, and clinical exposure can vary between schools.
Generally (however it does vary greatly), graduate medical schools have a minimum GPA around 5.0 and GAMSAT score around 50. Competitive scores are often much higher than this.
ATAR: at least 96 / IB 38. UCAT: the overall score of the cognitive subtests (Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Reasoning, Abstract Reasoning). There is no minimum UCAT ANZ score as such. However, applicants must reach the 50th percentile to proceed to the interview stage of the application process..
What is the ATAR for Medicine in NSW and Canberra? For students wishing to study medicine in New South Wales, they will need to achieve an ATAR above 90 and in most cases in the mid-90s or even higher.
To be competitive you'd need 99+, but 98 and 97 could still get you into med if you have really good UMATs and interviews.