Admissions Criteria

Admission to the Doctor of Medicine and Surgery program for Domestic applicants is based on:

• A weighted Grade Point Average (GPA) from qualifying degree/s*
• A valid GAMSAT score *
• An interview *

Admission to the Doctor of Medicine and Surgery program for International applicants is based on:

• A weighted Grade Point Average (GPA) from qualifying degree/s*
• A valid GAMSAT score or a valid MCAT score *
• An interview *

* see specific sections to determine eligibility

Qualifications

Applicants must have completed or be studying the final year of a bachelor’s degree at the time of application. The bachelor’s degree must be an AQF Level 7 qualification (at minimum) and comprise of at least three full-time equivalent years (3.0 FTE) worth of study.

There are no preferred bachelor’s degrees or prerequisite courses for entry to the MChD program. We welcome applicants from a variety of undergraduate backgrounds.

Bachelor’s degrees completed in Australia must be from a Commonwealth-accredited institution. Bachelor’s degrees completed overseas must be from a recognised institution and must be equivalent to an Australian Bachelor degree, as determined by the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment.

Applicants who have completed a postgraduate qualification are welcome to apply but must have completed a 3.0 FTE bachelor’s degree previously. Higher-level qualifications such as Honours, Graduate Diplomas and Master’s by coursework may be taken into consideration during the GPA calculation if the program is complete or due to be complete in the year of application. 

Two-year accelerated bachelor’s degrees (i.e. where 3.0 FTE worth of study is fast-tracked over two years) will be accepted if the degree is due to be completed by 31 December in the year of application.

Conversion degrees are not accepted. A conversion degree is defined as a bachelor’s degree that includes more than 1.0 FTE of credit from previous studies undertaken below AQF Level 7 (e.g. a bachelor’s degree containing prior credit from a TAFE certificate/diploma).

If your bachelor’s degree was completed more than 10 years ago, you will need to meet additional study requirements to be eligible to apply. Please read the ‘Currency of Qualification’ section for more information.

All prior study (including both complete and incomplete qualifications) must be declared in your application.

Currency of Qualification

Applicants whose bachelor’s degree was awarded more than 10 years ago will need to meet further study requirements to be eligible to apply.

Applicants are required to have completed their bachelor’s degree within 10 years prior to the date of application. The 10 years is measured from the date your degree was officially completed (i.e. the date of conferral), not the date of your graduation ceremony.

If your Bachelor degree was completed more than 10 years ago, the ‘10 year rule’ may be waived if you have undertaken any additional undergraduate or postgraduate study in the intervening period — this must be evidenced by successful completion of at least 0.5 years of full-time equivalent study (0.5 EFTSL) at Bachelor level (or higher) in a Commonwealth-accredited program in the 10 years prior to the date of application.

A study load of 0.5 FTE is usually equivalent to one semester of full-time study or two semesters of part-time study. You should contact your institution directly to confirm the study load of any courses/units undertaken at that university.

GPA Calculation

The GPA calculation is based on three years of full-time equivalent study (3.0 FTE) in your most recent eligible degree, or combination of eligible degrees (if applicable). For the purpose of the GPA calculation, eligible degrees include Bachelor, Honours, Graduate Diploma and Master’s by coursework programs. Course results from eligible degrees will be included in the GPA calculation if the degree is already complete or due to be completed by 31 December in the year of application.

The ANU uses a 3-year weighted GPA calculation for admission to the MChD program. This means that your most recent results are weighted more heavily:

• Final GPA Year – Weighted x3
• Final-1 GPA Year – Weighted x2
• Final-2 GPA Year – Weighted x1

If your most recent eligible degree comprises less than 3.0 FTE worth of study, course results from your next-most-recent eligible degree(s) will be used to make up the remainder of the 3.0 FTE.

For example, if you completed a 2-year master’s by coursework after your bachelor’s degree, your GPA would be calculated using 2.0 FTE worth of course results from the Masters (Final GPA year and Final-1 GPA year), and the remaining 1.0 FTE worth of course results would be taken from the final year of your bachelor’s degree (Final-2 GPA year).

Where an applicant is completing the final year of their degree in the year of application, the current year of study will only be included in the GPA calculation if at least 0.375 FTE worth of graded course results from Semester/Trimester 1 are available to be used in the calculation at the time of assessment. If at least 0.375 FTE worth of graded results are not yet available, the Final GPA Year will be excluded from the calculation and the GPA will be calculated using only the Final-1 and Final-2 GPA years.

Ungraded Pass (UGP/CRS) results will not be included in the GPA calculation. We will include UGPs in the credit count for a particular GPA year, however, they are excluded from the calculation and that particular GPA year will be calculated based only on the available graded course results.

At minimum, an applicant must have at least 0.375 FTE of graded results in at least 2 of the 3 GPA years to have a valid GPA calculated.

Graduate Certificates, Master’s by Research and PhDs are not included in the GPA calculation. However, completion of some higher-level qualifications may attract a percentage bonus. Please refer to the ‘Higher Degree Bonus’ section for further information.

A minimum weighted GPA of 5.0 is required to be considered for an interview.

Higher Degree Bonus

Standalone Honours: A 2% bonus may be awarded for a standalone Honours degree if the qualification is already complete or due to be completed in the year of application. The bonus applies to standalone Honours degrees only. Embedded and Professional Honours programs are included in the GPA calculation but do not receive the percentage bonus.

Masters by Research. A 2% bonus may be awarded for a Master’s by Research if the qualification is completed at the time of application.

PhD: A 4% bonus may be awarded for a PhD if the qualification is completed at the time of application.

The percentage bonus is applied to the combined GPA/GAMSAT score. Applicants must meet the individual GPA and GAMSAT minimum requirements before they can be eligible for a bonus.

Applicants cannot accumulate bonuses for completing more than one of the degrees listed above. If an applicant has completed more than one qualification that is eligible for a bonus, only the highest bonus will apply.

Rurality

In line with federal government initiatives, 29% of the annual ANU intake of medical students should be of rural background. The Modified Monash Model is how the Department of Health define whether a location is a city, rural, remote or very remote. The model measures remoteness and population size on a scale of MM 1 to MM 7. If you have resided in an Australian rural area, MM 2 to 7, for 5 years consecutively or 10 years cumulatively you may be eligible for consideration in the rural sub-quota.

If you wish to be considered in the rural sub-quota you will need to complete the Rurality question in the GEMSAS application form and submit your supporting documentation to GEMSAS. You can check the MM classification of your address by visiting the Department of Health’s DoctorConnect website.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Pathway

The ANU is committed to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants who are interested in studying medicine. Applicants are given priority access to places in the program via a dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pathway.

To be considered for these places when applying via GEMSAS, applicants must indicate their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status at the time of application and provide the required supporting documentation. Alternatively, applicants may apply direct to the ANU through the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pathway.

Applicants may be eligible to sit an early interview in July/August as part of the direct pathway.

All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who are admitted into the program are automatically considered for a scholarship.

Bonded Medical Program

The Bonded Medical Program provides students with a commonwealth support place in a medical program in return for a commitment to work in eligible regional, rural and remote areas for a specific period of time after completion of their medical program. This commitment is referred to as a return of service obligation.

Further information is available at the Department of Health and Aged Care – Bonded Medical Program.

English Language

All applicants must meet the Australian National University's English language requirements for graduate admission. Please refer to the ANU Policy Library for further details.

GAMSAT & MCAT

Domestic applicants must apply with a valid Graduate Australian Medical Schools Admissions Test (GAMSAT) score.

International applicants can apply with a valid GAMSAT score or a valid Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) score.

Applicants cannot use results from the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) or Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission Test (UMAT) to apply.

GAMSAT: A minimum overall score of 50, with a minimum score of 50 in each section is required to be considered for an interview.

MCAT: A minimum score of 125 in each section is required to be considered for an interview.

Interview

Selection for interview is based on a 50:50 composite score derived from your GPA (weighted 50%) and Overall GAMSAT/MCAT score (weighted 50%).

Applicants must meet the minimum GPA and GAMSAT/MCAT scores to be considered for an interview.

Applicants’ composite scores will be used to produce a ranked list of candidates. Interviews are offered to applicants with a range of GPA/GAMSAT score combinations.

Interviews for domestic applicants are held in September of each year. Interviews for International and Indigenous applicants are held in July of each year. The interviews are conducted online and will cover a range of topics and scenarios.

Offers

Offers of a place in the program will be based on a final weighted score derived from the interview score (weighted 50%) and the composite GPA/GAMSAT or MCAT score used for the interview ranking (weighted 50%).

Domestic applicants will either be offered a Commonwealth Support Place (CSP) or a Bonded Medical Place (BMP). International applicants will be offered a Full Fee-paying international place.

An offer of a place to the program is only valid for the year in which it is offered. The ANU will not consider deferrals. If an applicant is unable to accept their offer, they would be required to re-apply the follow the year.

Transfers

Requests for direct transfers will not be considered. All years of the program are at full enrolment capacity and the ANU is unable to accommodate additional students transferring into this program from other medical schools.

Students from other medical schools who wish to study medicine at the ANU are welcome to apply for the next available intake into Year 1 of the program through the standard application process. Please note that course credit cannot be granted, and you would be required to complete all 4 years of the program.

Inherent Requirements

Inherent requirements are core activities, tasks and skills essential to successfully completing a program. The Inherent Requirements for the MChD program are outlined on Programs and Courses. Given that students may not be able to complete the program if their disability prevents them from meeting the inherent requirements, students are encouraged to review the inherent requirements of the program and the supports available to them prior to applying. If you think you may experience any problems meeting the inherent requirements of the program, please contact the ANU for further advice.

Screening and Vaccination Requirements

All commencing MChD students are required to meet the mandatory screening and vaccination requirements for the ANU, ACT Health and NSW Health.

If you're offered a place in the MChD program, you will receive the detailed Screening and Vaccination Information Booklet with your offer letter. You must complete and provide evidence for all requirements in the booklet prior to commencing the program. Some of the primary requirements include:

• Australian National Police Check
• ACT Working With Vulnerable People (WWVP) Card
• Senior First/Provide First Aid + CPR Certificate.
• Evidence of immunity and vaccination against certain diseases