Academic Requirements

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Section 4: Academic Requirements

Your academic record is a core component of your medical school application. Australian medical programs set high academic standards, whether you’re applying for an undergraduate-entry course straight from secondary school or a graduate-entry MD after completing a bachelor’s. Here we outline what you need in terms of grades and prior study.

Undergraduate Entry (School-Leaver) Academic Criteria: For high school students (and recent school leavers) aiming for direct entry, the primary academic measure is your ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) or equivalent (for example, IB score if you did the International Baccalaureate, or other country’s secondary qualifications converted to an Australian equivalent). Medicine requires exceptionally high academic performance. Typically, universities set a minimum ATAR around 95.00 or above just to be eligible for consideration¹². For instance, UNSW requires at least 96.00 ATAR (or IB 38) to apply for its BMed/MD program¹. In practice, due to competition, the ATAR of students who are actually accepted into undergraduate medicine is often in the high 90s, sometimes 99+. For the most sought-after programs (UNSW, Monash, etc.), a 99+ ATAR is common among those who secure offers, though lower can suffice if balanced by outstanding admission test scores or if applying through a special entry scheme.

If you’re completing Year 12, aim for the highest rank possible – every point counts. Some universities also allow recent graduates (usually within 1–2 years after finishing school) to apply with their ATAR if they haven’t commenced other tertiary studies significantly. If you have taken the IB, there are conversion tables (e.g., IB 45 ≈ ATAR 99.95, IB 38 ≈ ATAR 96)¹³. Other Australian curricula like QCE, HSC, VCE, etc., all funnel into an ATAR or OP; overseas grades will be converted case-by-case by admission centres.

In addition to the ATAR, some prerequisite subjects may be required or at least assumed knowledge. Nearly all undergrad programs require that you have satisfied the English prerequisite (since universities require a minimum level of English proficiency for any course – typically an English or Literature subject in Year 12). Some medical programs used to require certain science subjects (like Chemistry) at Year 12 level; nowadays, explicit subject prerequisites for undergrad medicine are less common, but strong background in Chemistry and maybe Biology or Physics is recommended. For example, UNSW lists English as a prerequisite and no specific science requirement⁴, but they expect you to cope with first-year biomedical science content. The University of Queensland’s provisional entry suggests at least one science (like Chemistry) is recommended. Always check each university’s admission guides for any subject requirements or recommendations. If you lack a recommended subject (say you didn’t take Chemistry in Year 12), you might need to do some catch-up study, but it typically won’t bar you from admission as a school-leaver unless explicitly stated.

Graduate Entry Academic Criteria: If you are applying to a graduate-entry MD program, your Grade Point Average (GPA) from your previous tertiary studies is the key academic metric. Universities will calculate your GPA from your bachelor’s degree (and sometimes other completed degrees) – often using a 7-point scale in Australia, where 7 = High Distinction, 6 = Distinction, 5 = Credit, etc. Most grad programs require a minimum GPA around 5.0 out of 7.0 (credit average) to even be considered⁵. For example, the Graduate Entry Medical School Admissions Guide (GEMSAS) notes that virtually all schools have a minimum GPA requirement in the range of 5.0 to 5.5⁵. In practice though, just like ATAR, the competitive GPA is much higher. Successful graduate applicants often have GPAs in the distinction range (~6.0+). Some schools publish the average or minimum GPA of successful applicants – often this might be around 6.5 or above for the most competitive ones. If your GPA is around the minimum 5.0, you would likely need an outstanding admissions test (GAMSAT) score or other strengths to compensate, and even then, chances can be slim for general entry.

Degree Requirements: For graduate entry, you must have completed (or be in the final year of) an undergraduate Bachelor’s degree (AQF Level 7) or equivalent. It usually doesn’t matter what field – applicants come from science, biomed, arts, engineering, etc. Medicine welcomes diverse academic backgrounds as long as you can demonstrate the capability to handle the medical course content. However, some graduate programs have specific subject prerequisites within your prior degree. The most notable example is the University of Melbourne’s MD, which (until recently) required second-year level subjects in anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry. (As of the latest info, Melbourne has adjusted this requirement; check their website for current prerequisite details, as there was talk of removing the strict prerequisite or offering bridging courses⁶⁷.) The University of Sydney MD previously required undergraduate biology and chemistry, but they removed subject prerequisites and now emphasise performance on GAMSAT instead. On the other hand, the University of Queensland MD (for grad entrants) introduced prerequisites starting with 2023 intake: they require prior university-level studies in cell biology and systems physiology (or equivalent) ([PDF] Summary of Course Prerequisites). If you are applying as a graduate, be sure to check each target university’s prerequisite subjects or assumed knowledge – if you didn’t cover these in your degree, you may need to take additional courses before starting the MD. Often, meeting these prerequisites is mandatory for enrolment (e.g., you might receive a conditional offer pending completion of an anatomy course).

For graduates, universities might calculate your GPA in different ways: some take the GPA of your most recent three years of study; some weigh the later years of study higher (to reward improvement); some allow inclusion of honours or other postgraduate coursework in the calculation. GEMSAS (the centralised application service for most graduate-entry med schools) has detailed rules on GPA calculation. In general, expect them to use your bachelor’s performance as the main gauge. A credit average (GPA 5.0) is the typical minimum, but a distinction average (GPA 6.0 or above) makes you much more competitive⁵. As an example, Monash University’s graduate entry (which is only open to their own Biomedical Science graduates) insists on a minimum 6.0 GPA⁸. Sydney had a requirement of 5.5 (WAM 65) in each year of undergrad. These specifics vary, so consult the latest admissions guide of each university.

International Baccalaureate (IB) and Other Secondary Quals: If you’re an international or domestic student who did the IB or A-Levels, universities have conversion scales to ATAR. For instance, an IB score of 42 might convert to around ATAR 99.7; IB 38 to ATAR 96. Most universities publish these on their websites or you can find them through state Tertiary Admissions Centres. For A-Levels, usually at least 2-3 subjects at A* or A grades are expected (some universities mention the minimum scores, e.g., UNSW requires two A-level subjects with high grades if going that route⁹). If you completed a secondary qualification overseas, you may need to provide an official conversion or have it assessed by the admissions centre.

Summary of Academic Benchmarks: In short, outstanding academic results are needed. For school leavers, aim for the highest ATAR possible (realistically 95+ minimum, ideally 98-99 for an unencumbered chance at multiple universities). For graduate entrants, aim for a GPA well above the minimum cutoff (the higher the better, with a rough benchmark of 6+ out of 7 to stay competitive, although a bit lower can suffice if balanced by other factors). Make sure you have checked any subject prerequisites (especially if applying for grad programs). If you haven’t met them yet, plan how you will—some schools allow you to complete a required subject in summer school or online before starting.

Keep in mind that academics, while critical, are just one part of the selection. Medical schools use a combination of academic scores, admissions test scores, and interviews/other criteria to make offers. Rarely will academics alone get you in (except in the unusual case of a school that might not interview and weighs only GPA and test, like UQ’s graduate entry which ranks by GAMSAT/GPA primarily). So, a perfect ATAR or GPA doesn’t guarantee admission, and a slightly lower one doesn’t doom it – it works in combination with the other components which we’ll discuss next.