NCEA to ATAR

[FromNZ]

Hello, just wondering about all medical students who studied NCEA in New Zealand and are studying med at an Australian Uni now! How many excellence credits did you get, and specifically in which subjects etc to get your ATAR? I'm quite confused on how ATAR will be calculated from NCEA (I heard that they take the best 90 credits from 5 subjects and externals are heavily weighted?). Anyhow, thank you so much for your help! Really appreciate it

 

[frootloop]

I've written the spiel out enough times now that I can't really be bothered, so here's the quick and dirty version:

Australia is producing more medical graduates than it needs, so people are missing out on jobs. New Zealanders aren't going to be top of the priority list when it comes down to it, and we have oversupply issues of our own, so there's zero chance of being able to come back home for PGY1. You need a PGY1 job to get registered to work as a doctor. Going to Australia carries the genuine risk of not being able to use your medical degree. Highly inadvisable. Look around the site for more information.

Oh, and as of a few months ago, NZ citizens aren't eligible for student loans in Aus anymore. So unless you're able to front up the course fees (~$10,000/year) and all your living expenses for 5 years out of your own/mummy and daddy's pocket...

Tl;dr I know the NZ first year programs sound scary, but they're a lot less scary than spending 5 years of your life and around $100k getting a medical degree you may never be able to use. Stay in NZ and do first year here - if you don't get in, and at the end of it you're still keen on Aus, you can apply as a non-standard applicant (our GPA translates really well over there).

 

[Mana]

The costs are rising now - however, the Australia states continue to treat any New Zealander with Australian Permanent Residency the same as an Australian graduating in the same position. That is, if you are a NZer doing medicine in NSW then you will be priority 1 for an internship in NSW (however you will be a very low priority if applying back to NZ).

If you want to work as a doctor in Australia then it's a reasonable option - just don't expect to be able to go home to NZ to practice in the near (or probably far) future. If I were a New Zealander, I'd almost certainly be trying through the NZ pathways first.

 

[frootloop]

the Australia states continue to treat any New Zealander with Australian Permanent Residency the same as an Australian graduating in the same position.

How easy is it for a New Zealander to get Australian PR? Or are we all counted as PRs by default?

 

[Mana]

Sorry, let me clarify this.
As per this priority list in NSW:
http://www.heti.nsw.gov.au/Global/internship/NSW Health Priority List for 2018 Intern Recruitment Program.pdf

Priority 1 is Australian Citizens and PR *and NZ citizens regardless of Australian PR status.*

However, to apply for Australian PR as a New Zealander you will need to have lived here for at least 5 years (such as during the duration of an undergrad medical degree in Australia).


The main caveat for NZ applicants now is that they are no longer eligible for CSP places (only full-fee) - which means NZers will end up paying anywhere from $35k to $60k per year for their medical degree if done in Australia.

Of course, this puts it out of the reach of most New Zealanders. But if you are loaded, its a different story.

 

[DrDrLMG!]

So unless you're able to front up the course fees (~$10,000/year) and all your living expenses for 5 years out of your own/mummy and daddy's pocket...

The 10k per year is just the student contribution on a CSP/CSP-BMP. This is what people have to pay currently (Australians included - most would put it on HECS, I'd imagine). I think Kiwis are up for a hell of a lot more than that from now on (university dependent but closer to 50 or 60k per year).

ETA: errr, or what @Mana said

 

[A1]

I think Kiwis are up for a hell of a lot more than that from now on (university dependent but closer to 50 or 60k per year).

I have seen in a gov report that apart from the student contribution of 10.5k/year, the gov subsidises ~25k/year for each CSP med place.

That means Notre Dame charging full-fee students 35k/year is perfectly reasonable, Melb's 65k/year is downright profiteering

I hope the med schools that currently have no domestic FFPs, when they come to accepting Kiwis in future will only charge them to replace the gov subsidy thus total 35k/year. Or am I too naive?

 

[FromNZ]

Hi! Thanks for all your replies however I'm an Australian citizen studying in New Zealand so I assume this wouldn't affect me?

 

[Mana]

Hi! Thanks for all your replies however I'm an Australian citizen studying in New Zealand so I assume this wouldn't affect me?

Correct, this won't affect you, and I encourage you to apply to Australian medical schools if you are in this position.

 

[DrDrLMG!]

Hi! Thanks for all your replies however I'm an Australian citizen studying in New Zealand so I assume this wouldn't affect me?

Haha, yeah, disregard everything we all said Now hopefully someone will come by to answer your actual question. I have no idea, unfortunately... though I suspect it's information that has been reported here numerous times previously (I'd imagine it comes up regularly) so probably just requires a little more digging on your part.

 

[A1]

Now hopefully someone will come by to answer your actual question. I have no idea, unfortunately... though I suspect it's information that has been reported here numerous times previously (I'd imagine it comes up regularly) so probably just requires a little more digging on your part.

Some unis here for example SATAC on behalf of the SA unis used to have a conversion table like this
A level conversion table to atar (page 6)

but now they all say get NZQA to convert so we will never know.

Not sure if this post will help at all?
[Undergrad] - CIE A-Level to UAI conversion | Med Students Online

 

[frootloop]

Hi! Thanks for all your replies however I'm an Australian citizen studying in New Zealand so I assume this wouldn't affect me?

Ah, right. As others have said, that means none of my ranting applies to you!

The NZQA website has some information on the NCEA to ATAR translation. A few years ago we had a similar query come up, and from memory the exact calculation was a little bit shrouded in mystery, but they may have clarified things a bit by now. Try the NZQA website, and if that doesn't help, try contacting NZQA directly for information.

Just by the by, if your family and friends are all in NZ, I'd recommend seriously considering doing medicine here. If you study in Australia, coming back here will be... very difficult. Basically, study in the country you'd like to live and work in.

 

[freshcut]

Hey,

I finished year 13 in 2016 in Auckland am now am a 2nd year medical science student (MD provisional entry) at Griffith University Gold Coast Campus. I do not exactly remember my scores up to detail but can give you a brief idea.

Overall did 6 level 3 subjects. Chemistry, Biology, physics, English, Calculus and Geography. Out of these 6,Chemistry, Geography, physics, English, and Calculus were my 5 best subjects.

For chemistry I did around 2 internals and 3 externals - All Excellence
For physics I did 2 internals and 3 externals - All Excellence
For English I did around 4 or 5 internals (Sorry cant recall) and 2 externals - All Excellence
For Calculus I did 3 internals and 3 externals - All Excellence
For Geography I did 2 internals and 3 externals - 2 internals and 2 externals at Excellence and 1 External at merit

Overall I achieved 111/115 credits at excellence and 4 at Merit .
My Atar: 99.90 (Called NZQA and asked)

 

[flooghost7255]

Hello, just wondering about all medical students who studied NCEA in New Zealand and are studying med at an Australian Uni now! How many excellence credits did you get, and specifically in which subjects etc to get your ATAR? I'm quite confused on how ATAR will be calculated from NCEA (I heard that they take the best 90 credits from 5 subjects and externals are heavily weighted?). Anyhow, thank you so much for your help! Really appreciate it

Hey there! I applied for Australian unis in 2015 (when I did year 13) and didn't end up going, but here's how my NCEA converted to ATAR

So I did 6 level 3 subjects as well, but one of them in 2014. I did stats (in 2015), calculus, biology, chemistry, physics and English. Stats, calculus, English, chemistry and physics were my best subjects but I'll let you know bio in case that was also counted too instead of stats:

For stats I did 4 internals and 3 externals - all E
For physics I did 2 internals and 3 externals - all E
For chemistry I did 2 internals and 3 externals - all E except one external which was M
For English I did 3 internals and 3 externals - all E in internals, one E, one M and one SNA in externals (lol SNA shouldn't count but dunno if it affected my ATAR at all)
For calculus I did 1 internal and 3 externals - all E except one external which was M
For bio I did 3 internals and 3 externals - all E in internals, 2 M and 1 A for externals (lol)

Overall I achieved 108 credits at excellence, 24 at merit and 4 at achieved
ATAR: 99.75

But in the end I think it was my UMAT more so than my ATAR that did me in as far as med applications went for Australia but I'm doing medicine down at Otago anyway

 

[Balling]

(Post moved here by moderator)

Hi everyone! I recently thought of going to Australia for med or dentistry and I have no idea how the application/ selection process works. Are my grades from level 1, 2 and 3 converted into GPA? How do I calculate it? Also would the unis even look at my level 3 external results? The results come out in Janurary which is pretty late..

 

[DrDrLMG!]

hi everyone! I recently thought of going to Australia for med or dentistry and I have no idea how the application/ selection process works. Are my grades from level 1, 2 and 3 converted into GPA? How do I calculate it? Also would the unis even look at my level 3 external results? The results come out in Janurary which is pretty late..

Start in this thread, then look around the forum before starting a new (unnecessary) thread.

There are some examples above, as well as links to other useful posts/documents.

 

[kjhnz]

Hey,

I finished year 13 in 2016 in Auckland am now am a 2nd year medical science student (MD provisional entry) at Griffith University Gold Coast Campus. I do not exactly remember my scores up to detail but can give you a brief idea.

Overall did 6 level 3 subjects. Chemistry, Biology, physics, English, Calculus and Geography. Out of these 6,Chemistry, Geography, physics, English, and Calculus were my 5 best subjects.

For chemistry I did around 2 internals and 3 externals - All Excellence
For physics I did 2 internals and 3 externals - All Excellence
For English I did around 4 or 5 internals (Sorry cant recall) and 2 externals - All Excellence
For Calculus I did 3 internals and 3 externals - All Excellence
For Geography I did 2 internals and 3 externals - 2 internals and 2 externals at Excellence and 1 External at merit

Overall I achieved 111/115 credits at excellence and 4 at Merit .
My Atar: 99.90 (Called NZQA and asked)

Hey! I was wondering if you were able to gain any scholarships with your ATAR at Griffith? I'm also an NZ student (doing NCEA) and very keen on going there but I'm unsure how ATAR is converted to OP1 etc. Thank you! Amazing ATAR btw!!

 

[hasal8]

I am new to MSO, and I know that there have been some threads about this but they are around 2 years old and I was wondering what their ATAR was using their NCEA Level 3 results. I am curious just to get a basic idea on what the threshold is to get a high ATAR through the NCEA system.

 

[ihopeigetin]

I take 6 subjects at NCEA Level 3.

If English is not included in one of my 5 best subjects, will it still be included in my ATAR conversion?

 

[A1]

I take 6 subjects at NCEA Level 3.
If English is not included in one of my 5 best subjects, will it still be included in my ATAR conversion?

This even varies from state to state within Australia.
SA, English is not compulsory
WA, English is compulsory but not necessarily included in the best 4 out of 5/6 for ATAR
NSW's ATAR includes English + best 4 of the other subjects etc.

I assume NCEA means you are in NZ, best to ask NZQA themselves how they convert.