Dentistry Entry Discussion and Questions

[A1]

Hey guys, I'm wondering what the difference is between someone who got admitted into USYD/UMELB dent (DMD 4 years) as a CSP vs FFP. Is it just differences in their GAMSAT scores, or other factors, or other uncontrollable factors such as that they may be interstate (e.g. from NZ)?

and does anyone have an idea (or maybe even an exact number, couldn't find it anywhere myself) of the number of CSP vs FFP places for USYD and UMELB dent.

From this USyd document
> https://www.sydney.edu.au/content/d...e-and-health/md-dmd/dmd-offer-preferences.pdf

CSP : 30 minus the spots provisionally offered to school leavers, so maybe 15-20?
Domestic FFP : 43
Applicants will be ranked for CSP/FFP on the basis of GAMSAT scores.

UMelb the best-fit info I can find is roughly
CSP 30 & Domestic FFP 30 - both need to be reduced by the places taken by the 99.9 & 99.0 pathways

> Doctor of Dental Surgery at University of Melbourne | You Apply
"The DDS has a quota of 96 places available per year based on the availability of dental chairs at the Royal Dental Hospital and the Melbourne Dental Clinic. In the event acceptances exceed the number of places available:

• International applicants will be admitted based on the date of their acceptance,
• Domestic students will be admitted based on the date of enrolment."

i.e. the 96 places include int'l applicants.

 

[Unluckydude]

UMelb the best-fit info I can find is roughly
CSP 30 & Domestic FFP 30 - both need to be reduced by the places taken by the 99.9 & 99.0 pathways

It used to be the case, but I read it somewhere that they have reduced the number of CSPs to 15 in recent years. I will see if I can find the source. The total number of places being offered now is 98.

Hey guys, I'm wondering what the difference is between someone who got admitted into USYD/UMELB dent (DMD 4 years) as a CSP vs FFP. Is it just differences in their GAMSAT scores, or other factors, or other uncontrollable factors such as that they may be interstate (e.g. from NZ)?

Yes, it is a merit-based system and CSPs are given to the top ranking applicants.

 

[dnmfsdm]

a

 

[spotrole]

Alternatively, what would be the easiest way for me to gain entry into Dentistry as a recent high school leaver?

If you take a gap year and do decent in next years UCAT, you can get an interview offer with Griffith Uni. You probably just missed out this year with a 3000 UCAT. I got an offer with them in 2022 with a 2910 (85th) but I didn't accept since you cannot defer your enrolment.

If you do really well in next year's UCAT, including SJT, then UQ dentistry is pretty much secured, they just have a 99 ATAR threshold, which you have reached, and a UCAT threshold including SJT 2024 – 3684, 2023 – 3596, 2022 – 3645.

 

[dnmfsdm]

If you take a gap year and do decent in next years UCAT, you can get an interview offer with Griffith Uni. You probably just missed out this year with a 3000 UCAT. I got an offer with them in 2022 with a 2910 (85th) but I didn't accept since you cannot defer your enrolment.

If you do really well in next year's UCAT, including SJT, then UQ dentistry is pretty much secured, they just have a 99 ATAR threshold, which you have reached, and a UCAT threshold including SJT 2024 – 3684, 2023 – 3596, 2022 – 3645.

 

[Unluckydude]

Hi everyone,

I am a recent high school graduate from Sydney with aspirations of studying Dentistry. Unfortunately, my UCAT score (3000, 87th percentile) was not competitive enough to secure any interviews. I achieved an ATAR of 99.30 and have been considering the University of Melbourne's guaranteed entry pathway into the Doctor of Dental Surgery. This pathway requires maintaining a 75% WAM, and I have heard they might implement a satisfactory performance in an MMI (please correct me if i am wrong). I feel like this pathway is very risky, as it would require me to move to Melbourne, but I am willing to put in my full effort to succeed. Let me know your thoughts on this.

I am also waiting for the JCU's Dental Surgery offer which I doubt I will receive due to a lack of rurality and living in a metropolitan area, however I do believe my written application was quite strong.

Another option I’ve been considering is starting a degree in Physiotherapy and re-sitting the UCAT next year. However, with the removal of the Abstract Reasoning (AR) section, which was undoubtedly my strongest, I feel I may not be able to perform as competitively again. Additionally, I believe I would struggle significantly with the GAMSAT if I pursued the postgraduate pathway into Dentistry. I also feel like doing a science course to achieve a high GPA would be very risky if I ultimately don’t get into Dentistry, and it feels like I’m not making the most of my ATAR.

Are there any other alternative pathways into dentistry (similar to UniMelb) that I would be able to gain entry with 99.30 ATAR and 3000 UCAT (including FFP options)? Alternatively, what would be the easiest way for me to gain entry into Dentistry as a recent high school leaver?

Thanks!

If you can afford FFP, have you considered doing Dent in the UK?

 

[Tomato]

Hi everyone,

I am a recent high school graduate from Sydney with aspirations of studying Dentistry. Unfortunately, my UCAT score (3000, 87th percentile) was not competitive enough to secure any interviews. I achieved an ATAR of 99.30 and have been considering the University of Melbourne's guaranteed entry pathway into the Doctor of Dental Surgery. This pathway requires maintaining a 75% WAM, and I have heard they might implement a satisfactory performance in an MMI (please correct me if i am wrong). I feel like this pathway is very risky, as it would require me to move to Melbourne, but I am willing to put in my full effort to succeed. Let me know your thoughts on this.

I am also waiting for the JCU's Dental Surgery offer which I doubt I will receive due to a lack of rurality and living in a metropolitan area, however I do believe my written application was quite strong.

Another option I’ve been considering is starting a degree in Physiotherapy and re-sitting the UCAT next year. However, with the removal of the Abstract Reasoning (AR) section, which was undoubtedly my strongest, I feel I may not be able to perform as competitively again. Additionally, I believe I would struggle significantly with the GAMSAT if I pursued the postgraduate pathway into Dentistry. I also feel like doing a science course to achieve a high GPA would be very risky if I ultimately don’t get into Dentistry, and it feels like I’m not making the most of my ATAR.

Are there any other alternative pathways into dentistry (similar to UniMelb) that I would be able to gain entry with 99.30 ATAR and 3000 UCAT (including FFP options)? Alternatively, what would be the easiest way for me to gain entry into Dentistry as a recent high school leaver?

Thanks!

UMelb's DDS doesn't need MMI after the bachelor, but you have to maintain certain WAM level and have to be successful in your first attempt (i.e. no additional exams).

 

[student331]

Hi guys
I am wondering if there is anyone currently doing BDS at University of Adelaide as I have a few questions regarding the application process. I am from NZ and just completed my first year of study at Otago and I realised I want to move to a bigger country and study dentistry so Adelaide 2026 intake seemed like a good fit to me. I am wondering if I could apply using my GPA from my 2 years of tertiary study? Also are there anything I should be cautious about when applying / moving to OZ?

 

[JB04]

Hi guys
I am wondering if there is anyone currently doing BDS at University of Adelaide as I have a few questions regarding the application process. I am from NZ and just completed my first year of study at Otago and I realised I want to move to a bigger country and study dentistry so Adelaide 2026 intake seemed like a good fit to me. I am wondering if I could apply using my GPA from my 2 years of tertiary study? Also are there anything I should be cautious about when applying / moving to OZ?

Hey im from NZ and got into dent after finishing 1st year at UoA, feel free to send me a msg

 

[bambiwooly]

Hi guys
im considering using my GPA to apply for dentistry for the 2026 intake. Im
im taking a random course for 2025 but im just wondering what is the least amount of subjects i can take for it to be considered as a full time year's GPA??
is it 3 subjects per semester or 4 subjects per semester, i keep seeing mixed information?? or is it different for different universities? (hoping to get into Griffith/UQ)

 

[DrDrLMG!]

Hi guys
im considering using my GPA to apply for dentistry for the 2026 intake. Im
im taking a random course for 2025 but im just wondering what is the least amount of subjects i can take for it to be considered as a full time year's GPA??
is it 3 subjects per semester or 4 subjects per semester, i keep seeing mixed information?? or is it different for different universities? (hoping to get into Griffith/UQ)

Usually you need to meet a certain number of ‘points’ across a year for your study to be deemed full time. If you’re at a uni that has two semesters (rather than three trimesters) this USUALLY equates to 4 units per semester. But depending on the course you’re enrolled in, it might be a single full time unit for a whole semester.

You’ll need to look at how the uni you’re enrolled in classifies each unit and whether your study load is FTE.

 

[bambiwooly]

Usually you need to meet a certain number of ‘points’ across a year for your study to be deemed full time. If you’re at a uni that has two semesters (rather than three trimesters) this USUALLY equates to 4 units per semester. But depending on the course you’re enrolled in, it might be a single full time unit for a whole semester.

You’ll need to look at how the uni you’re enrolled in classifies each unit and whether your study load is FTE.

This is what it says for CSU full time study load, sorry if my question is dumb but im wondering, if i do at least 3 subjects per year at CSU it is considered a full time GPA but is that considered full time at other universities? or do i have to accommodate what FTE is at all universities?

(92)The standard subject enrolment load for full-time study is 32 points per session or 64 points per year, and the standard enrolment load for part-time study is 16 points per session. However, some courses have non-standard structures that require enrolment patterns outside of these standard full-time study loads.

(93)To be considered full-time for some courses, students need to maintain enrolment in at least 75% of the equivalent full-time study load (EFTSL) for the year, which equates to a minimum of 24 points per standard session of enrolment. See the Enrolment Procedure for more information about non-standard course structures and minimum full-time study loads.

 

[tdnii]

Hi guys
im considering using my GPA to apply for dentistry for the 2026 intake. Im
im taking a random course for 2025 but im just wondering what is the least amount of subjects i can take for it to be considered as a full time year's GPA??
is it 3 subjects per semester or 4 subjects per semester, i keep seeing mixed information?? or is it different for different universities? (hoping to get into Griffith/UQ)

You won’t be eligible for uq with only 4 subjects, you need to do minimum 1 eft study which is usually 8 subjects, with a 6.5/7 gpa to meet the gpa cutoff for uq dent. For Griffith you need to do at least 6 subjects with a gpa of 6.

 

[Unluckydude]

(93)To be considered full-time for some courses, students need to maintain enrolment in at least 75% of the equivalent full-time study load (EFTSL) for the year, which equates to a minimum of 24 points per standard session of enrolment. See the Enrolment Procedure for more information about non-standard course structures and minimum full-time study loads.

Is this for centrelink payments or admissions into dent? I suggest you confirm this with CSU.

For Griffith you need to do at least 6 subjects with a gpa of 6.

Do you get a lower selection rank if you only do 6 subjects?

 

[tdnii]

Is this for centrelink payments or admissions into dent? I suggest you confirm this with CSU.

Do you get a lower selection rank if you only do 6 subjects?

yes, with 6 subjects, the highest selection rank you can get is 95.

 

[bambiwooly]

You won’t be eligible for uq with only 4 subjects, you need to do minimum 1 eft study which is usually 8 subjects, with a 6.5/7 gpa to meet the gpa cutoff for uq dent. For Griffith you need to do at least 6 subjects with a gpa of 6.

Yes Im deciding whether i should do 6 subjects or just do 8 subjects (3 per sem or 4 per sem)
I have looked up UQ full-time study load definition and it states,

"At UQ, a standard full-time study load is 8 units (generally 4 courses) per semester. 'Full-time' is defined as 75% or more of a standard full-time study load, i.e. 6 units (generally 3 courses) or more per semester . A single course usually has a value of 2 units, but this can vary."

75% or more of a standard full-time study load, so doesnt this mean it can be 3 each semester?

Is this for centrelink payments or admissions into dent? I suggest you confirm this with CSU.

Do you get a lower selection rank if you only do 6 subjects?

Admissions

Yep I have discussed with CSU, i was just wondering for other university admissions into dent if it was different in terms of their full time study load GPA.

 

[tdnii]

Yes Im deciding whether i should do 6 subjects or just do 8 subjects (3 per sem or 4 per sem)
I have looked up UQ full-time study load definition and it states,

"At UQ, a standard full-time study load is 8 units (generally 4 courses) per semester. 'Full-time' is defined as 75% or more of a standard full-time study load, i.e. 6 units (generally 3 courses) or more per semester . A single course usually has a value of 2 units, but this can vary."

75% or more of a standard full-time study load, so doesnt this mean it can be 3 each semester?

I don't think uq cares about how many subjects you do per semester, as long as you did 8 subjects and have a 6.5 gpa

 

[A1]

75% or more of a standard full-time study load, so doesnt this mean it can be 3 each semester?

Please be aware that 75% study load = full-time *status* is for "legal" (gov Centrelink, tax etc) or uni admin purposes.

For admissions it's FTE-based. When they say 1 year full-time study load they mean 1 FTE = 8 standard-size subjects.

 

[owehig]

Hi all, based on the posts on this forum above, it seems like unimelb dent CSP only has 30 spots. I have achieved an atar of 99.85 and applied for the unimelb grad package biomed/doctor of dental surgery, however did not apply in time for the december round. Anyone know if there are still spots available for the january round, and if I am eligible for an offer?

 

[2xq]

Hi all, based on the posts on this forum above, it seems like unimelb dent CSP only has 30 spots.

Technically speaking, the University of Melbourne website indicates there isn't a set number for the Graduate Degree Package.

Graduate Degree Packages | Study at Melbourne

Browse Graduate Degree Packages, which offer a combined bachelor and masters program, and learn about their entry requirements.

study.unimelb.edu.au

I have achieved an atar of 99.85 and applied for the unimelb grad package biomed/doctor of dental surgery, however did not apply in time for the december round. Anyone know if there are still spots available for the january round, and if I am eligible for an offer?

This may be a better question for the University of Melbourne. I would get in touch with them to confirm.