Non-standard Medicine Entry

[stoobious]

Please have a look at the relevant tertiary institutions websites as they list the requirements on their pages. Alternatively, there is a nifty table you can look at (though take it with a grain of salt as it could be slightly outdated)

[Undergrad] - (2023 Updated) Med schools Selection Criteria Y12s & Non-standards

Hi - Welcome to MSO. Join us and post up your questions you'll get lots more useful tips than just from this table. __________________________________________________________ Hope this helps sort out the different requirements to get an undergrad/provisional Medicine place in Aus. For dentistry...

medstudentsonline.com.au

I would highly suggest that you read up on Bond's medical program from the Bond website.

Thanks for the reference!!!, however, I am completing a honours degree (hoping to do for 1 or couple of years to enter into medicine, but also *fine* to finish) and for JMP it says “Awarded” does that mean the completion of the degree or does the 1+ FTE still apply (and if does mean fully completed, is it like that for all others unis)?.

 

[2xq]

Thanks for the reference!!!, however, I am completing a honours degree (hoping to do for 1 or couple of years to enter into medicine, but also *fine* to finish)

You will NOT be able to concurrently enrol into medicine + your current honours degree.

and for JMP it says “Awarded” does that mean the completion of the degree or does the 1+ FTE still apply (and if does mean fully completed, is it like that for all others unis)?.

Awarded means completed AND conferred.

 

[stoobious]

You will NOT be able to concurrently enrol into medicine + your current honours degree.

Awarded means completed AND conferred.

So JMP requires me to finish the degree and I can't transfer my 1 FTE to try and enrol? Also when you say concurrently do you mean I can't finish my first year (I am a first year student) and then transfer my GPA to a uni, or do you mean the GPA I get at the end of the year I can't transfer due to me doing a Bachelor and Honours course? Sorry for asking so many questions also.

 

[A1]

Do any other minimum atar exist for other Unis (like the 96/91 minimum for UNSW)?

None that I know of other than UNSW.

Also what is the deal with Bond, does it also do non-standard or do you have to be doing a Bond degree for you to be eligible?

Bond accepts non-standard from any uni.
With less than 0.5 FTE it's ATAR only, 0.5 to 1.5 FTE 50/50 ATAR+GPA, 1.5+FTE GPA only.

I am completing a honours degree (hoping to do for 1 or couple of years to enter into medicine, but also *fine* to finish) and for JMP it says “Awarded” does that mean the completion of the degree or does the 1+ FTE still apply

The "Awarded" word simply means once awarded its GPA doesn't matter.
In summary for JMP - less than 1FTE ATAR only, 1+FTE GPA 4.8+, Completed/Awarded any GPA.

 

[doktora]

im currently a yr 12 student who is currently studying in a metropolitan area, but has lived for 7 years of my life in a rural town classified MM3 ...do unis such as JCU take in account the rurality of their applicants? for example, would they rather consider a student who's classified as MM5 as opposed to MM2?
also, Although I'm doing quite well in my studies, with a predicted atar of 98+, I'm kind of hopeless in believing that i can ever get into medicine, after even seeing rural students that get a relatively good ucat and ATAR, not able to receive an offer.

 

[2xq]

im currently a yr 12 student who is currently studying in a metropolitan area, but has lived for 7 years of my life in a rural town classified MM3 ...do unis such as JCU take in account the rurality of their applicants?

The classification for rurality is based on applicants meeting the criteria of 5 years continuous or 10 years cumulative residence in a rural location as defined by Australian Statistical Geography Standard Remoteness Areas (ASGS-RA) 2–5 or Monash Modified Model MM 2–7 [depending on the tertiary institution]. If you have lived 7 years consecutively in such MM3 area (or RA2+), you could qualify as a regional/rural applicant.

for example, would they rather consider a student who's classified as MM5 as opposed to MM2?

also, Although I'm doing quite well in my studies, with a predicted atar of 98+, I'm kind of hopeless in believing that i can ever get into medicine, after even seeing rural students that get a relatively good ucat and ATAR, not able to receive an offer.

 

[A1]

im currently a yr 12 student who is currently studying in a metropolitan area, but has lived for 7 years of my life in a rural town classified MM3 ...do unis such as JCU take in account the rurality of their applicants? for example, would they rather consider a student who's classified as MM5 as opposed to MM2?

Adding to 2xq 's reply, to be classed as rural requires 5 yrs or 10 yrs but couple of med schools (I don't remember which) specify these years must be from 6yo up. If your 7 rural years don't include any before 6yo then no worries.

For most med schools it's rural or non-rural, MM5 has no advantage over MM2/3. But three schools JCU UNSW UWA use rurality so MM5 carries more weight than MM2/3.

also, Although I'm doing quite well in my studies, with a predicted atar of 98+, I'm kind of hopeless in believing that i can ever get into medicine, after even seeing rural students that get a relatively good ucat and ATAR, not able to receive an offer.

If you qualify for rural ATAR 98+ is sufficiently competitive. Non-rural need typically 96+%ile UCAT to get interviews, rural only 60ish %ile.

If you have ATAR 98+ and 90+%ile you have better than 50/50 chance of a place offer from one of the schools.

 

[DrDrLMG!]

For most med schools it's rural or non-rural, MM5 has no advantage over MM2/3. But three schools JCU UNSW UWA use rurality so MM5 carries more weight than MM2/3.

UTAS also ranks rurality these days I believe.

 

[Bethl]

Hey! Did anyone notice that Adelaide Uni change the rural criteria this year? Bit of a bummer for those that didnt sit year 12 in a rural location but did for 5 consecutive schooling years...

you have to:
To qualify, applicants must have lived in a Modified Monash Model (MMM 2019) MM 2–7 area at any time in their life for:

• • at least five consecutive years, or
  • a total of 10 years cumulatively (based on their primary residence).

AND
Interview selection for the Rural Background pathway will also consider an applicant’s Year 12 study location.

• • Category 1 includes students (from MM 2-7 background) who have undertaken Year 12 at a South Australian rural school (MM2-7)
  • Category 2 includes students (from MM 2-7 background) who have undertaken Year 12 at any South Australian school
  • Category 3 includes students (from MM 2-7 background) who have undertaken Year 12 in a rural location (MM 2-7) in any state in Australia.
  • Category 4 includes students (from MM 2-7 background) who have undertaken Year 12 in any location in any state in Australia.

 

[Sass#]

Hey! Did anyone notice that Adelaide Uni change the rural criteria this year? Bit of a bummer for those that didnt sit year 12 in a rural location but did for 5 consecutive schooling years...

you have to:
To qualify, applicants must have lived in a Modified Monash Model (MMM 2019) MM 2–7 area at any time in their life for:

• • at least five consecutive years, or
  • a total of 10 years cumulatively (based on their primary residence).

AND
Interview selection for the Rural Background pathway will also consider an applicant’s Year 12 study location.

• • Category 1 includes students (from MM 2-7 background) who have undertaken Year 12 at a South Australian rural school (MM2-7)
  • Category 2 includes students (from MM 2-7 background) who have undertaken Year 12 at any South Australian school
  • Category 3 includes students (from MM 2-7 background) who have undertaken Year 12 in a rural location (MM 2-7) in any state in Australia.
  • Category 4 includes students (from MM 2-7 background) who have undertaken Year 12 in any location in any state in Australia.

Did UNSW change it too? I thought it used to be 5 years of schooling, or 10 years at any age. But it says 5-10 years between the ages of 5-18.

 

[movpin]

Did UNSW change it too? I thought it used to be 5 years of schooling, or 10 years at any age. But it says 5-10 years between the ages of 5-18.

Looks like they did. Totally agree with setting a lower boundary of 5 years but I'm curious with the upper boundary of 18. That's weeding out a decent number of mature aged applicants who moved rurally as an adult and would like to study medicine in the same area. Maybe they want to reaffirm the undergraduate nature of their course.

 

[Godly_Wins]

Hey guys,

I was taking a look at the key dates for WSU's application cycle and I found out that they send out interview invites late October. Unfortunately, my grades for Trimester 2 won't be published until November 5th. Does this mean that if I don't get above the 6.4 GPA threshold this trimester, I won't be able to apply to WSU at all this year?

Would it be worth giving them a call to see if they accept unofficial transcripts and/or asking for my final exams/assignments for that trimester to be marked and moderated quicker (if that's even possible) or something else, especially since the two dates are close?

 

[A1]

I was taking a look at the key dates for WSU's application cycle and I found out that they send out interview invites late October. Unfortunately, my grades for Trimester 2 won't be published until November 5th. Does this mean that if I don't get above the 6.4 GPA threshold this trimester, I won't be able to apply to WSU at all this year?

You are welcome to apply this year. WSU doesn't check GPA when issuing interview invites, only at early January before issuing place offers.
Which means even if one attended & did a top interview, missing the GPA hurdle means they are rejected from the offers round.

 

[Godly_Wins]

You are welcome to apply this year. WSU doesn't check GPA when issuing interview invites, only at early January before issuing place offers.
Which means even if one attended & did a top interview, missing the GPA hurdle means they are rejected from the offers round.

Thank you so much for letting me know, that is such a relief!

 

[kristaje]

Hi All,
For non-standard entry, do we follow the same application dates/timeline as school leaver? What dates will the application in UAC & QTAC need to be submitted on?

 

[A1]

Hi All,
For non-standard entry, do we follow the same application dates/timeline as school leaver? What dates will the application in UAC & QTAC need to be submitted on?

Yes non-standard applicants do the same as for school leavers. A small difference is they fill in their uni student ID number for the TACs to later access their academic results.

TAC applications usually open from early August to end of September.

 

[VNAYA1]

In the 1st round UNSW interview selection the ATAR/Rank cutoff was 99.55 and it was reputed GPA 6.5+ was capped at 99.50, thus no non-standard got an interview at all.

However in the 2nd round, either the cutoff dropped to 99.50 or UNSW removed the capping to allow GPA 6.5+ to be >99.50 (I tend to think it was the latter), many non-standard got interviews and subsequently place offers.

And does the amount of years you complete in your bachelor course affect the application process? For UNSW, would a GPA of 6.75 be weighed equally for a 1.0 FTE applicant (just finished year 1 in 2025) compared to a higher FTE (lets say 2nd or 3rd year).

 

[DrDrLMG!]

And does the amount of years you complete in your bachelor course affect the application process? For UNSW, would a GPA of 6.75 be weighed equally for a 1.0 FTE applicant (just finished year 1 in 2025) compared to a higher FTE (lets say 2nd or 3rd year).

I’m not sure for UNSW (at least not beyond the difference between <1FTE and 1FTE), but it historically has made a difference at JPM in that the GPA hurdle requirements reduce the further you get through tertiary study.

 

[anonymous182391]

Hey guys, so I sat the UCAT this morning and got 2340 (dont know if it's a good score or not as last year I got a 3030). Essentially I am currently in a conditional pathway in med that starts off with a year of a different course, and provided I average 90% I get into med next year. However this is in NZ and I am from Aus, so obviously it would be amazing to be able to move back and do med, as I would be closer to my family (+ ofc HECS and other benefits)

I was wondering if it is worth applying to the non standard entry (WSU, JCU etc.) as my GPA is very high (averaging an a+ across 4 papers - specifically 95.2%). If it is worth it, what unis should I apply to and how would I do this (ie. would it be on VTAC/ QTAC/ UAC etc?)

Thanks

 

[DrDrLMG!]

Hey guys, so I sat the UCAT this morning and got 2340 (dont know if it's a good score or not as last year I got a 3030). Essentially I am currently in a conditional pathway in med that starts off with a year of a different course, and provided I average 90% I get into med next year. However this is in NZ and I am from Aus, so obviously it would be amazing to be able to move back and do med, as I would be closer to my family (+ ofc HECS and other benefits)

I was wondering if it is worth applying to the non standard entry (WSU, JCU etc.) as my GPA is very high (averaging an a+ across 4 papers - specifically 95.2%). If it is worth it, what unis should I apply to and how would I do this (ie. would it be on VTAC/ QTAC/ UAC etc?)

Thanks

The majority of non-standard options in Aus emphasise UCAT results, in some cases over GPA. Unfortunately your UCAT wouldn’t be competitive for any of those options here.

There are two non-standard options that don’t use UCAT at all that you could consider.
JCU: beware very limited spots available
Bond: beware private uni with private fees