Admission Information for Future Students

The GSM offers a four year graduate entry medical programme at both Wollongong and Shoalhaven campuses. The mission of the GSM is to produce excellent medical practitioners who have the capacity and desire to contribute to the enhancement of health care for patients in all geographic settings, but particularly in regional, rural and remote communities. We strive to use recent technology, best educational practice and an innovative curriculum to produce graduates with a commitment to patient-centred, evidence-based, reflective and cost-effective medical practice.

Information about training of doctors in Australia can be found at the Australian Council of Educational Research (ACER) site.

1. Key dates:

A. For domestic applicants
Mid January Applicants register with ACER to sit the GAMSAT
March Applicants sit the GAMSAT
Late May Applicants receive GAMSAT results
Late May - Mid June Submit application to ACER and Portfolio directly to UOW GSM
Late June Applicant data forwarded by ACER to first preference schools
Late August Interview offers sent out by medical schools
Mid September - Early October Schools conduct interviews
Late October - Mid December Offer of places made
Mid December - Mid January Subsequent offers made (if any)
Wednesday, 9:30am 20th January, 2010 Enrolment
Session start at UOW for 2010 Late January
B. For international applicants

International Applicants applying through ACER, please refer to the Graduate Australian Medical, Dental & Pharmacy Admissions Guide 2010.

North American Applicants applying through AustraLearn - http://www.australearn.org

2nd January Application round for North American applicants open – applications to Australearn
Early March Early application round closes
Late March - Early April Interview offers sent out
Late April - Early May Early application round interviews held in USA/Canada as required
Late May - Early June Early application round place offers made
May 2nd round application open for North American applications. Applications sent to Australearn (if from USA/Canada).
June International applications to ACER open
Late June Standard application round closes
July Interview offers sent out
September Standard application round interviews held – location TBA
October Standard application round place offers made
October - December Subsequent offers made (if any)
Wednesday, 9:30am 20th January, 2010 Enrolment
Session start at UOW for 2010 Late January

2. Admission Criteria for Domestic Applicants

Admission to the UOW MBBS for Domestic Applicants is based on:

  • A weighted* Grade Point Average (GPA) of a completed Bachelor's degree
  • A valid# GAMSAT score for domestic applicants
  • A UOW GSM Admissions portfolio
  • A structured interview

* - The undergraduate degree on which the GPA is calculated must have been awarded no greater than ten years prior to the year of application to UOW MBBS. Prospective students whose bachelors degrees were awarded more than 10 years prior to the year of application are not considered unless they can provide documentary evidence of successful tertiary level postgraduate coursework study at an accredited institution of not less than one year's full time equivalent, within the 10 year period. In this case, the GPA will still be calculated on the most recent completed bachelor degree. This evidence must be produced prior to application. If in doubt contact UOW UniAdvice on email: uniadvice@uow.edu.au

# - valid means a score secured no longer than two years before application date.

“Each School will make interview offers to approximately 1.3 to 1.7 times as many applicants as there are places available. No domestic applicant will receive more than one interview offer in the 2008-9 admissions round. Applicants who are not offered a place after interview will not normally receive an offer from a lower preference school.”
ACER Admission Guide 2008

2.1. Eligibility for Domestic Applicants

(i) Applicants must be in their final year or have a completed bachelor degree from either:

An Australian university listed in the Australian Qualifications framework at: AQF Register (Accreditation), subcategory (ii), OR
An overseas university listed in: the National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition Guide; ENIC-NARIC network

(ii) All applicants must have a weighted Grade Point Average (GPA) greater than 5.0 on a 7 point scale or 2.8 on a 4 point scale at the time of application, to be eligible to apply. The GPA score required to receive an offer for interview may fluctuate annually.

(iii) Applicants need to have gained a minimum score of 50 for each of the three sections on the Graduate Australian Medical Schools Admission Test (GAMSAT) and an overall minimum score of 50 to be eligible to apply. The score must not be over two years old at the time of commencement of study. The GAMSAT score required to receive an offer for interview may fluctuate annually.

The details of this test can be found at: http://gamsat.acer.edu.au

or by contacting GAMSAT Officer at ACER
Phone: +61 3 9277 5710 or 5529
Fax: +61 3 9277 5757
Mail: Graduate Medical Admissions Centre
ACER Mulgrave Office
750 Springvale Rd
Mulgrave VIC 3170
Australia

(iv) The undergraduate degree on which the GPA is calculated must have been awarded no greater than ten years prior to the expected year of commencement of the UOW MBBS. Applicants whose bachelors degrees were awarded more than 10 years prior to the year of commencement are not considered unless they can provide documentary evidence of tertiary level postgraduate coursework study at an accredited institution per section 5 (i) of not less than one year's full time equivalent, within the 10 year period. In this case, the GPA will still be calculated on the original bachelor degree. This evidence must be produced prior to application. If in doubt contact UOW UniAdvice on email: uniadvice@uow.edu.au

3. Admission Criteria For International Applicants

Admissions to UOW MBBS for International Applicants is based on:

  • A weighted* Grade Point Average (GPA) of a completed Bachelor's degree
  • A valid# GAMSAT or MCAT score
  • A UOW GSM Admissions portfolio
  • A modified version of the domestic interview process, utilizing available technology between Australia and an applicants home country

* - The undergraduate degree on which the GPA is calculated must have been awarded no greater than ten years prior to the year of application to UOW MBBS. Prospective students whose bachelors degrees were awarded more than 10 years to the year of application are not considered unless they can provide documentary evidence of tertiary level postgraduate coursework study at an accredited institution of not less than one year's full time equivalent, within the 10 year period. In this case, the GPA will still be calculated on the most recent completed bachelor degree. This evidence must be produced prior to application. If in doubt contact UOW UniAdvice on email: uniadvice@uow.edu.au

# - valid means a score secured no longer than two years before application date.

3.1 Eligibility for International Applicants

(i) Applicants must be in their final year or have a completed bachelor degree from either:

An Australian university listed in the Australian Qualifications framework at: AQF Register (Accreditation), subcategory (ii), OR
An overseas university listed in: the National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition Guide; ENIC-NARIC network

(ii) All applicants must have a weighted Grade Point Average (GPA) greater than 5.0 on a 7 point scale or 2.8 on a 4 point scale at the time of application, to be eligible to apply. The GPA score required to receive an offer for interview may fluctuate annually.

(iii) Applicants need to have gained a minimum score of 50 for each of the three sections on the Graduate Australian Medical Schools Admission Test (GAMSAT) and an overall minimum score of 50 to be eligible to apply. The GAMSAT score required to receive an offer for interview may fluctuate annually. International applicants that use MCAT must have gained a minimum overall score of 24 and an 'M' in a written sample on the MCAT. The score must not be over two years old at the time of application.

The UOW GSM's English Language Requirements are:

  • A minimum IELTS score of 7.0, plus the following band scores:
  • 7.0 in reading and listening &
  • 7.0 in speaking and writing

International applicants are also required to submit a completed UOW GSM Admissions Portfolio (see section 6). While international applicants are not required to demonstrate ties to regional, rural or remote areas, any experiences in these communities should be identified on the portfolio as they would be viewed as desirable by the GSM.

4. Indigenous Applicants

The GSM has a commitment to training indigenous doctors and has allocated a sub-quota of three places for applicants who are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. To be considered for these places, applicants must mark the appropriate section on the Application Form. Evidence of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent should be demonstrated by one of the following forms of proof of identity:
a letter of support from an official Aboriginal or Torres Strait Island organization such as land council, community council, legal or medical service or from ASPAA (Aboriginal student and parent awareness association). Proof of previous eligibility for Abstudy payments will also be accepted; or a signed affirmation / statutory declaration of their Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This letter must be sighted by the Chair of Admissions.

Applicants in this category are required to reach acceptable levels of performance in GAMSAT, interview and GPA as determined by the school. For more information contact UOW UniAdvice on email: uniadvice@uow.edu.au Unfilled places in this sub-quota will be transferred to the general domestic student quota.

5. Application Process

Domestic applicants apply for entry to the UOW MBBS via the Graduate Medical Admissions Centre (GMAC), details of which are accessible on the ACER website. Those graduates who sit for the GAMSAT will be automatically sent an application for entry to medical school.

International applicants have two application rounds for admissions:

  • Early application round – closes in March and is designed for applicants in USA/Canada only. These applications are to be submitted directly to UOW’s agent in North America, Australearn.
    For more information contact Australearn:
    In Canada : 1888 637 4412 Email : studyabroad@australearncanada.org
    In USA : 1800 080 0033 Email: studyabroad@australearn.org
  • Standard application round – closes in June and is available to all international applicants. Applicants in USA/Canada again apply via Australearn (see above). All other international applicants apply via the Graduate Medical Admissions Centre (GMAC), details of which are accessible on the ACER website.

 6. Portfolio Requirements

All applicants will be required to prepare a portfolio to be submitted to UOW GSM. For domestic applicants and international applicants applying via ACER this must be submitted DIRECTLY to the school. For international applicants from USA/Canada this portfolio will need to be forwarded to Australearn with your application. Contact Australearn for more details.

The portfolio will be used by the GSM to rank eligible applicants for interview.

  • The portfolio must be submitted regardless of the UOW ranking on your preference form and will be scored by a team who will focus on the experiences you describe and assess their quality and their rural content.
  • Applicants who do not submit a portfolio will not be considered for interview.
  • Applicants who do not submit a valid email address in their portfolio will not be considered for interview at UOW GSM.

To assist you in your preparation of an admissions portfolio, you will need to consider the following:

  • Leadership
  • Capacity to work with others
  • Service ethic - outside your employment environment
  • Diversity of experience
  • High level of performance in an area of human endeavour

Please note that all activities highlighted in the portfolio require a current email contact for verification.

1 - To complete the Admissions Portfolio electronic form correctly, you MUST use Adobe Reader version 8.0 or higher. Adobe Reader is a free download, available from Adobe.com.

Please follow these guidelines carefully as the portfolio constitutes a significant proportion of the criteria required for interview selection and is the single most important component of our admissions process.

7. Interview Process

“Each School will make interview offers to approximately 1.3 to 1.7 times as many applicants as there are places available. No domestic applicant will receive more than one interview offer in the 2007-8 admissions round. Applicants who are not offered a place after interview will not normally receive an offer from a lower preference school.”
ACER Admission Guide 2008

Scores from applicants GPA, GAMSAT and portfolio (including rurality score) are used in the calculation to determine final ranking for an invitation to interview, for approximately 110 domestic candidates annually.

At the time of interview applicants will need to indicate their preferred campus (Wollongong or Shoalhaven) for their 4 year candidature. This preference will be considered but not guaranteed. Student campus preference will have no bearing on offers made. Extenuating circumstances for campus preference may be considered. International students may be offered the opportunity to study on either campus at the discretion of the Academic leader, Admissions and Selection. Facilities for both campuses may be found at: http://www.uow.edu.au/about/campuses/

At the time of interview, domestic applicants will need to indicate their preference of place type – Medical Rural Bonded Scholarship (MRBS), Bonded Medical Place (BMP) or Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP). The UOW GSM does not offer Full Fee paying domestic places. This place type preference will be considered but not guaranteed. Student place type preference will have no bearing on offers made. More information on place types can be obtained from the Department of Health and Ageing website, or from the Australian Medical Students Association publication: Medical School Guide

The interview for domestic students will take the form of a scenario based, multi station process and will take place on the Wollongong campus.

For international students a modified version of this approach will be instigated utilizing available technology between Australia and their home base. Early round interviews for 2009 entry for North American applicants will be held in Denver, Washington, Toronto and Vancouver in April 2008.

8. Offers

On completion of the interview process the GSM Admissions Committee will engage in a process aimed at ranking all applicants for offer.

Ranking for offer to 72 domestic applicants is determined by a calculation utilizing their interview and portfolio scores. The candidates GPA and GAMSAT results are not revisited at this stage. Student campus preference and place type have no influence on decisions for offer.

9. Scholarships

Information on scholarships may be found at:

The NSW Rural Doctors Network keeps track of Scholarship opportunities:

Information on considering choosing a career in medicine may be found in the Australian Medical Students Association 'Medical School Guide'.

10. Technology Guidelines for GSM Students

The UOW GSM is committed to using technologies that have been demonstrated, or have potential, to enhance the learning process.

Among the range of technologies that will be implemented, the GSM makes extensive use of an Online Learning Environment that provides students with a collection of educational resource materials; allows for access to a number of online learning activities, facilitates interaction among students, teachers and administrative staff; provides access to weekly formative assessments; and, allows students to track and document their progress through the course.

The University provides access to desktop computers in the public access and medical school buildings, and via wireless internet access campus wide. However, due to the distributed nature of the curriculum, which includes significant periods of time in clinical placements, MBBS students are strongly encouraged to organize their own access to personal computing facilities.

The following minimum specifications are provided as guidelines:
If you wish to connect to the UOW computer systems from home, it is recommended you subscribe to an Internet Service Provider.
Whirlpool's Broadband CHOICE is a helpful site.
If you have a laptop which does not have built-in wireless network (WLAN) capabilities, and you wish to connect to the University's wireless network while on campus, you should purchase a wireless card.

Printing and photocopying facilities are available on both campuses.

11. Additional Requirements for Applicants

It is a condition of offer that students need to fulfill the following requirements:

i) First Aid Certificate

Successful applicants must have completed and hold a current approved First Aid Certificate (minimum 14hr training content) prior to commencement of study. Evidence of this certificate must be presented on the first day of the program. Examples of relevant courses may be found at:

No exceptions will be made to this requirement for entry regardless of previous work experience or qualifications.

The cost of a First Aid course is the student's responsibility.

ii) Infectious Diseases Policy

Prior to the commencement of your clinical placement, you are required to comply with the NSW Health Department Circular Occupational Screening and Vaccination Against Infectious Diseases.

You are required to obtain proof of your immunity status or be vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, hepatitis B, influenza and tuberculosis. An immunisation card will be provided on enrolment or when an offer is sent. You are advised to take this card to your GP for completion. No other form or letter will be permitted instead of this card. You will be excluded from clinical placement if this card is incomplete.

If you have questions about UOW GSM's Infectious Diseases Policy, please contact Jenny Deura, Manager, Clinical Placement – Wollongong, on jennyd@uow.edu.au or Leanne Betts, Clinical Placement Facilitator - Shoalhaven, on lbetts@uow.edu.au.

iii) Criminal Record Check

The NSW Department of Health requires all students in health related courses to undergo a criminal record check. The Criminal Record Check shall be completed before a student can attend any clinical placement in a NSW Public Health facility.

The NSW Department of Health issues Clearance for Clinical Placements Cards to students who attend educational institutions in NSW, interstate and overseas. A clearance takes 2-6 weeks to process. Once it has been processed and the individual has been cleared, the card must be produced whenever the student attends a clinical placement.

The submission of the Criminal Record Check application form will be processed by the University on behalf of the NSW Department of Health at the time of enrolment.

International students are required to bring with them a certified criminal record check clearance letter, in English, from their country of origin. At the time of enrolment applicants must show this letter plus provide a copy for certification by a Justice of the Peace. The copy is then attached to the criminal record check application form. Please be aware that this process can be extremely time consuming. You will be excluded from clinical placement if this process is incomplete.

iv) Prohibited Employment Declaration

Under the "Child Protection (Prohibited Employment) Act 1998", UOW is required to distribute to students a "Prohibited Employment Declaration" form for completion before students will be allowed to take part in practical training. This will be provided to each student at the time of enrolment. You will be excluded from clinical placement if this process is incomplete.

Last reviewed: 11 September, 2009