Domestic Applicants - General Pathway

Admission to the UOW MD degree for Domestic applicants is based on:

• A weighted Grade Point Average (GPA) from a valid degree*
• A valid GAMSAT score *
• A valid Casper score *
• A completed UOW MD Admissions Portfolio *
• A structured UOW MD Admissions Interview *

* see specific sections on eligibility to determine required standards for each measure 

All applicants must have completed (or be in their final year of study at time of application) an undergraduate degree consisting of at least three years duration when studied full-time, or equivalent (FTE). The undergraduate degree must be from an Australian university or an equivalent overseas Bachelor qualification from an institution that is recognised under the framework and guidelines set by the Australian Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE) (previously AEI-NOOSR). All qualifying degrees need to be completed by 31st December 2023.

Applicants who have completed medical studies in another country or qualified physicians are not considered eligible for entry to the UOW MD program. Applicants who have incomplete medical studies previously in Australia or overseas are not eligible for entry to the UOW MD program.

Applicants must have a weighted GPA of greater than 5.5 on a 7 point scale at the time of being selected for interview to be eligible to apply. The GPA score required to receive an offer for interview will vary from year to year. A weighted GPA calculation is used for admission to the MD program. This means most recent results are weighted more heavily:

• Final GPA Year (most recent) = Weighted x 3
• Final-1 GPA Year (2nd most recent) = Weighted x 2
• Final-2 GPA Year (3rd most recent) = Weighted x 1

The GPA calculation is based on three years of full-time equivalent study (3.0 FTE) in your most recent eligible degree (or combination of degrees, if applicable). For the purpose of the GPA calculation, eligible degrees include Bachelor, Honours, Graduate Diploma and Master by Coursework programs. Course results from eligible degrees will be included in the GPA calculation if the degree is already completed or due to be completed by 31 December in the year of application.

If your most recent eligible degree comprises less than 3.0 FTE worth of study, course results from your next-most-recent eligible degree(s) may be used to make up the remainder of the 3.0 FTE. For example, if an applicant has completed a 1 year standalone Honours degree after their Bachelor degree, their GPA would be calculated using 1.0 FTE worth of results from the Honours program (Final GPA Year) and the remaining 2.0 FTE worth of results would be taken from the last two years of the Bachelor degree (Final-1 and Final-2 GPA Years).

If the duration of a degree exceeds the equivalent of 3 full-time years of study, only the courses comprising the last 3.0 FTE worth of study will be used in the GPA calculation. For example, for a 5 year combined degree, the GPA calculation will only include the last 3 years of study and will not include the first 2 years.

Where an applicant is completing the final year of their degree in 2023, the current year of study will only be included in the GPA calculation if at least 0.375 FTE worth of graded course results from Semester/Trimester 1 2023 are available to be used in the calculation. If at least 0.375 FTE worth of graded results are not yet available, the Final GPA Year will be excluded from the calculation and the GPA will be calculated using only the Final-1 (x2) and Final-2 (x1) GPA Years.

Ungraded Pass (UGP/CRS) results will not be included in the GPA calculation. UOW will include UGP in the ‘credit count’ for a particular GPA year, however, these are excluded from the calculation and that particular GPA ‘year’ will be calculated based on the available graded course results only.

An applicant must have a minimum of 0.375 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) worth of graded results available for a GPA to be calculated for that particular GPA ‘year’, i.e.: if 1.0FTE is the equivalent of 8 courses (or 48 credits with 6 credits per course), then using this module, you must have a minimum of 3 courses (0.375 FTE) that are graded (not UGP/CRS) for that year.

Please note Graduate Certificates, Masters by Research, PhDs, non-award study and study completed below AQF Level 7 will not be included in the GPA calculation.

For 2024 entry, GPA scores will be used as a qualifying hurdle for interview offers. GPA scores will not be used in ranking for interview or places offers once the hurdle has been met.

UOW does not normally recognise two-year Bachelor degrees or one year conversion degrees for the purpose of admission to the medical course. Graduate entry two year programs, or applicants who have completed the equivalent of a three year FTE Bachelor degree but have been awarded credit for prior academic learning may be exempt from this rule. Please contact UOW GSM for more information if your degree is less than three years FTE in duration. Accelerated Bachelor degrees are accepted by UOW; that is, a degree consisting of three full time equivalent trimesters per year for two years from a recognised institution.

UOW reserves the right to recalculate GPAs at any time before the close of the admissions cycle if required.

For domestic applications for UOW Graduate School of Medicine MD program, applicants need a minimum score of 50 overall, with no individual section score below 50, in the Graduate Australian Medical Schools Admission Test (GAMSAT). The GAMSAT score required to receive an offer for an interview may fluctuate annually.  

No other entrance examination will be accepted for domestic applicants.

More information, including the period a GAMSAT result can be used, is available from the ACER website: Graduate Medical School Admissions Test

Casper is a standardised, online assessment of non-cognitive skills, interpersonal characteristics, and personal qualities that are important for success as a medical student and as a future medical practitioner.

Casper is a 100-120 minute online video based scenario, situational judgement test and is designed to assess areas such as ethics, empathy and communication. Applicants need to have completed the Casper test during the testing periods identified for UOW MD applicants. Applicants who do not have a valid Casper score will not be considered eligible for entry, regardless of their competitiveness against other entry criteria. For 2024 entry, Casper scores are used as a hurdle requirement for interview ranking and combined with interview score and portfolio score to decide final offers.

Casper testing dates for UOW MD domestic applicants for the 2023-2024 admissions cycle are:

• Wednesday 3 May 2023 - 10am AEST
• Sunday 28 May 2023 - 10am AEST
• Thursday 8 June 2023 - 7pm AEST

It is recommended that applicants register to take the test on the first available date. If you have not yet registered for Casper by the time of GEMSAS applications closing, you must register immediately to ensure you are included in the final test dates in time for consideration this year. Applicants without a Casper score will not be considered.

For more information on Casper

• Acuity Insights
• Casper FAQs (PDF: 158 KB)

The UOW MD Admissions Portfolio is a written description of the applicant’s experiences and achievements. Applicants have the opportunity to highlight areas of achievement, leadership, teamwork, service ethic and commitment as well as ties to regional, rural and remote communities.

The portfolio, application and rural residency forms should be submitted electronically directly to GEMSAS and will be used as one of the criteria to rank your eligibility for interview and for an offer of a place. Applicants who fail to submit a portfolio will not be considered and portfolio must be submitted regardless of UOW ranking on your preference form.

In submitting an admissions portfolio, applicants will need to consider the following:

• Leadership
• Capacity to work with others
• Service ethic - outside your employment environment
• High level of performance in an area of human endeavour
• Rural Residency and Schooling

After applicants are selected for an interview, the content of the activities described in the portfolio will be verified by phone/email. Those applicants who are passed to UOW after the interview will have their portfolio verified prior to their offer being sent. Failure to confirm the accuracy of information provided in the portfolio may preclude selection or offer.

Applicants are recommended to commence preparation early. The portfolio template and a portfolio guide are available from the UOW MD website. Use the portfolio guide to assist in completing the portfolio, using the provided template. Please note that all activities listed in the portfolio require a current email contact for verification. The application form and portfolio must be completed electronically via GEMSAS by the advertised closing date.

No changes can be made once submitted. All verification contact details should be finalised before the submission of your portfolio. An exception can be made for updating verification contact information and this can be requested if the verifier has updated contact details or is no longer able to verify experience due to unforeseen circumstances outside of the applicant’s control.

• Download Admissions Portfolio Template (PDF 878KB)
• Download Admissions Portfolio Guidelines (PDF 822KB)

Applicants who meet the qualifying hurdles of GPA and Casper performance are ranked for interview using 50% standardised GAMSAT and 50% standardised portfolio scores. Approximately 160 applicants will be invited to interview.

Domestic interviews for 2024 entry will be conducted in an online multiple-mini interview (MMI) format in the week commencing 25 September 2023. Interviewees are assessed on areas such as communication skills, empathetic and ethical approach, reflective manner, teamwork and decision-making skills.

Applicants are required to have graduated from their undergraduate degree within ten years of the closing date of applications.

Applicants whose undergraduate degree was completed outside the ten year period may still be considered for admission if they have successfully completed the equivalent of one year full-time tertiary study at Graduate Diploma level or higher at a recognised university within the last ten years. If no postgraduate study has been completed in the last ten years, applicants can apply for a waiver of this rule if they can demonstrate through other activities that they hold current high level academic skills. 

To request a waiver, applicants need to provide a copy of their university transcripts, Curriculum Vitae (CV), and any other documentation in support of their request to md-enquiries@uow.edu.au. This should be submitted a minimum of 10 business days prior to the closing date of applications to ensure that currency of qualification has been deemed acceptable.

Applicants who are required to be assessed for currency of qualification due to the ten year rule will be deemed ineligible for consideration of an interview and place at UOW for 2024 entry if:

• An applicant submits a waiver request that is not approved by the Graduate School of Medicine.
• An applicant does not submit a waiver request at all.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to understand UOW requirements and submit a waiver request if needed. (That is, UOW does not accept responsibility if an applicant has been deemed ineligible due to non-submission or late submission of a waiver request.)

If a waiver request is submitted late and approved after the closing date of applications, no changes to preferences can be made at this time. If a waiver request is submitted late and within five business days of the application closing date, UOW cannot guarantee that it will be processed before applications close.

The interview score combined with the standardised Casper scores is equally weighted with the portfolio score. That is, Casper is weighted 25%, interview is 25% and Portfolio is 50%, to rank applicants rank for offer. GPA and GAMSAT results are not included in the weighting formula for offer of a place. 

Offers are made in November with a small number of subsequent offers in December and January (if required). Offers are made for a specific place type, campus and year only. 

Candidates who do not respond to their official Letter of Offer by the required due date specified by UOW will have the offer rescinded. The offer may be allocated to the next eligible applicant in a subsequent offer round, at the discretion of the University.

Offers to applicants completing their degree in 2023 will be conditional on maintenance of the minimum required weighted GPA of 5.5. Evidence of completion must be produced for offer conditions to be cleared. 

Qualifying degrees must be completed by 31st December 2023, unless otherwise approved by the GSM.

At the time of application all applicants need to indicate their preferred campus (Wollongong or Shoalhaven) for the first 18 months of the program. This preference will be considered but not guaranteed.

Extenuating circumstances for campus preference may be considered and relevant supporting documentation may be requested by UOW.

Applicants must also indicate their place type (i.e. CSP or BMP) preferences at time of application.

Campus and place type preferences have no influence on the decision for offer.

The Bonded Medical Program provides students with a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) in a medical course at an Australian university in return for a commitment to work in eligible regional, rural and remote areas for a specified period after completion of their medical course. This commitment is referred to as a Return of Service Obligation (RoSO).

Participants of the Bonded Medical Program are subject to Part VD of the Health Insurance Act 1973 (Act) and must abide by the Health Insurance (Bonded Medical Program) Rule 2020 (Rule).

You should obtain independent legal advice before agreeing to opt in to the Program.

Further information is available at The Department of Health and Aged Care Bonded Medical Program website. 

The  BMP scheme is only available to Domestic applicants - Australian citizens/permanent residents.

Offers of a place are made for a specified year only and course commencement can only occur in January (Semester 1) of each calendar year. Deferral of a place is not granted. Applicants who do not, or are unable to accept an offer, must re-apply if they wish to undertake the course in a subsequent year.

The MD program at the University of Wollongong is conducted at two main campuses - Wollongong and Shoalhaven for the first 18 months of the program. At the time of application, candidates will need to indicate their preferred campus (Wollongong or Shoalhaven) and this will apply for the first 18 months of the program (Phase 1). After that time students will be rotated through both campuses and other regional, rural and remote areas in NSW. The campus preference will be considered but not guaranteed. Extenuating circumstances for campus preference may be considered and relevant supporting documentation may be requested by UOW.

All students enrolled in the UOW Doctor of Medicine are required to undertake clinical placements in regional and rural communities across NSW in order to meet the requirements of the program. These placements may occur in any academic year of the program and students may be required to undertake placements in each phase of the program. The placements will vary in duration but may be up to a full academic year in length and may require you to relocate and live in the community where you are placed.

Campus and place type preferences have no influence on the decision for offer. While every attempt will be made to meet the applicant’s allocation preferences, a final decision regarding campus allocation will be made by the Graduate School of Medicine.

Acceptance of a UOW MD place indicates acceptance of the campus allocation. Transfer between campuses will not be considered. If an applicant refuses an offer at a particular campus, then that offer (at that campus) will be made to the next applicant.

UOW is committed that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who are interested in becoming a doctor see this as a possibility and provides support for applicants, who are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent, to complete the application process for the MD program.

Applicants are given priority access to places in the MD program via a dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pathway. The GSM offers at least four places in this pathway. Applicants can apply either via GEMSAS or direct to UOW.

To be considered for these places when applying via GEMSAS, applicants must indicate their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status at the time of application.  Alternatively, applicants may apply direct to UOW for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pathway and applications close by 31 August 2023.

Applicants in this category are required to meet acceptable levels of performance in selection criteria. That is, GPA, GAMSAT, portfolio and interview. Applicants who can demonstrate academic proficiency in cognate disciplines such as health professions and biomedical sciences may be exempt from sitting GAMSAT. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants are not required to sit Casper.

The interview will include Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander community members, medical practitioners and staff from the University of Wollongong.

A number of financial scholarships are available.

Refer to the UOW GSM website for further information and direct application details: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants

UOW MD admission information relevant for:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants
• International applicants

First Aid Certificate

Successful applicants must have completed and hold a current approved First Aid Certificate (including a CPR module) prior to commencement of study. Evidence of this certificate must be provided to the Graduate School of Medicine prior to the Orientation Day in late January. More information for commencing students will be provided once offers are released.

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.

NSW Health Verification

Prior to the commencement of any clinical placement, all students are expected to complete the verification process with NSW Health. Students may be excluded from clinical placement if this process is incomplete.

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.

Students will be excluded from clinical placement if this process is incomplete.

Inherent requirements 

Inherent requirements for the UOW MD course are guided by the Medical Deans of Australia and New Zealand (MDANZ) Inclusive Medical Education guidance note which refers to the following:

Communication skills – verbal, non-verbal and written

Medical students will be expected to communicate effectively and sensitively with a range of different people to establish rapport, involve patients and carers in decision making, and practise in a culturally safe way to deliver high quality, safe care. This applies to listening, speaking, reading, writing, and the capability to use these different modes to elicit information from people, often under pressure and in difficult situations.

Professionalism

Medical students will be expected to demonstrate capabilities consistent with those of a medical professional, including a commitment to making the care of patients their priority, and to practise safely and effectively, treat people with dignity and respect, and be aware of the limits of their own knowledge, skills and health. They will also be required to comply with the law, regulations and any other university codes or policies.

Insight into their own health and behaviour

Medical students will be expected to demonstrate an ability to recognise when they experience poor health and put in place effective processes to ensure their own health or behaviours do not pose a risk to others.

Cognition, critical thinking and problem solving skills

Medical students will be expected to have an aptitude for problem solving, based on scientific principles to understand and solve the complex medical needs of patients, whilst also considering the context of the patient’s circumstances and the health system they are working in.

Team work

Medical students will be expected to work willingly and cohesively as part of a team, taking responsibility for their actions as well as recognising and respecting the skills of other professionals.

Physical and observational capabilities

Medical students will be expected to demonstrate their ability to acquire information, carry out a range of procedures suitable to their level of capability, and understand and carry out their role in assisting during a medical emergency.

Sustainable performance

Medical students will be expected to demonstrate both physical and mental performance at a consistent and sustained level to perform multiple tasks in an assigned period of time that provides safe and effective care without compromise.

Diversity and Inclusion

UOW and the GSM seeks to provide an inclusive and supportive environment for all students, including those with a disability.  The School encourages potential applicants who anticipate they may need particular support to participate in the medical program to make early contact with the GSM for a discussion regarding the requirements of the course and the potential for reasonable accommodations.

It should be recognised that there may be cases where students will not be able to meet the requirements of the program, even with reasonable accommodations. Staff are available to provide guidance on other study options.

Information on scholarships may be found at:

• Bonded Medical Places Scheme
• The John Flynn Placement Program
• Puggy Hunter Memorial Scholarship Scheme
• RAMUS Scholarship
• Scholarships at UOW

The NSW Rural Doctors Network keeps track of Scholarship opportunities:

• Rural Doctors' Network website