International applicants

Applicants who are NOT citizens or permanent residents of Australia or citizens of New Zealand are considered international applicants. The GM welcomes all international students to submit applications for the 2021 intake directly to UOW. There is no application fee. Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis from late January 2020. Early applications are encouraged. 

Direct applicants are encouraged to download and complete the application form and submit all the supporting documents along with the completed application form to UOW Future Students at future-students@uow.edu.au.

Weighted Grade Point Average (GPA) from a valid Bachelor's degree

Applicants must be in their final year or have a completed Bachelor’s degree from either:

An Australian University listed in the National Register of higher education providers at the TEQSA National Register
OR
An equivalent overseas Bachelor qualification from an institution that is recognised under the framework and guidelines set by the Australian Department of Education and Training Qualifications Recognition Policy Unit (previously AEI-NOOSR).
All applicants must have a weighted GPA of 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.

The undergraduate degree on which the GPA is calculated must have been awarded no greater than 10 years prior to the year of application to the UOW MD. This is designed to ensure the currency of a student’s academic and research skills which are required in the rigorous academic environment of the MD program. Prospective students whose Bachelor's degrees were awarded more than 10 years prior to the year of application are not usually considered unless they can provide documentary evidence of successful tertiary level postgraduate coursework from an accredited institution of not less than one year’s full-time equivalent study within the 10 year period. The GM reserves the right to also waive the 10-year policy if a student demonstrates academic currency and skills by experiences other than the qualifications stipulated above. All evidence must be produced in writing prior to application to smah-international@uow.edu.au. In cases where the degree is greater than 10 years old, and the candidate is considered eligible to apply, the GPA will still be calculated on the most recent completed bachelor degree.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

All applicants will be required to submit either certified copies or original transcripts of their most recent Bachelor's degree with their application. The GPA is calculated using all subjects taken within the last three full-time equivalent years of the most recent undergraduate degree.

To be accepted applicants would normally have spent at least 2 years in the institution conferring the degree. An Honours year is normally considered as the final year of an undergraduate degree. Postgraduate qualifications (Masters, PhD) are not included in GPA calculations. To maintain absolute transparency and equity for all international applications, the GPA for all international transcripts will be calculated by UOW Future Students. The GPA is calculated for each of the last 3 calendar years.

The scores are expressed as:

GPA1 for the first year of study
GPA2 for the second year of study
GPA3 for the third (most recent) year of study.
The scores are weighted by the GM as follows:

GPA1 + (2 × GPA2) + (3 × GPA3) = weighted GPA ÷ 6

This weighting is based on the calendar year of study, not the academic level of each subject.

International applicants sitting the Graduate Australian Medical Schools Admission Test (GAMSAT), GAMSAT (UK and Ireland) need to have gained a minimum score of 50 for each of the three sections and an overall minimum score of 50 to be eligible to apply.

International applicants that use MCAT must have gained a minimum overall score of 24 or 495 in the MCAT.

The score for either test must not be over two years old at the time of application. The GAMSAT / MCAT score required to receive an offer for interview may fluctuate annually.

The UOW GM Admissions Portfolio is an innovative document which is scored against a developed protocol to highlight areas of achievement, leadership, teamwork and service ethic and commitment and ties to regional, rural and remote communities. The portfolio will be used by the GM to rank eligible applicants for interview.

All applicants will be required to prepare a portfolio to be submitted to UOW GM.

In submitting an admissions portfolio, applicants 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
• Academic Experience
• Admissions Rural Residency and Schooling

The portfolio for international candidates is scored in the same way as for domestic applicants with the exception of rurality, which is not scored on international portfolios. 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 GM.

After candidates are selected for an interview, verification of activities will be undertaken by email. Any negative responses provided by verifiers will be forwarded to the Academic Leader: Admissions & Selection for review.

• Applicants who do not submit a portfolio will not be considered for an interview.
• Applicants who do not submit a valid email address in their portfolio will not be considered for an interview.
• All activities listed in the UOW GM Admissions Portfolio require a contact name with a valid email address and/or contact phone number to verify the activity.

All international applications should download and thoroughly read the guidelines below:
Portfolio Guidelines [PDF]
Portfolio Application Form [PDF]

UOW GM Admissions Interviews are designed to assess personal qualities deemed desirable in medical students and medical practitioners. 

Applicants will be ranked for interview based on a combination of GPA, MCAT/GAMSAT and portfolio score. 

Interviews for 2021 entry are scheduled to occur from February to September 2020.

Interviews are normally held by teleconference or videoconference.

The international interviews are panel-based and designed to assess the following personal qualities:

• Communication skills
• Empathy and compassion
• Resilience and coping skills
• Decision making and problem-solving ability
• Teamwork
• Honesty
• Reflection/self-appraisal
• Leadership
• Ethical standards and values
• Insight and understanding

Students whose undergraduate degree was not completed in English may be required to demonstrate English proficiency.

The UOW GM's English Language Requirements are:

A minimum IELTS score of 7.0, plus the following band scores:

• 7.0 in reading and listening; and
• 7.0 in speaking and writing

The interviewed candidates are ranked for an offer after the interview by a combination of interview score, portfolio, MCAT/GAMSAT and GPA.

Student campus preference has no influence on decisions for offer.

Offers of places are made based on the recommendations of the GM Admissions Committee. All international offers are full-fee paying places.

Firm offers are only made to applicants who are already graduates. Provisional offers are made to applicants who have not completed their final year of their Bachelor's degree at the time of interview. A provisional offer will lapse if the applicant does not reach a weighted GPA of 5.0 on a 7 point scale or 2.8 on a 4 point scale or above on completion of their degree. The original academic transcript issued by the conferring University providing final year results and confirming the completion of the Bachelor's degree must be submitted to GM before enrolment.

Offers will be made throughout the year from early 2020 and a small number of subsequent places may be offered until December. Successful applicants will be provided with a firm date by which the offer must be accepted; offers not accepted by that date will lapse and be re-offered. This is a highly competitive process and more offers may be made to eligible applicants than places available. To ensure your place is secured in the program you are required to return the acceptance form and $AUD 15000 + Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) as soon as possible. The remainder of first semester fees will need to be paid by 31st October. If the remaining of the 1st-semester fees is not paid by 31st October, your offer will be withdrawn. Once all 15 places have been confirmed and accepted, any students with outstanding offers will be placed on a waitlist in case any of those places become vacant. Many highly ranked candidates will also be holding offers so your prompt response to your offer is vital to secure your place.

The GM of the University of Wollongong consists of two main campuses – Wollongong and Shoalhaven. At the time of the interview, applicants will need to indicate their preferred campus (Wollongong or Shoalhaven) for Phase 1 of the program. This preference will be considered but not guaranteed. 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 here. 

An applicant’s request for campus allocation will have no bearing on their ranking for a place within the cohort. While every attempt will be made to meet applicant’s allocation preferences, a final decision regarding campus allocation will be made by the Academic Leader, Admissions & Selection taking into account all information available.

Acceptance of a UOW MD place indicates acceptance of the campus allocation. It should be noted that the International Student Office is only located at Wollongong campus.

Applicants who are NOT citizens or permanent residents of Australia or citizens of New Zealand are considered international applicants.

Permanent Resident Status is established from the date stamped on the applicant/student's passport or a "certificate of Evidence of Resident Status" from the Department of Immigration & Border Protection, not the date on which the application for status is made.

Should an international applicant be granted Permanent Resident status (or New Zealand Citizenship status) before an offer is made, his/her application will be void. He/she may re-apply for a domestic place in a subsequent intake.

An international student who is granted Permanent Resident (or New Zealand Citizen) status after an offer is made may be ineligible for a place at the GM and may be excluded from the program. For more information, please see FAQs in the Information for International Students Brochure.

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 are:

• St John’s Ambulance - Apply First Aid 2-day
• Red Cross - Apply First Aid

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.

Offers of a place are made for a specified year only and course commencement can only occur in January/February (Semester 1) of each calendar year. Deferral of places is not normally 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.

Students commencing a medical degree program at any Australian or New Zealand medical school are expected to complete the entire program at their chosen university. Transfer of enrolment between medical schools is not normally approved except in very exceptional circumstances. Any student wishing to transfer into the MD program at UOW must apply in writing to md-enquiries@uow.edu.au. All applications for transfer will be assessed individually by Academic Leader, Admissions & Selection.

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