The UNSW Summary shows there are 3 paths to medicine at UNSW. These are:-

• direct entry to the undergraduate medical degree for high school students

• students who have a previous degree, or commenced a degree but have not completed it, and

• students entering through the Bachelor of Medical Science Honours degree at UNSW - known as graduate lateral entrants to medicine at UNSW.

Entry Requirements - The full details regarding the entry requirements for medicine at UNSW are given in the table below.

This table shows, not only the requirements to obtain a place in the undergraduate medical degree but also details how each of the 3 paths flow into the medical degree and what you need to keep in mind, not only for medicine, but also when applying for other degrees if you are seeking to enter as a graduate. 

How UNSW Compares with Other Universities - Scroll further down, below the table  and you'll also see the UNSW Comparitor. This tool enables you to compare the 3 paths to medicine at UNSW with other university paths to medicine.  

UNSW detailed entry Requirements

There are a number of notable aspects in how UNSW structures its undergraduate medical degree.  

Bachelor of Medical Science entry

A very limited number of students who are undertaking the Bachelor of Medical Science Honours degree at UNSW (10 in total, out of 506 which represents approximately 5% of students undertaking the degree) have the opportunity to transfer into the medical degree. Students applying fro lateral transfer need to undertake the UCAT. An assessment is undertaken at the end of second year with successful students receiving provisional entry to the medical program. These students are required to complete their Bachelor of Medical Studies Honours degree, complete bridging courses and are then able to commence the medical degree at Phase 2 i.e. do not have to commence medicine at year 1, do not have to undertake the Bachelor of Medical Studies degree and instead commence at the Doctor of Medicine degree stage (ie 3 years in Bachelor of Medical Science, one year transition in B Science (Honours) and 3 years in the Doctor of Medicine). As a result, graduate lateral entry students spend a total of 7 years, as opposed to direct entry from high school students who take 6 years to complete the medical program and graduate with a Bachelor of Medical Science, Science (Honours) and Doctor of Medicine.

Different arrangements for rural students compared with locals

There are different approaches taken to determine whether or not you secure an interview - and this depends on whether you are a non-rural (domestic or international) or rural applicant. Domestic/international students are assessed for the offer of an interview based on both their ATAR and UCAT/ISAT results, whereas rural students are assessed on their UCAT and rurality rating. The difference in rural students’ interview eligibility not taking ATAR outcomes into consideration is because interviews are scheduled just 2 days after the release of ATAR results and this would give rural students insufficient time to travel to the interview location. As a result, rural students are invited to interview based only on their UCAT result (and rurality rating).

Other graduate entrants into the program

UNSW states lateral entry to medicine through the Bachelor of Medical Science Honours degree as being the graduate entry stream.

UNSW also, however, states that applicants with partially completed or completed degrees (Bachelor, Masters by course work and by research, and PhDs) may also apply for medicine. Notably there is no 10 year rule for when previous degrees need to have been completed and also no limit in terms of the number of times applicants may apply. The key aspect is the equivalent academic rank - which for graduates is based on a combined high school ATAR (50%) and your highest university degree score (50%) with the combination of these needing to be at an ATAR equivalent level of at least 96 or 91 (rural). As the UNSW medicine degree is undergraduate, graduates applying for entry need to do so through UAC and also need to sit the UCAT (ie not GAMSAT).

City or country

UNSW provide New South Wales’ a fully regional medical undergraduate degree at Port Macquarie. This enables UNSW medical degree applicants to choose whether they want to undertake their medical studies at either a regional or city location. There are 25 medicine students at Port Macquarie. From 2021 medicine students also have the opportunity to undertake their studies at Wagga Wagga with 15 students studying at this location.