UQ Medicine Entrance Information

This article covers entry into medicine at the University of Queensland (UQ). For information on UQ and the medical course itself, refer to: http://www.medstudentsonline.com.au/...dicine-uq-302/

There are two entry pathways into medicine at UQ – provisional or graduate entry. Approximately 300 domestic places comprising of 216 commonwealth supported places (CSPs), 14 medical rural bonded scholarships (MRBS) and 71 bonded medical places (BMPs). Of these 216 CSPs approximately 150 places are reserved for undergraduate entrants, while another 25% is reserved for rural background students (25% is also reserved in MRBS and BMP for rural students).

Additionally, there is a commitment from UQ to assist any people of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Island decent interested in a career in medicine. How UQ assists those of such decent is unknown, yet they encourage any applicants who fall in such a category.

Provisional Entry
Students wishing to apply for provisional entry into medicine at UQ must be in their final year of schooling and must sit the Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission Test (UMAT). The student must obtain an OP 1 (or equivalent*) and will then be ranked according to their UMAT test score**. Though the cut-off for the UMAT score cannot be predicted ahead of time UQ does supply cut-off scores for previous years (see below). There is no interview for provisional entry into medicine.

*Note: A rank of 99 (OP1) can be achieved using UQ’s bonus rank scheme, where maths C (or equivalent) can contribute 2 bonus ranks or a university enrichment course or a language can contribute 1 bonus rank.
**Note: The applicant must meet a minimum of 50 in each section of the UMAT test to be eligible regardless of their overall score.

Official UMAT Cut-off Scores (Supplied by School of Medicine UQ)


*Not all applicants with a UMAT aggregate score of 177 received an offer. The cut-off was with a Section I score of 66.
**Not all applicants with a UMAT aggregate score of 180 received an offer. The cut-off was with a Section 1 score of 66.

It is worth mentioning that UQ will be introducing their MD program, beginning in 2013, which will not affect provisional entry into this course.

Graduate Entry
Upon completion of a student’s undergraduate degree (this can be any degree; not necessarily science), honours year, Masters degree or PhD, the student is eligible for graduate entry into medicine at UQ*. A grade point average (GPA) of 5.0, remembering conversion from non-Go8 universities, must be met before students are ranked by the Graduate Australian Medical Admissions Test (GAMSAT)**. Though the cut-off for the GAMSAT score cannot be predicted ahead of time UQ does supply previous years’ cut-off scores (see below). There is no interview for graduate entry into medicine. All applicants must have English language proficiency.

*Note: This degree must be completed within the last 10 years prior to expected MBBS commencement date. It is worth noting that completion of a PhD or Masters degree awards a student a GPA of 7.0.
**Note: While students GPA is not used to rank students, as this is completed using GAMSAT scores it will be used in the event of a tiebreaker.

Official GAMSAT Cut-off Scores


*Not all applicants with a preference for a BMP place and a GAMSAT score in this band received an offer. The GPA was used as a tie-breaker.

Rural Students
Within the total number of places available to Graduates in the MBBS program, 25% of the places available will be designated to Rural Background Students (RBS). Remoteness Areas (RAs) make up the ASGC-RA classification system.

The RA categories are listed below:

• RA1 - Major Cities of Australia
• RA2 - Inner Regional Australia
• RA3 - Outer Regional Australia
• RA4 - Remote Australia
• RA5 - Very Remote Australia

Applicants must meet standard eligibility criteria for entry pathways* and submit a statutory declaration (http://www.ag.gov.au/Statutorydeclar...s/default.aspx). The applicant may also have to submit additional documents such as school reports or academic transcripts, or letters from the school principal or employer to confirm rural background. Rural background students may receive an offer with a lower overall GAMSAT or UMAT score than non-rural applicants.

*Note: Rural background student applications have not yet been approved for provisional entry students.

International Students
There are approximately 130 places available for graduate entry for international students and approximately 50 places available for provisional student entry. Applicants must meet eligibility requirements equivalent to domestic students. North American Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is an acceptable equivalent to GAMSAT, with a minimum score of 8/8/M/8 is needed to be considered eligible. International Student Admissions Test (ISAT) is an acceptable equivalent to UMAT, with a minimum of 60^th percentile to be considered eligible. A GPA of 5.0 (on a 7.0 scale, where 4 is a pass) is also necessary to be considered eligible*.

Additionally, UQ has a partnership with the Ochsner Health System in New Orleans, Louisiana for approximately 40 USA citizens and USA permanent residents each year. These students will undertake years 1 and 2 at UQ and the final two years will be conducted in the MBBS program in New Orleans within the Ochsner Health System, where assessment is the same as at UQ. These students will graduate with MBBS, which is equivalent to the American MD and will be eligible to take the USMLEs, for the NRMP match, and to practice medicine in the U.S.

*Note: A minimum of 2.67on a 4 point scale where 2 = pass; or approximately a 2.00 where 1 = pass is an example of equivalence to a 7.0 GPA scale.

Links
UQ School of Medicine website
Domestic student entrance information
International student entrance information