This section is designed to provide information for both school leaving applicants and graduate entry students about how to apply to study medicine in Australia. Don’t forget to use the subpages to make the most of the section!
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Australia has long been a favourite destination for medical students taking overseas electives and junior doctors wanting to do a period of training in a less pressured, better paid environment, as well as for GPs and consultants looking for a great salary and a great lifestyle.
So why not take it one step further and do your medical degree in Australia?
Australian medical schools enjoy deservedly excellent international reputations for the quality of their training and research. Five Australian universities are currently ranked in the world’s top 50 for medicine according to the latest QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017, including the University of Sydney, the University of Melbourne and the University of Queensland.
Medicine in Australia is offered as a postgraduate or an undergraduate course. The postgraduate programme is the Doctor of Medicine; the undergraduate programme the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery.
Some Australian universities only teach postgraduate medicine, others offer only an undergraduate programme. There are also a few medical schools that offer courses for both graduates and school leavers.
This depends whether you are considered a domestic or an international student in Australia. A domestic student is someone who holds citizenship or permanent residency of Australia, or citizenship of New Zealand, as confirmed by their passport at the point of application. An international student is a citizen of any country other than Australia or New Zealand!
When applying to Australian universities as an international student, you must approach each university individually as there is no centralized application system. Typically, you’ll need to provide academic transcripts and course preferences, and in some cases, details of your employment history. While personal statements are generally not required, you may need to explain your reasons for wanting to study in Australia as part of your student visa application.
Australian universities offer two primary start dates: the first semester runs from March to June, and the second from July to October. For the first semester, applications should ideally be submitted by December, though earlier submissions are common among domestic students and can result in quicker admissions decisions. For the second semester, the final deadline is usually in May, but applying earlier is advisable.
The application process also typically involves a one-time fee ranging from A$50 to A$100 (£25-£50).
If you are an international student, you can also submit your application via Study Options. Study Options is the official representative of Australian universities in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
It’s a free application support service for students, funded directly by Australian universities to help students through the application process on their behalf. Applications lodged via Study Options are fast-tracked through university assessments and are exempt from the usual application fees charged.
If you are a domestic applicant, you will need to apply for a graduate entry (Doctor of Medicine) place directly to an Australian Medical School.
If you are applying for an undergraduate programme (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) you will need to lodge your application via the equivalent of UCAS. These university admissions bodies are state-specific in Australia. More information can be found here.
There is a range of different universities where you can study Medicine in Australia. They are as follows:
University | Course |
---|---|
University of Adelaide | UG |
James Cook University JCU | UG |
University of Tasmania | UG |
Monash University | UG and PG |
University of Queensland | PG |
Australian National University | PG |
Deakin University | PG |
University of Western Australia | PG |
University of Melbourne | UG and PG |
Flinders University | PG and P |
Griffith University | PG and P |
UNSW Australia | PG and P |
University of Sydney | UG, PG and P |
Curtin University | UG |
Bond University | UG. Not open to international students |
University of Newcastle | UG. Not open to international students |
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Interested? International students can contact Study Options to request a list of all available programmes here or by email.
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