What admission tests do Adelaide Dental and Charles Sturt Dental use?+
Adelaide Dental uses UCAT-ANZ. Charles Sturt Dental uses UCAT-ANZ. Both schools share the same test stack — your single sitting can support both applications. GAMSAT is graduate-only and sat in March/September; UCAT-ANZ is undergraduate-leaning and sat in July; some schools (notably Bond and JCU) run their own selection model with no national test.
What UCAT-ANZ score do I need for Adelaide Dental vs Charles Sturt Dental?+
Adelaide Dental — Same UCAT thresholds as for MBBS: ~2730 SA applicants / ~3140 interstate (old /3600 scale, 2024-2026 entry; MedView aggregator). Threshold then composite ranking — Admission weighting: Academic 40% + UCAT 20% + Interview 40%. Charles Sturt Dental — UCAT required for non-Indigenous applicants; First Nation applicants exempt. No published numerical cut-off — used to rank for interview alongside ATAR. UCAT-ANZ cut-offs are cohort-dependent, so the headline number from one cycle is not guaranteed for the next — use it as a planning anchor, not a guarantee.
What ATAR do I need for Adelaide Dental vs Charles Sturt Dental?+
Adelaide Dental — Minimum entry ATAR 90.00. Successful applicants typically ~98-99+ (Adelaide does not officially publish a cut-off). Charles Sturt Dental — CSU does not publish a minimum ATAR for BDS. Used in combination with UCAT and interview for final ranking. Selection rank typically includes Educational Access Scheme bonuses, rural-origin uplift, and (where applicable) Indigenous-pathway adjustments — your raw ATAR is rarely the final figure used.
How do interviews differ between Adelaide Dental and Charles Sturt Dental?+
Adelaide Dental uses: Multi-Mini Interview (minimum 6 stations × 10 minutes). Charles Sturt Dental uses: In-person panel interview at Orange campus (5 consecutive days, late November). Different formats reward different skill sets. Plan separate prep streams for each. Interview windows: November-December (Adelaide Dental); November-December (Charles Sturt Dental).
What place types (CSP / BMP / Full-fee) do Adelaide Dental and Charles Sturt Dental offer?+
Adelaide Dental — 38 domestic places annually (Adelaide degree finder). ~300 applicants invited to interview annually. Bachelor of Oral Health (separate program): 32 domestic places, ~90 interviews. Charles Sturt Dental — Annual intake not publicly disclosed (small program). Aggregator estimates ~30-50 places/year. CSP (Commonwealth Supported Place) is the lowest student contribution; BMP (Bonded Medical Program) adds a 1-year return-of-service obligation in a Modified Monash Model 2-7 area after Fellowship; Full-fee places carry no bond but the highest tuition.
What Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander entry pathways do Adelaide Dental and Charles Sturt Dental offer?+
Adelaide Dental — Wirltu Yarlu Aboriginal Education Access Pathway — same as for Adelaide BMS. No quota disclosed. Charles Sturt Dental — First Nations applicants do not need UCAT. Culturally appropriate panel interview format. Both schools accept ATSI applicants through the standard pathway as well; the dedicated pathway typically offers adjusted academic thresholds plus wrap-around academic support.
Does Adelaide Dental or Charles Sturt Dental offer bonded / rural-entry places?+
Adelaide Dental — BMP available; specific BDS-stream breakdown not publicly published. Charles Sturt Dental — ≥50% of places reserved for applicants with significant rural background or First Nation applicants — the most aggressive rural quota of any dental program in NSW. Rural applicants submit a Rural and Indigenous Pathway form with their UAC application. The federal BMP allocates ~28.5% of CSP places nationally; individual schools sit above or below that benchmark depending on their workforce remit.
When does each school release decisions?+
Adelaide Dental typically releases dentistry offers January. Charles Sturt Dental releases dentistry offers January. AU MD offers run through GEMSAS (graduate consortium) or direct school portals; if one is earlier than the other you may need to defer a decision while waiting for the second.
What curriculum style do Adelaide Dental and Charles Sturt Dental use?+
Adelaide Dental runs a Integrated curriculum. Charles Sturt Dental runs a Integrated curriculum. Both schools deliver teaching in the same broad style, so day-to-day study habits will feel similar. Adelaide Dental specifics: 5-year undergraduate Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS). Years 1-2 foundations and pre-clinical simulation at North Terrace. Years 3-5 clinical placements at the Adelaide Dental Hospital and across SA H Charles Sturt Dental specifics: 5-year undergraduate Bachelor of Dental Science (BDS) at the Orange campus with clinical placements at Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange, Wagga Wagga. Interview is an in-person panel at Orange i
Should I apply to both Adelaide Dental and Charles Sturt Dental?+
Yes — AU medical applicants typically lodge preferences across multiple schools via GEMSAS (graduate) or direct-undergraduate portals + state TACs (UAC for NSW, VTAC for VIC, QTAC for QLD, etc.). The two schools' selection mechanics differ enough that listing both is a legitimate diversification strategy. A common mistake is over-indexing on schools with the same test-and-interview profile; Adelaide Dental and Charles Sturt Dental differ in their selection mechanics, so prepping both adds genuine optionality.
