How do interviews differ between Adelaide Dental and UQ Dental?

Adelaide Dental uses: Multi-Mini Interview (minimum 6 stations × 10 minutes). UQ Dental uses: No interview — ATAR threshold then UCAT-ANZ aggregate ranking. Different formats reward different skill sets. Plan separate prep streams for each. Interview windows: November-December (Adelaide Dental); No interview (UQ Dental).

What Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander entry pathways do Adelaide Dental and UQ Dental offer?

Adelaide Dental — Wirltu Yarlu Aboriginal Education Access Pathway — same as for Adelaide BMS. No quota disclosed. UQ Dental — ATSI Admissions Scheme applicants are EXEMPT from UCAT-ANZ. 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 UQ Dental offer bonded / rural-entry places?

Adelaide Dental — BMP available; specific BDS-stream breakdown not publicly published. UQ Dental — Rural pathway available with adjusted ATAR threshold. 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. UQ 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.

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Australian Dental school comparison

Adelaide Dental vs UQ Dental

Adelaide Dental and UQ Dental are both Australian dental schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Adelaide Dental is in South Australia while UQ Dental is in Queensland. State of origin matters here: several schools rank local applicants ahead of interstate ones. Both select on UCAT-ANZ, so a single sitting can support both applications.

The interview formats diverge — MMI vs Interview — and the prep approaches for the two are fundamentally different.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Adelaide Dental and UQ Dental.
Comparison field	Adelaide DentalAdelaide	UQ DentalSt Lucia
Quick comparison
Location	Adelaide, Australia	St Lucia, Australia
Entry pathway	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Admission tests	UCAT-ANZ	UCAT-ANZ
GAMSAT	-	-
UCAT-ANZ	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%.	Mandatory. All applicants at/above the ATAR floor are ranked directly on UCAT-ANZ aggregate — ATAR acts as a hurdle, not a differentiator. UCAT section scores may separate tied applicants. Discrete percentile cut not officially published; broadly cited as 89th percentile equivalent (GradReady summary).
ATAR	Minimum entry ATAR 90.00. Successful applicants typically ~98-99+ (Adelaide does not officially publish a cut-off).	2026 entry: lowest rank offered 95.70 (unadjusted) → 99.00 (with adjustments); median rank offered 99.30 (unadjusted) → 99.95 (with adjustments); highest rank offered 99.95. ATAR floor 99.00 adjusted for QLD Year 12 — one of the highest in Australian dentistry.
Interview format	Multi-Mini Interview (minimum 6 stations × 10 minutes)	No interview — ATAR threshold then UCAT-ANZ aggregate ranking
Post-interview chance	~35% interview-to-offer.	N/A — no interview.
Decision date	January	January

ATAR	Minimum entry ATAR 90.00. Successful applicants typically ~98-99+ (Adelaide does not officially publish a cut-off).	2026 entry: lowest rank offered 95.70 (unadjusted) → 99.00 (with adjustments); median rank offered 99.30 (unadjusted) → 99.95 (with adjustments); highest rank offered 99.95. ATAR floor 99.00 adjusted for QLD Year 12 — one of the highest in Australian dentistry.
Contextual ATAR	Wirltu Yarlu Access Pathway and Educational Access Scheme adjustments available.	Rural Origin Pathway and Educational Access Scheme adjustments available — adjusted selection rank can be up to ~4.30 above unadjusted ATAR.
GAMSAT	-	-
UCAT-ANZ	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%.	Mandatory. All applicants at/above the ATAR floor are ranked directly on UCAT-ANZ aggregate — ATAR acts as a hurdle, not a differentiator. UCAT section scores may separate tied applicants. Discrete percentile cut not officially published; broadly cited as 89th percentile equivalent (GradReady summary).
CASPer	-	-
ISAT	-	-
GPA	-	-
Prerequisites	-	-
Place types	38 domestic places annually (Adelaide degree finder). ~300 applicants invited to interview annually. Bachelor of Oral Health (separate program): 32 domestic places, ~90 interviews.	2025 cohort: 75 admitted total (per QTAC); ~60% international; 24% from recent secondary education. Domestic fee (CSP): first-year contribution $10,140 (2026 indicative).
Indigenous pathway	Wirltu Yarlu Aboriginal Education Access Pathway — same as for Adelaide BMS. No quota disclosed.	ATSI Admissions Scheme applicants are EXEMPT from UCAT-ANZ.
Bonded / rural	BMP available; specific BDS-stream breakdown not publicly published.	Rural pathway available with adjusted ATAR threshold.

Interview window	November-December	No interview
Interview details	Adelaide Dental uses an MMI with minimum 6 stations × 10 minutes each, with clinicians and academics from the Adelaide Dental Hospital network. The MMI probes ethical reasoning, communication, manual…	UQ Dent does not interview. Step 1: applicants must hit adjusted ATAR ≥ 99.00. Step 2: all qualifying applicants are ranked directly on UCAT-ANZ aggregate; ATAR acts as a hurdle, not a differentiator.…

Specialities	Oral Surgery, Orthodontics, Public Dental Health, Indigenous Oral Health, Restorative Dentistry	Oral Surgery, Orthodontics, Paediatric Dentistry, Dental Research, Public Dental Health
Established	1920	1936
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	Adelaide runs South Australia's only dental school (est. 1920) as a 5-year undergraduate Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS). Co-located with the Adelaide Dental Hospital — one of Australia's oldest dent…	UQ Dental is the most ATAR-competitive dental program in Australia: 99.00 adjusted ATAR floor with 99.95 median offer rank (2026 intake). No interview — selection runs on the ATAR hurdle + UCAT-ANZ ag…
Official course page	https://www.adelaide.edu.au/study/undergraduate/dental-surgery	https://study.uq.edu.au/study-options/programs/bachelor-dental-science-honours-2367

Adelaide Dental

Adelaide

Quick comparison

Location: Adelaide, Australia
Entry pathway: Undergraduate
Admission tests: UCAT-ANZ
GAMSAT: -
UCAT-ANZ: 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%.
ATAR: Minimum entry ATAR 90.00. Successful applicants typically ~98-99+ (Adelaide does not officially publish a cut-off).
Interview format: Multi-Mini Interview (minimum 6 stations × 10 minutes)
Post-interview chance: ~35% interview-to-offer.
Decision date: January

UQ Dental

St Lucia

Quick comparison

Location: St Lucia, Australia
Entry pathway: Undergraduate
Admission tests: UCAT-ANZ
GAMSAT: -
UCAT-ANZ: Mandatory. All applicants at/above the ATAR floor are ranked directly on UCAT-ANZ aggregate — ATAR acts as a hurdle, not a differentiator. UCAT section scores may separate tied applicants. Discrete percentile cut not officially published; broadly cited as 89th percentile equivalent (GradReady summary).
ATAR: 2026 entry: lowest rank offered 95.70 (unadjusted) → 99.00 (with adjustments); median rank offered 99.30 (unadjusted) → 99.95 (with adjustments); highest rank offered 99.95. ATAR floor 99.00 adjusted for QLD Year 12 — one of the highest in Australian dentistry.
Interview format: No interview — ATAR threshold then UCAT-ANZ aggregate ranking
Post-interview chance: N/A — no interview.
Decision date: January

Compare different schools

Adelaide Dental vs UQ Dental - in detail

Admission tests compared

UCAT-ANZ cut-offs. 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% +… UQ Dental — Mandatory. All applicants at/above the ATAR floor are ranked directly on UCAT-ANZ aggregate — ATAR acts as a hurdle, not a differentiator.

UCAT section scores may separate tied applicants. Discrete…

Timing shapes the choice as much as the score. GAMSAT is graduate-only and sits in March and September; UCAT-ANZ is mostly undergraduate and sits in July. A few schools run their own selection model with no national test at all.

ATAR and academic profile

Adelaide Dental requires ATAR 95.00+ (lowest selection rank 2025) plus UCAT-ANZ plus structured panel interview; English and Chemistry prerequisites; rural and Indigenous pathways available.

UQ Dental requires ATAR 99.00 adjusted floor + UCAT-ANZ aggregate ranking (no interview). English + Chemistry prerequisites (Units 3/4, C); Biology recommended.

ATAR. Adelaide Dental — Minimum entry ATAR 90.00. Successful applicants typically ~98-99+ (Adelaide does not officially publish a cut-off). UQ Dental — 2026 entry: lowest rank offered 95.70 (unadjusted) → 99.00 (with adjustments); median rank offered 99.30 (unadjusted) → 99.95 (with adjustments); highest rank offered 99.95. ATAR floor 99.00 adjusted…

Read every ATAR figure as a selection rank, not a raw score. Educational access bonuses, rural-origin uplift and Indigenous pathways all adjust it, so the published number is rarely the one that decides your application.

Interview formats

Adelaide Dental uses MMI (Multi-Mini Interview (minimum 6 stations × 10 minutes)); UQ Dental uses Interview (No interview — ATAR threshold then UCAT-ANZ aggregate ranking). These two formats reward different skills — MMI emphasises breadth, station-recovery and structured answers under time pressure, while Interview rewards malleability and intellectual honesty.

If your strengths lie in conversational depth, either may suit you more. If you prefer discrete capsule answers under time pressure, Adelaide Dental is the better fit.

Interview windows: Adelaide Dental interviews in November-December; UQ Dental in No interview.

Curriculum and teaching style

Both schools deliver a Integrated-style curriculum, so day-to-day study habits will feel similar across years 1-3.

Specifics: 5-year undergraduate Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS). Years 1-2 foundations and pre-clinical simulation at North Terrace. Years 3-5 clinical placemen 5-year undergraduate Bachelor of Dental Science (Honours). Years 1-2 foundations and pre-clinical simulation at St Lucia. Years 3-5 clinical placement

Intake size: Adelaide Dental — 38 domestic places annually, ~300 interviews (Adelaide degree finder; health.adelaide.edu.au). Bachelor of Oral Health separately offers 32 places + ~90 interviews.; UQ Dental — 2025 intake: 75 admitted total (QTAC); ~60% international. International total program fee AUD $94,856.. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

Post-interview offer rate

Adelaide Dental: ~35% interview-to-offer. UQ Dental: N/A — no interview.

Post-interview odds give you the clearest signal of how competitive each school is at the final stage — a school with a 60% post-interview success rate is structurally easier to convert than one at 25%, even if the interview thresholds look identical on paper.

What makes each distinctive

Adelaide Dental: Adelaide runs South Australia's only dental school (est. 1920) as a 5-year undergraduate Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS). Co-located with the Adelaide Dental Hospital — one of Australia's oldest dental teaching hospitals. From January 2026, Adelaide merges with UniSA to form "Adelaide University"; both schools stopped accepting applications on 4 August 2025.

UQ Dental: UQ Dental is the most ATAR-competitive dental program in Australia: 99.00 adjusted ATAR floor with 99.95 median offer rank (2026 intake). No interview — selection runs on the ATAR hurdle + UCAT-ANZ aggregate. Co-located with the Oral Health Centre at Herston — Queensland's largest dental teaching facility.

Which is right for you?

Check your state of origin before you apply — Adelaide Dental draws heavily on South Australia applicants and UQ Dental on Queensland, and an interstate application often faces a materially higher bar.

Your preference list should ultimately weight: which admission test you can realistically score well in, whether your state of origin gives you a bonus at either school, and where you'd actually want to live for four to five years.

Common questions

Adelaide Dental uses UCAT-ANZ. UQ 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.

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%. UQ Dental — Mandatory. All applicants at/above the ATAR floor are ranked directly on UCAT-ANZ aggregate — ATAR acts as a hurdle, not a differentiator. UCAT section scores may separate tied applicants. Discrete percentile cut not officially published; broadly cited as 89th percentile equivalent (GradReady summary). 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.

Adelaide Dental — Minimum entry ATAR 90.00. Successful applicants typically ~98-99+ (Adelaide does not officially publish a cut-off). UQ Dental — 2026 entry: lowest rank offered 95.70 (unadjusted) → 99.00 (with adjustments); median rank offered 99.30 (unadjusted) → 99.95 (with adjustments); highest rank offered 99.95. ATAR floor 99.00 adjusted for QLD Year 12 — one of the highest in Australian dentistry. 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.

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. UQ Dental — 2025 cohort: 75 admitted total (per QTAC); ~60% international; 24% from recent secondary education. Domestic fee (CSP): first-year contribution $10,140 (2026 indicative). 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.

Adelaide Dental runs a Integrated curriculum. UQ 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 UQ Dental specifics: 5-year undergraduate Bachelor of Dental Science (Honours). Years 1-2 foundations and pre-clinical simulation at St Lucia. Years 3-5 clinical placements at the Oral Health Centre Herston and across Que

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 UQ Dental differ in their selection mechanics, so prepping both adds genuine optionality.

Where to go next

Adelaide DentalEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full UQ DentalEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

Adelaide Dental vs UQ Dental

Side-by-side comparison

Adelaide Dental vs UQ Dental - in detail

Admission tests compared

ATAR and academic profile

Interview formats

Curriculum and teaching style

Post-interview offer rate

What makes each distinctive

Which is right for you?

Common questions

What admission tests do Adelaide Dental and UQ Dental use?

What UCAT-ANZ score do I need for Adelaide Dental vs UQ Dental?

What ATAR do I need for Adelaide Dental vs UQ Dental?

How do interviews differ between Adelaide Dental and UQ Dental?

What place types (CSP / BMP / Full-fee) do Adelaide Dental and UQ Dental offer?

What Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander entry pathways do Adelaide Dental and UQ Dental offer?

Does Adelaide Dental or UQ Dental offer bonded / rural-entry places?

When does each school release decisions?

What curriculum style do Adelaide Dental and UQ Dental use?

Should I apply to both Adelaide Dental and UQ Dental?

Where to go next

Other dental school comparisons