Question 1

What admission tests do Sydney Dental and UWA Dental use?

Accepted Answer

Sydney Dental uses GAMSAT. UWA Dental uses GAMSAT, UCAT-ANZ, ISAT, MCAT and DAT. The test mismatch means you may need to prep two assessments simultaneously, or you can pick the school whose admission test you're stronger in. 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.

Question 2

What GAMSAT score do I need for Sydney Dental vs UWA Dental?

Accepted Answer

Sydney Dental — Minimum 50 in each section is a hard eligibility hurdle for standard applicants. The guide exempts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants from that hurdle, but this is not a blanket waiver of GAMSAT: under the Indigenous Facilitated Entry Scheme for applicants with a bachelor's degree, eligible GAMSAT results must still be submitted and 50 per section is 'preferred', with the Indigenous Admissions Advisory Group able to recommend applicants who score lower. Only the postgraduate-degree and Bachelor of Oral Health Indigenous schemes require no GAMSAT result at all. USyd ranks DMD applicants on individual section scores. For 2027 entry, eligible GAMSAT sittings are September 2024, March 2025, September 2025 and March 2026 only — USyd requires results from the past two years "despite any contrary advice from ACER or GAMSAT", and notes this requirement may change for future cycles. (International applicants may instead submit US DAT or Canadian CDAT results; see the international admission-test note for the current minima.) UWA Dental — Graduate DMD: minimum GAMSAT overall 55 with no section score below 50 (same minimum for domestic and international applicants). Shortlisting for interview ranks GAMSAT (or equivalent) and GPA weighted 40%/60%. Final ranking for non-rural domestic applicants is GAMSAT 20%, GPA 30%, interview 50%; for rural applicants GAMSAT 15%, GPA 22.5%, interview 37.5% and rurality rating 25%; Indigenous graduate applicants are ranked on GPA and interview through Boola Boola Djinda. GAMSAT results are valid for four years as at the application closing date (for 2028 commencement UWA accepts test dates from September 2023 to March 2027), and an applicant holding more than one valid score may use their best, not necessarily the most recent. UWA publishes no GAMSAT median or cut-off for successful DMD applicants on its current course page or in its 2026 Domestic Health Admissions Guide; 55 is a minimum eligibility threshold, not a competitive score. These are the requirements on record for 2027-entry applicants. GAMSAT results are valid for four years with ACER, but some graduate MD programs accept only the most recent two cycles — verify before relying on an older sitting.

Question 3

What GPA do I need for Sydney Dental vs UWA Dental?

Accepted Answer

Sydney Dental — Minimum GPA 5.0/7.0 as calculated by UAC's Qualifications Assessment Service, assessed as at 4 June 2026 for 2027 entry — a hard hurdle, and the same one the USyd MD applies, not a lower one. The 4.5 figure applies to the Rural Applicants Facilitated Entry Scheme; the Indigenous schemes also work to 4.5, and the IAAG may recommend applicants with a lower GPA who demonstrate improvement over the duration of their tertiary studies. UWA Dental — Graduate DMD: minimum selection GPA (sGPA) of 5.5 on UWA's 7-point scale — an eligibility floor, not a competitive score. GPA carries 60% of the pre-interview shortlisting rank (against GAMSAT 40%) and 30% of the final rank (22.5% for rural applicants). Assured Pathway students must also reach a selection GPA of 5.5 within the first two years of the Bachelor of Biomedicine (Specialised) to take up their conditional DMD place. UWA publishes no cohort median GPA on its current course page or in its 2026 admissions guide. These are the requirements on record for 2027-entry applicants. Many AU graduate MD programs treat the GPA as a hurdle (above the floor, all candidates are weighted equally on GAMSAT and interview) rather than as a sliding-scale rank — confirm each school's specific model.

Question 4

How do interviews differ between Sydney Dental and UWA Dental?

Accepted Answer

Sydney Dental uses: No interview for standard domestic applicants — ranked on GAMSAT section scores (international applicants submit a portfolio and may be interviewed). UWA Dental uses: MMI, 8 stations × 7 minutes (domestic); two-interviewer panel, ~50 minutes (international). Different formats reward different skill sets. Plan separate prep streams for each. Interview windows: No interview (domestic) (Sydney Dental); Domestic graduate: late September/early October. Domestic school leaver: 30 November–11 December 2026 for the 2027 intake. International graduate: main round May, second round late July/early August. International school leaver: late July/early August. (UWA Dental).

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

Sydney Dental — For 2027 entry USyd anticipates 76 domestic offers — 30 Commonwealth Supported Places (a number that 'includes places reserved for undergraduate Double Degree Dentistry students') and 46 Domestic Fee-Paying places, both marked TBC, with the University reserving the right to make more or fewer at the Dean's discretion. Identical admission criteria apply to both types, and applicants nominate a preference order at the confirmation-page stage. USyd publishes no anticipated number of international offers. Rural and Indigenous applicants are not separate place types but facilitated entry schemes whose ranking lists may differ from the standard pathway, and under which offers may be made to applicants scoring below the standard cut-off. UWA Dental — 50 domestic and 20 international places per year (UWA 2026 Domestic Health Admissions Guide); up to 50 per cent come from the school-leaver Assured Pathway, so graduate entry accounts for at least half. Domestic students who are not eligible for a Commonwealth supported place are charged full-fee rates. UWA publishes no bonded places for the DMD — the Commonwealth Bonded Medical Program applies to medical school places, not dentistry. 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.

Question 6

What Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander entry pathways do Sydney Dental and UWA Dental offer?

Accepted Answer

Sydney Dental — Three separate Indigenous Facilitated Entry Schemes, overseen by the Indigenous Admissions Advisory Group (IAAG): (1) bachelor's degree plus GAMSAT — GPA 4.5 and 50 per section are both 'preferred' rather than required, and an interview may be required; (2) postgraduate master's or PhD completed within three years — no bachelor's degree and no GAMSAT needed, GPA of at least 4.5 subject to IAAG discretion, résumé required and an interview may be required; (3) Bachelor of Oral Health — no GAMSAT, plus a compulsory written assessment and panel discussion. The requirement to have completed two years FTE at the awarding institution is waived across the schemes. No quota is published. UWA Dental — Graduate applicants go through Boola Boola Djinda ('Many, Many Stars'), established in 2025 out of the legacy of the Centre for Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health (CAMDH, established 1996); school-leaver applicants contact the School of Indigenous Studies or askUWA. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants can enter via either the graduate or the school-leaver Assured Pathway stream, the same arrangement as UWA Medicine. The course page states a minimum ATAR of 90 for the school-leaver Indigenous pathway with UCAT ANZ optional, while UWA's 2026 admissions guide describes it as an approximate ATAR of 90 and notes the School of Indigenous Studies can recommend students with a slightly lower ATAR. Indigenous graduate applicants are ranked on GPA and interview by Boola Boola Djinda rather than the standard GAMSAT/GPA/interview composite, with interview timelines set by Boola Boola Djinda. Note UWA's 2026 admissions guide PDF still refers to CAMDH; the course page is the current authority. Both schools accept ATSI applicants through the standard pathway as well; the dedicated pathway typically offers adjusted academic thresholds plus wrap-around academic support.

Question 7

Does Sydney Dental or UWA Dental offer bonded / rural-entry places?

Accepted Answer

Sydney Dental — Rural Applicants Facilitated Entry Scheme: at least 5 consecutive or 10 cumulative years from birth in an ASGS Edition 3 Inner Regional, Outer Regional, Remote or Very Remote area, certified on a Confirmation of Rural Origin form completed by a registered medical practitioner, dentist, pharmacist, lawyer, school principal or current/former employer. USyd audits these forms by contacting the author; family members cannot complete them and statutory declarations are not accepted. Rural applicants get a lower GPA hurdle (4.5 vs 5.0), their ranking list may differ from the standard pathway, and offers may be made below the standard cut-off. USyd publishes no bonded places for the DMD — the only domestic place types in the 2027 Offer Preferences are Commonwealth Supported and Domestic Fee-Paying. UWA Dental — UWA runs a Rural quota in both the graduate and school-leaver streams, and eligibility is a hard geographic test rather than 'significant rural exposure': the applicant's principal home address must have been in an area rated MM-2 to MM-7 under the Modified Monash Model for five consecutive years or at least 10 years cumulatively, evidenced by UWA's Rural Eligibility Form lodged with the application (via TISC for school leavers). Rural applicants then carry a 25% rurality weighting — graduate: GAMSAT 15%, GPA 22.5%, interview 37.5%; school leaver: ATAR 22.5%, UCAT ANZ 15%, interview 37.5%. There are no bonded dental places; the Commonwealth Bonded Medical Program applies to medical school places. TISC lists the school-leaver Assured Pathway (UD056) as n/a / n/a / Limited — composite selection, not solely ATAR-based. The federal BMP allocates ~28.5% of CSP places nationally; individual schools sit above or below that benchmark depending on their workforce remit.

Question 8

When does each school release decisions?

Accepted Answer

Sydney Dental typically releases dentistry offers September (domestic first round) / October (international), rolling to January. UWA Dental releases dentistry offers Domestic graduate offers commence in November and cannot be deferred. School-leaver Assured Pathway offers are released on TISC timelines — TISC main round is December, second round January. International graduate offers commence late May (main round) and early August (second round).. 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.

Question 9

What curriculum style do Sydney Dental and UWA Dental use?

Accepted Answer

Sydney Dental runs a Integrated curriculum. UWA Dental runs a Integrated curriculum. Both schools deliver teaching in the same broad style, so day-to-day study habits will feel similar. Sydney Dental specifics: 4-year graduate DMD. 4-year graduate-entry DMD (192 credit points). The curriculum is structured around seven integrated themes — clinical sciences and skills; oral and systemic biosciences; evidence- UWA Dental specifics: 4-year graduate Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD), 192 points comprising 144 points of taught units plus 48 points of admission credit (UWA Handbook 91860), accredited by the Australian Dental Council.

Question 10

Should I apply to both Sydney Dental and UWA Dental?

Accepted Answer

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; Sydney Dental and UWA Dental differ in their selection mechanics, so prepping both adds genuine optionality.

Comparison field	Sydney DentalSydney	UWA DentalNedlands
Quick comparison
Location	Sydney, Australia	Nedlands, Australia
Entry pathway	Graduate	Dual (UG + Grad)
Admission tests	GAMSAT	GAMSAT + UCAT-ANZ + ISAT + MCAT + DAT
GAMSAT	Minimum 50 in each section is a hard eligibility hurdle for standard applicants. The guide exempts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants from that hurdle, but this is not a blanket waiver of GAMSAT: under the Indigenous Facilitated Entry Scheme for applicants with a bachelor's degree, eligible GAMSAT results must still be submitted and 50 per section is 'preferred', with the Indigenous Admissions Advisory Group able to recommend applicants who score lower. Only the postgraduate-degree and Bachelor of Oral Health Indigenous schemes require no GAMSAT result at all. USyd ranks DMD applicants on individual section scores. For 2027 entry, eligible GAMSAT sittings are September 2024, March 2025, September 2025 and March 2026 only — USyd requires results from the past two years "despite any contrary advice from ACER or GAMSAT", and notes this requirement may change for future cycles. (International applicants may instead submit US DAT or Canadian CDAT results; see the international admission-test note for the current minima.)	Graduate DMD: minimum GAMSAT overall 55 with no section score below 50 (same minimum for domestic and international applicants). Shortlisting for interview ranks GAMSAT (or equivalent) and GPA weighted 40%/60%. Final ranking for non-rural domestic applicants is GAMSAT 20%, GPA 30%, interview 50%; for rural applicants GAMSAT 15%, GPA 22.5%, interview 37.5% and rurality rating 25%; Indigenous graduate applicants are ranked on GPA and interview through Boola Boola Djinda. GAMSAT results are valid for four years as at the application closing date (for 2028 commencement UWA accepts test dates from September 2023 to March 2027), and an applicant holding more than one valid score may use their best, not necessarily the most recent. UWA publishes no GAMSAT median or cut-off for successful DMD applicants on its current course page or in its 2026 Domestic Health Admissions Guide; 55 is a minimum eligibility threshold, not a competitive score.
UCAT-ANZ	-	-
ATAR	-	-
Interview format	No interview for standard domestic applicants — ranked on GAMSAT section scores (international applicants submit a portfolio and may be interviewed)	MMI, 8 stations × 7 minutes (domestic); two-interviewer panel, ~50 minutes (international)
Post-interview chance	Not applicable — there is no interview stage for domestic applicants, and USyd publishes no applicant-to-offer ratio.	UWA does not publish interview numbers or an interview-to-offer conversion rate for the DMD — neither the course page, the 2026 Domestic Health Admissions Guide nor TISC's application/offer statistics report interviews. What is published: the interview carries 50% of the final rank for non-rural applicants (37.5% alongside a 25% rurality rating for rural applicants), making it the single largest weighted component in both the graduate and school-leaver streams.
Decision date	September (domestic first round) / October (international), rolling to January	Domestic graduate offers commence in November and cannot be deferred. School-leaver Assured Pathway offers are released on TISC timelines — TISC main round is December, second round January. International graduate offers commence late May (main round) and early August (second round).

ATAR	-	-
Contextual ATAR	-	-
GAMSAT	Minimum 50 in each section is a hard eligibility hurdle for standard applicants. The guide exempts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants from that hurdle, but this is not a blanket waiver of GAMSAT: under the Indigenous Facilitated Entry Scheme for applicants with a bachelor's degree, eligible GAMSAT results must still be submitted and 50 per section is 'preferred', with the Indigenous Admissions Advisory Group able to recommend applicants who score lower. Only the postgraduate-degree and Bachelor of Oral Health Indigenous schemes require no GAMSAT result at all. USyd ranks DMD applicants on individual section scores. For 2027 entry, eligible GAMSAT sittings are September 2024, March 2025, September 2025 and March 2026 only — USyd requires results from the past two years "despite any contrary advice from ACER or GAMSAT", and notes this requirement may change for future cycles. (International applicants may instead submit US DAT or Canadian CDAT results; see the international admission-test note for the current minima.)	Graduate DMD: minimum GAMSAT overall 55 with no section score below 50 (same minimum for domestic and international applicants). Shortlisting for interview ranks GAMSAT (or equivalent) and GPA weighted 40%/60%. Final ranking for non-rural domestic applicants is GAMSAT 20%, GPA 30%, interview 50%; for rural applicants GAMSAT 15%, GPA 22.5%, interview 37.5% and rurality rating 25%; Indigenous graduate applicants are ranked on GPA and interview through Boola Boola Djinda. GAMSAT results are valid for four years as at the application closing date (for 2028 commencement UWA accepts test dates from September 2023 to March 2027), and an applicant holding more than one valid score may use their best, not necessarily the most recent. UWA publishes no GAMSAT median or cut-off for successful DMD applicants on its current course page or in its 2026 Domestic Health Admissions Guide; 55 is a minimum eligibility threshold, not a competitive score.
UCAT-ANZ	-	-
CASPer	-	-
ISAT	-	-
GPA	Minimum GPA 5.0/7.0 as calculated by UAC's Qualifications Assessment Service, assessed as at 4 June 2026 for 2027 entry — a hard hurdle, and the same one the USyd MD applies, not a lower one. The 4.5 figure applies to the Rural Applicants Facilitated Entry Scheme; the Indigenous schemes also work to 4.5, and the IAAG may recommend applicants with a lower GPA who demonstrate improvement over the duration of their tertiary studies.	Graduate DMD: minimum selection GPA (sGPA) of 5.5 on UWA's 7-point scale — an eligibility floor, not a competitive score. GPA carries 60% of the pre-interview shortlisting rank (against GAMSAT 40%) and 30% of the final rank (22.5% for rural applicants). Assured Pathway students must also reach a selection GPA of 5.5 within the first two years of the Bachelor of Biomedicine (Specialised) to take up their conditional DMD place. UWA publishes no cohort median GPA on its current course page or in its 2026 admissions guide.
Prerequisites	-	-
Place types	For 2027 entry USyd anticipates 76 domestic offers — 30 Commonwealth Supported Places (a number that 'includes places reserved for undergraduate Double Degree Dentistry students') and 46 Domestic Fee-Paying places, both marked TBC, with the University reserving the right to make more or fewer at the Dean's discretion. Identical admission criteria apply to both types, and applicants nominate a preference order at the confirmation-page stage. USyd publishes no anticipated number of international offers. Rural and Indigenous applicants are not separate place types but facilitated entry schemes whose ranking lists may differ from the standard pathway, and under which offers may be made to applicants scoring below the standard cut-off.	50 domestic and 20 international places per year (UWA 2026 Domestic Health Admissions Guide); up to 50 per cent come from the school-leaver Assured Pathway, so graduate entry accounts for at least half. Domestic students who are not eligible for a Commonwealth supported place are charged full-fee rates. UWA publishes no bonded places for the DMD — the Commonwealth Bonded Medical Program applies to medical school places, not dentistry.
Indigenous pathway	Three separate Indigenous Facilitated Entry Schemes, overseen by the Indigenous Admissions Advisory Group (IAAG): (1) bachelor's degree plus GAMSAT — GPA 4.5 and 50 per section are both 'preferred' ra…	Graduate applicants go through Boola Boola Djinda ('Many, Many Stars'), established in 2025 out of the legacy of the Centre for Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health (CAMDH, established 1996); school-l…
Bonded / rural	Rural Applicants Facilitated Entry Scheme: at least 5 consecutive or 10 cumulative years from birth in an ASGS Edition 3 Inner Regional, Outer Regional, Remote or Very Remote area, certified on a Conf…	UWA runs a Rural quota in both the graduate and school-leaver streams, and eligibility is a hard geographic test rather than 'significant rural exposure': the applicant's principal home address must h…

Interview window	No interview (domestic)	Domestic graduate: late September/early October. Domestic school leaver: 30 November–11 December 2026 for the 2027 intake. International graduate: main round May, second round late July/early August. International school leaver: late July/early August.
Interview details	The Sydney DMD has no interview stage for standard domestic applicants. The 2027 Domestic Admissions Guide sets three eligibility requirements — an eligible bachelor's degree with a UAC-assessed GPA h…	Domestic school-leaver and domestic graduate applicants sit the UWA MMI: 8 numbered stations, each 7 minutes — 2 minutes to consider a written question, then 5 minutes responding to the interviewer —…

Specialities	Oral Surgery, Orthodontics, Public Dental Health, Indigenous Oral Health, Periodontics	Oral Surgery, Orthodontics, Indigenous Oral Health, Rural Dentistry, Dental Research
Established	1901	1946
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	Sydney runs a 4-year graduate-entry Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) co-located with Sydney Dental Hospital. Domestic selection is unusually mechanical: GPA and a minimum of 50 in every GAMSAT section…	UWA Dental runs a 4-year graduate Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) — Western Australia's only graduate-entry dental program. Clinical teaching is based at the Oral Health Centre of WA, a dental teachin…
Official course page	https://www.sydney.edu.au/courses/courses/pc/doctor-of-dental-medicine0.html	https://www.uwa.edu.au/study/courses/doctor-of-dental-medicine

Sydney Dental vs UWA Dental

Side-by-side comparison

Sydney Dental

UWA Dental

Sydney Dental vs UWA 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

Where to go next

Other dental school comparisons