Question 1

What admission tests do UQ Dental and UWA Dental use?

Accepted Answer

UQ Dental uses UCAT-ANZ. 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 UQ Dental vs UWA Dental?

Accepted Answer

UQ Dental — does not publish a GAMSAT cut-off (may not use GAMSAT; check the admission-test question above). 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 UCAT-ANZ score do I need for UQ Dental vs UWA Dental?

Accepted Answer

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. UQ has never published a UCAT cut-off or percentile for this program, and no Tier-1 source supports one — QTAC says only that 'entry to this course is highly competitive' and that 'UCAT scores are used for selection'. For calibration, official UCAT ANZ 2026 (2027-entry) Total Cognitive Scaled Scores are out of 2700: median 1,950, 8th decile 2,220, 9th decile 2,340. Treat any quoted 'UQ Dental UCAT percentile' as an estimate, never a published threshold — and note that UQ's published rule aggregates 'all 4 sections' of the UCAT, which it has not reconciled with the current three-subtest cognitive total. UWA Dental — does not publish a UCAT-ANZ cut-off (may not use UCAT-ANZ; check the admission-test question above). These are the requirements on record for 2027-entry applicants. 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.

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

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. UWA Dental — ATAR data not published in the structured AU requirements; see free-text admission requirements on the school page. These are the requirements on record for 2027-entry applicants. 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.

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

UQ Dental — GPA not published in the structured AU requirements. 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 6

How do interviews differ between UQ Dental and UWA Dental?

Accepted Answer

UQ Dental uses: No interview — ATAR threshold then UCAT-ANZ aggregate ranking. 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 (UQ 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 7

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

Accepted Answer

UQ Dental — Semester 1, 2026 cohort (QTAC/UQ Student Profile): 111 students in total — 72 (64.9%) from recent secondary education admitted where both ATAR/rank and additional criteria were considered, and 24 international (21.6%). The total includes international students, leaving roughly 87 domestic commencers, all in Commonwealth supported places. Domestic places are all Commonwealth supported. QTAC's Feb 2027 intake listing shows a first-year student contribution of $10,140; UQ's own program page gives an indicative annual fee of $11,670 for 2026 and states that 2027 fee information is not yet available. The two official sources are on different bases, so treat both as indicative and check UQ's fee page before quoting a 2027 figure. 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 8

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

Accepted Answer

UQ Dental — Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants who apply through QTAC and identify automatically receive 5 selection-rank adjustments. On UCAT: UQ's program page states that applicants applying via the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Admissions Scheme are not required to sit UCAT, while UQ's scheme page ties the dentistry exemption specifically to its separate Bachelor of Dental Science (Honours) admission pathway — complete UQ's admission pathway application form and email it to atsisaltentry@uq.edu.au, with applications closing 1 December in the year before you commence. Because UQ's two pages differ, lodge the pathway form by 1 December and confirm the exemption with UQ Admissions rather than relying on the QTAC application alone. 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 9

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

Accepted Answer

UQ Dental — No bonded places and no rural quota for dentistry: UQ states all domestic places are Commonwealth supported, QTAC lists the fee as CSP only, and UQ's Rural Background Sub-quota is offered only to Doctor of Medicine (Provisional Entry) applicants. Rural applicants do get relief, because the 99.0 minimum is an ADJUSTED ATAR — UQ's Rural Access Scheme adds 2 adjustments (each worth 1 rank). For the Bachelor of Dental Science (Honours), however, that adjustment is not automatic: you must provide documents proving you lived in a designated rural or remote area for 5 years consecutively or 10 years cumulatively, submitted through QTAC. 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 10

When does each school release decisions?

Accepted Answer

UQ Dental typically releases dentistry offers January — QTAC offer round 14 January 2027 (UQ: offers to the main offer round in January 2027). 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 11

What curriculum style do UQ Dental and UWA Dental use?

Accepted Answer

UQ 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. UQ Dental specifics: 5-year undergraduate Bachelor of Dental Science (Honours). Students attend both the Herston and St Lucia campuses throughout the five years. Clinical skills begin in the first semester in UQ's simulat 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 12

Should I apply to both UQ 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; UQ Dental and UWA Dental differ in their selection mechanics, so prepping both adds genuine optionality.

Comparison field	UQ DentalHerston & St Lucia	UWA DentalNedlands
Quick comparison
Location	Herston & St Lucia, Australia	Nedlands, Australia
Entry pathway	Undergraduate	Dual (UG + Grad)
Admission tests	UCAT-ANZ	GAMSAT + UCAT-ANZ + ISAT + MCAT + DAT
GAMSAT	-	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	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. UQ has never published a UCAT cut-off or percentile for this program, and no Tier-1 source supports one — QTAC says only that 'entry to this course is highly competitive' and that 'UCAT scores are used for selection'. For calibration, official UCAT ANZ 2026 (2027-entry) Total Cognitive Scaled Scores are out of 2700: median 1,950, 8th decile 2,220, 9th decile 2,340. Treat any quoted 'UQ Dental UCAT percentile' as an estimate, never a published threshold — and note that UQ's published rule aggregates 'all 4 sections' of the UCAT, which it has not reconciled with the current three-subtest cognitive total.	-
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	MMI, 8 stations × 7 minutes (domestic); two-interviewer panel, ~50 minutes (international)
Post-interview chance	N/A — no interview.	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	January — QTAC offer round 14 January 2027 (UQ: offers to the main offer round in January 2027)	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	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	UQ applies adjustments through QTAC and caps them: 'You may be eligible for multiple schemes, up to a maximum of 5 adjustment points in total.' The Rural Access Scheme gives 2 adjustments (1 rank each), the Educational Access Scheme up to 5, the School Opportunity Scheme up to 4, the Subject Incentive Scheme up to 3, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants 5 — but never more than 5 combined, so the lowest unadjusted ATAR that can reach the 99.0 adjusted minimum is 94.0. Important: for Dental Science the rural adjustment is NOT automatic — you must document 5 consecutive or 10 cumulative years of residence in a designated rural or remote area. For Semester 1, 2026 QTAC published a lowest offer of 95.70 excluding adjustment factors and 99.00 including them; these are two separate published statistics, not one applicant's measured adjustment. UQ also lists 'applicants without adjustments will be considered before applicants with adjustments' among the detailed measures it uses when applicants outnumber places.	-
GAMSAT	-	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	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. UQ has never published a UCAT cut-off or percentile for this program, and no Tier-1 source supports one — QTAC says only that 'entry to this course is highly competitive' and that 'UCAT scores are used for selection'. For calibration, official UCAT ANZ 2026 (2027-entry) Total Cognitive Scaled Scores are out of 2700: median 1,950, 8th decile 2,220, 9th decile 2,340. Treat any quoted 'UQ Dental UCAT percentile' as an estimate, never a published threshold — and note that UQ's published rule aggregates 'all 4 sections' of the UCAT, which it has not reconciled with the current three-subtest cognitive total.	-
CASPer	-	-
ISAT	-	-
GPA	-	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	Semester 1, 2026 cohort (QTAC/UQ Student Profile): 111 students in total — 72 (64.9%) from recent secondary education admitted where both ATAR/rank and additional criteria were considered, and 24 international (21.6%). The total includes international students, leaving roughly 87 domestic commencers, all in Commonwealth supported places. Domestic places are all Commonwealth supported. QTAC's Feb 2027 intake listing shows a first-year student contribution of $10,140; UQ's own program page gives an indicative annual fee of $11,670 for 2026 and states that 2027 fee information is not yet available. The two official sources are on different bases, so treat both as indicative and check UQ's fee page before quoting a 2027 figure.	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	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants who apply through QTAC and identify automatically receive 5 selection-rank adjustments. On UCAT: UQ's program page states that applicants applying via…	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	No bonded places and no rural quota for dentistry: UQ states all domestic places are Commonwealth supported, QTAC lists the fee as CSP only, and UQ's Rural Background Sub-quota is offered only to Doct…	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 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	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.…	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, Paediatric Dentistry, Dental Research, Public Dental Health	Oral Surgery, Orthodontics, Indigenous Oral Health, Rural Dentistry, Dental Research
Established	1936	1946
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	UQ Dental sits at the very top of the Australian dental entry range: a minimum ADJUSTED ATAR of 99.0, a median adjusted offer rank of 99.95 at the Semester 1, 2026 intake, and no guaranteed-entry scor…	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://study.uq.edu.au/study-options/programs/bachelor-dental-science-honours-2367	https://www.uwa.edu.au/study/courses/doctor-of-dental-medicine

UQ Dental vs UWA Dental

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UQ Dental

UWA Dental

UQ Dental vs UWA Dental - in detail

Admission tests compared

ATAR and academic profile

Interview formats

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Post-interview offer rate

What makes each distinctive

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