Question 1

What admission tests do UQ Doctor of Dental Medicine and UWA Dental use?

Accepted Answer

UQ Doctor of Dental Medicine 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 UQ Doctor of Dental Medicine vs UWA Dental?

Accepted Answer

UQ Doctor of Dental Medicine — Minimum 50 in each section, sat within 4 years prior to the year of commencement. 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. 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 UQ Doctor of Dental Medicine vs UWA Dental?

Accepted Answer

UQ Doctor of Dental Medicine — Minimum GPA 5.0 on a 7-point scale. 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. 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 UQ Doctor of Dental Medicine and UWA Dental?

Accepted Answer

UQ Doctor of Dental Medicine uses: No interview — selection on GPA, GAMSAT and a situational judgement test. 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: see school page (UQ Doctor of Dental Medicine); 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 UQ Doctor of Dental Medicine and UWA Dental offer?

Accepted Answer

UQ Doctor of Dental Medicine — place-type breakdown not published. 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 UQ Doctor of Dental Medicine and UWA Dental offer?

Accepted Answer

UQ Doctor of Dental Medicine — pathway details not published in the structured AU requirements; see the school admissions page. 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 UQ Doctor of Dental Medicine or UWA Dental offer bonded / rural-entry places?

Accepted Answer

UQ Doctor of Dental Medicine — bonded/rural data not published in the structured AU requirements. 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

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

Comparison field	UQ Doctor of Dental MedicineBrisbane, Queensland	UWA DentalNedlands
Quick comparison
Location	Brisbane, Queensland, Australia	Nedlands, Australia
Entry pathway	Graduate	Dual (UG + Grad)
Admission tests	GAMSAT	GAMSAT + UCAT-ANZ + ISAT + MCAT + DAT
GAMSAT	Minimum 50 in each section, sat within 4 years prior to the year of commencement.	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 — selection on GPA, GAMSAT and a situational judgement test	MMI, 8 stations × 7 minutes (domestic); two-interviewer panel, ~50 minutes (international)
Post-interview chance	-	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	-	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, sat within 4 years prior to the year of commencement.	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 on a 7-point scale.	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	University-level human anatomy and human physiology or cellular physiology within the preceding 10 years.	-
Place types	-	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	-	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	-	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	-	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	-	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	Dentistry, Oral health	Oral Surgery, Orthodontics, Indigenous Oral Health, Rural Dentistry, Dental Research
Established	1936	1946
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	-	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/doctor-dental-medicine-5763	https://www.uwa.edu.au/study/courses/doctor-of-dental-medicine

UQ Doctor of Dental Medicine vs UWA Dental

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UQ Doctor of Dental Medicine

UWA Dental

UQ Doctor of Dental Medicine vs UWA Dental - in detail

Admission tests compared

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