How to get into Griffith Dental Dentistry
Your 2027 Entry step-by-step guide
Griffith University School of Medicine and Dentistry in Gold Coast, QLD runs a school-leaver dentistry program for 2027 entry. Admission tests listed: UCAT-ANZ. Published hurdles: UCAT-ANZ — No Tier-1 source supports the "~78th percentile" or "90th+ percentile" figures, so both are dropped. Griffith Dental holds multiple mini interviews (MMI): 23–27 November 2026 (2027-entry cycle). Decisions for 2027 entry: January 2027.
- Interviews (2027 entry)
- 23–27 November 2026 (2027-entry cycle)
- Decisions (2027 entry)
- January 2027
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Griffith Dental expects BDHS selection is a combined weighted score of three components — academic attainment, UCAT ANZ and the GUDAP interview — with invitations to GUDAP issued on UCAT ANZ Total Score alone. Griffith publishes no ATAR or selection-rank threshold, and QTAC states that Griffith's Guaranteed Admission Schemes do not apply to this program.
English plus one of Biology / Chemistry / Physics / Maths Methods (Units 3/4, C) is ASSUMED KNOWLEDGE, not a prerequisite — Griffith's degree page lists prerequisites as "NIL" and QTAC's Prerequisites field names only the minimum age requirement and the interview. BDHS is the entry point; the 2-year Master of Dentistry (5703) is the continuation.
No direct-entry BDS or DMD. for Dentistry (BDS/DMD) and uses GUDAP — Griffith University Dental Admissions Process (recorded, asynchronous multi-scenario online interview via SAMMI; no live interviewer) for interviews in the 2027 Entry cycle.
Entry is undergraduate and selection uses UCAT-ANZ; applications close through GEMSAS or your state TAC (UAC, VTAC, QTAC, SATAC, TISC), and CSP, BMP and full-fee places are all capped, so treat the standard above as a threshold to clear rather than a target to aim at.
This guide is written for 2027 Entry applicants and updated annually before each GEMSAS / UAC cycle. Sources include Griffith University School of Medicine and Dentistry's official course page, GEMSAS, the UCAT-ANZ Consortium, ACER (GAMSAT), and direct conversations with current students. Read time: ~12 minutes.
Compiled from Griffith University School of Medicine and Dentistry's published admissions material and checked for internal consistency. Not independently re-checked against the official course page for 2027 entry — confirm the figures with the school before you rely on them.
Griffith Dental at a glance
| UCAT-ANZ | No Tier-1 source supports the "~78th percentile" or "90th+ percentile" figures, so both are dropped |
|---|---|
| Interview format | GUDAP — Griffith University Dental Admissions Process (recorded, asynchronous multi-scenario online interview via SAMMI; no live interviewer) |
| Interviews (2027 entry) | 23–27 November 2026 (2027-entry cycle) |
| Decisions (2027 entry) | January 2027 |
Griffith Dental entry requirements
| Pathway | Undergraduate (school-leaver) entry |
|---|---|
| ATAR floor | Griffith publishes no ATAR or selection-rank threshold for BDHS. QTAC renders both the "Minimum Selection thresholds (ATAR/Selection Rank)" and "ATAR/Selection Rank profile" sections for Trimester 1 2026 with no values, and records 0 recent-secondary students admitted solely on the basis of ATAR/rank and 0 admitted where ATAR/rank plus additional criteria were considered — so neither a floor nor a median ATAR can be quoted. Academic attainment is only one weighted component alongside UCAT ANZ and GUDAP. |
| Contextual ATAR | Griffith University Rural Priority Access Scheme (GURPAS) sets aside Commonwealth Supported Places in BDHS for rural applicants — it reserves places rather than applying an ATAR adjustment. Eligibility: five consecutive years, or ten cumulative years since birth, lived in an MM 2–7 area (2023 Modified Monash Model); boarding-school students may use the family address. Evidence is uploaded to QTAC by 30 September (30 September 2026 for Trimester 1, 2027 admission). The number of places reserved is not published. |
| Admission tests | UCAT-ANZ |
| UCAT-ANZ | No discrete numerical cut-off published by Griffith — UCAT ANZ Total Score alone decides who is invited to GUDAP. No Tier-1 source supports the "~78th percentile" or "90th+ percentile" figures, so both are dropped. For scale only, the official UCAT ANZ 2026 distribution (17,341 candidates, three cognitive subtests scored out of 2700) has a mean total cognitive score of 1,964, a median of 1,950 and a 9th decile of 2,340. Scores from the 2022–2024 sittings were on the retired /3600 four-subtest scale (2024 mean 2,588) and cannot be converted to the current scale. |
| Interview | GUDAP — Griffith University Dental Admissions Process (recorded, asynchronous multi-scenario online interview via SAMMI; no live interviewer) |
| Place types | QTAC student profile, Trimester 1 2026 intake: 125 students admitted in total — 52 (41.6%) international, 42 (33.6%) higher-education background, 0 VET, and fewer than 5 from work and life experience. Among recent secondary students, 0 were admitted solely on ATAR/rank and 0 where ATAR/rank plus additional criteria were considered; the "other criteria only" cell is withheld (N/P) under QTAC's rule hiding figures that would allow back-calculation of a cell of fewer than 5 students. Domestic places are Commonwealth Supported, with a proportion set aside under the Rural Priority Access Scheme. QTAC lists the first-year student contribution as CSP/$11,000 for the March 2027 start; international tuition is $74,000 per year in 2027 ($71,000 in 2026). |
| Indigenous pathway | First Peoples Health Pathway — applicants who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander on their QTAC application and preference the program by 30 September may be considered for admission via this pathway. Griffith does not publish a separate interview format or academic weighting for the dentistry pathway. |
| Bonded / rural | Rural entry is via the Griffith University Rural Priority Access Scheme — reserved Commonwealth Supported Places for MM 2–7 applicants, with proof of residence lodged through QTAC by 30 September; the number reserved is not published. There is no bonded place: the Commonwealth Bonded Medical Program applies to medical courses only, so BDHS carries no return-of-service obligation. |
BDHS selection is a combined weighted score of three components — academic attainment, UCAT ANZ and the GUDAP interview — with invitations to GUDAP issued on UCAT ANZ Total Score alone. Griffith publishes no ATAR or selection-rank threshold, and QTAC states that Griffith's Guaranteed Admission Schemes do not apply to this program.
English plus one of Biology / Chemistry / Physics / Maths Methods (Units 3/4, C) is ASSUMED KNOWLEDGE, not a prerequisite — Griffith's degree page lists prerequisites as "NIL" and QTAC's Prerequisites field names only the minimum age requirement and the interview. BDHS is the entry point; the 2-year Master of Dentistry (5703) is the continuation.
No direct-entry BDS or DMD.
Year 12 ATAR (or equivalent international qualification) plus the admission test are the academic gateway; interview performance then determines the final offer.
UCAT-ANZ
UCAT-ANZ is a 2-hour computer-based aptitude test (Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Reasoning, and a separately-banded Situational Judgement Test). Sat between July and early August. The UCAT-ANZ Consortium operates separately from the UK UCAT — scores are NOT interchangeable.
Working towards the UCAT score Griffith Dental expects? Build a week-by-week plan from your test date — free for the first two weeks.
Written submissions
Australia has no equivalent of the UK's single UCAS personal statement. GEMSAS graduate-entry applications use GAMSAT + GPA without a written component; most state-TAC undergraduate applications use ATAR + UCAT-ANZ without a written component. The schools that DO require written content (JCU portfolio, Notre Dame Sydney/Fremantle questionnaire, Wollongong short answers, Bond essays) each ask different, school-specific questions. Treat each school's prompt set as a discrete short-answer test - do not recycle a single document across multiple schools.
Limits are school-specific. JCU portfolio responses: typically 250-500 words per question. Notre Dame questionnaire: 250-400 words per response. Wollongong short answers: ~300 words each. Bond essays: 500 words. Read the current cycle's prompt brief for each school carefully - limits and prompts shift cycle-to-cycle.
Five things that win
Four things that lose
Worked-example opener (do not copy — for shape only)
"During my work-experience week at a community dental practice, I watched a hygienist coach a nervous teenager through her first scale and polish. The clinical work took ten minutes; the trust-building took the other twenty. That ratio - slow patient-facing care woven through technical skill - is what made me commit to dentistry…"
Notice: a specific scene rather than a cliché, a precise detail (the nine-minute conversation), and a closing sentence that bridges to the next paragraph. We have a step-by-step written-submissions service if you want a tutor to help shape yours.
The MMI interview at Griffith Dental
Griffith Dental uses GUDAP — Griffith University Dental Admissions Process (recorded, asynchronous multi-scenario online interview via SAMMI; no live interviewer). For 2027 entry, interviews typically take place in 23–27 November 2026 (2027-entry cycle). Final decisions are released January 2027.
At Griffith Dental, expect the following from the MMI. Multiple Mini Interviews - typically 6-10 stations of 5-8 minutes each, often with reading time before each station. Stations rotate; assessors do not see your performance at previous stations, so a poor station does not derail the rest. Most Australian MMIs run in October-December, in person or via video link (Modern Hire / Zoom).
How the Griffith Dental MMI actually runs
Griffith uses GUDAP — a recorded, asynchronous multi-scenario interview delivered online through the SAMMI platform. You are shown a scenario and invited to respond to a question (or questions) on it, recording a spoken answer; there is no live interviewer.
Allow about an hour, including sound and Wi-Fi checks and uploading your responses, and complete it in one uninterrupted sitting at a time you choose inside the window: 9am Monday 23 to 5pm Friday 27 November 2026 for 2027 entry (the 2026-entry window ran 20–25 November 2025).
Candidates must return a signed Letter of Confidentiality and photo ID by 11:59pm Wednesday 21 October 2026 (AEST) or the invitation is withdrawn. Griffith lists the qualities it rates as desirable — good communication skills, an empathetic and ethical approach, a reflective manner, problem-solving skills, and teamwork and decision-making skills — but does not publish a number of stations.
Around 300 candidates are interviewed. Invitations are issued on UCAT ANZ Total Score alone; the final rank is a combined weighted score of academic attainment + UCAT ANZ + GUDAP, and Griffith does not disclose the weights.
What they assess
What Griffith Dental assessors are scoring: MMI assessors score against a structured rubric for each station - usually a 4-5 point scale per skill (communication, empathy, ethical reasoning, scientific knowledge). You don't need to be perfect; you need to demonstrate you can think on your feet, listen, and reflect honestly.
Common station / question themes
- Motivation for dentistry (why this career, why now, why this school)
- Ethical scenarios (consent, capacity, end-of-life care, Medicare resource allocation)
- Role play (often with an actor - break difficult news, support a distressed peer)
- Communication & teamwork (describe a time you led, follow instructions to assemble something)
- Data interpretation (read a graph, justify a clinical decision)
- Personal portfolio / written-submission deep dive at one station
- Awareness of the Australian healthcare system (Medicare, rural workforce, Indigenous health outcomes)
- Manual dexterity tasks (model-making, instrument handling)
Sample questions you might face at Griffith Dental
Why dentistry rather than another health-care career?
Describe a time you worked in a team - what was your contribution?
A patient refuses life-saving treatment. How would you respond?
Discuss a current issue affecting rural or remote healthcare in Australia.
Walk me through what you observed during your clinical experience and what you learned.
What attracts you to dentistry over medicine?
Tell me about a non-academic interest and what it has taught you.
What concerns you about a career in dentistry in Australia?
Model-answer guidance: “Why dentistry?”
Our MMI prep programme covers ethics frameworks (SPIES, the four pillars), structured behavioural answers (STAR), and live mock interviews with admissions specialists.
Practise the Griffith Dental interview
Rehearse the real format before the day — on demand with our AI interviewers, or live with a tutor.
Sit a mock with photoreal AI interviewers — any time
A timed MMI or panel interview on video — Australian & international voices — with interviewers who listen, react and press with follow-ups. Rubric-scored feedback and a replay the moment you finish.
Live mocks with a tutor who’s been in the room
A full Griffith Dental-style mock with a medic or dentist tutor — honest scoring against real marking criteria, a station-by-station debrief and a written action plan.
Book a mock interviewMonth-by-month timeline for 2027 Entry
The cycle runs roughly January 2025 (start of prep) through GEMSAS preference lock and state-TAC deadlines in September 2026, MMIs in October-December 2026, to first-round offers in December 2026 and course start in late January / early February 2027. Here are the milestones you cannot miss.
Decide and start work / clinical experience
Confirm medicine or dentistry as your career direction. Start banking clinical exposure (hospital volunteering, GP shadowing, aged-care or disability-support roles) and non-clinical experience (research assistant, peer tutoring, leadership). Australian schools weight reflection over hours - track what each placement taught you.
Begin UCAT-ANZ / GAMSAT prep
Open your prep window 6-9 months before the test sitting. UCAT-ANZ candidates focus on the 4 sub-tests (Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Reasoning, Situational Judgement). GAMSAT candidates focus on Section I (Humanities), Section II (Written Communication) and Section III (Sciences) - the Section III sciences gap is the most common reason graduates under-perform.
GAMSAT March sitting
ACER GAMSAT March test date. Scores released early May. Most graduate-entry applicants sit GAMSAT in March of their apply year so results are available before GEMSAS preferences open.
UCAT-ANZ registration + GEMSAS portal info
UCAT-ANZ registration opens (test sat in July). GEMSAS portal information released for graduate-entry medicine. ATAR-tracking begins for current Year 12 applicants.
GEMSAS portal opens + UCAT-ANZ booking
GAMSAT March results released (late May). GEMSAS applications open 1 May and close 29 May across the ten consortium schools (ANU, Deakin, Griffith, Macquarie, Melbourne, Notre Dame Fremantle, Notre Dame Sydney, UQ, UWA, Wollongong). Sydney, Flinders and Monash are NOT in GEMSAS and need separate direct applications. UCAT-ANZ booking deadline is 15 May.
GEMSAS preference entry opens
Rank up to 6 preferences across the 8 GEMSAS schools. ACER GAMSAT September registration window opens (a second sitting option for applicants who under-performed in March).
UCAT-ANZ test window
Take UCAT-ANZ between early July and early August. There is one sitting per cycle - no retake until the following year. Results are released to state TACs (UAC, VTAC, QTAC, SATAC, TISC) in October. State TACs (UAC, VTAC, QTAC, SATAC, TISC) accept undergraduate medicine preferences from July onwards.
GEMSAS preferences lock + direct apps close
GEMSAS interview offers issued in early September; consortium interviews run September-October. ACER GAMSAT September sitting - too late for this cycle, results land mid-November. JCU QTAC + JCU-portal applications close 30 September. State-TAC medicine preferences close 25-30 September. (Bond's QTAC round does not open until January.)
MMI invitations issued
Most graduate-entry consortium schools issue MMI invitations through October. Bond runs its structured interview cycle. UCAT-ANZ results released to state TACs for undergraduate ranking. State TAC preference changes typically close late October.
MMIs run + ATAR results
MMIs run across consortium schools, Bond, JCU and Macquarie through October-December. ATAR results released to state TACs for school-leaver undergraduate applicants. GAMSAT September results released for applicants who sat the second window.
First-round offers
First-round offers released by GEMSAS, state TACs and direct-application schools. Acceptance deadlines are typically within 10 days of offer - reply on time or forfeit the place. Some schools release a second offer round in early January.
Late offers + course start
Late-round offers released through January. Deferral requests due. Orientation week is scheduled by most schools for late January or early February, with first-year teaching commencing late January / early February.
What makes Griffith Dental different
Griffith offers a single integrated dental pathway: 3-year Bachelor of Dental Health Science (BDHS, program 1577) → 2-year Master of Dentistry (MDent, program 5703). There is no direct-entry BDS and no DMD. Co-located with Gold Coast University Hospital and the Griffith Health Centre 117-chair dental clinic. Selection is a combined weighted score of academic attainment + UCAT ANZ + the GUDAP interview, and QTAC confirms Griffith's Guaranteed Admission Schemes do not apply to this program — QTAC publishes no ATAR/selection-rank profile or minimum threshold for this course, so no ATAR floor can be quoted.
Notable research areas
Curriculum (Integrated)
Integrated pathway: 3-year Bachelor of Dental Health Science (BDHS, 1577) → 2-year Master of Dentistry (MDent, 5703). No direct-entry BDS or DMD. Both programs are anchored at the Gold Coast (Southport) campus and the Griffith Health Centre 117-chair dental clinic; BDHS students complete 270 clinical hours over 30 weeks in the Griffith University Dental Clinic, and MDent adds 900 hours in that clinic plus 336 hours on placement in private practices across metropolitan, regional and rural Queensland and northern New South Wales. Griffith describes progression as provisional, "seamless" entry: successful completion of the BDHS gains entry to the MDent, but professional-practice requirements (immunisations and health tests, licences and certificates, Blue Card and police check) must be met before commencing, and students may not take more than one year's leave between the two programs.
Location: Gold Coast, Australia
Founded in 2004. Whether the city suits you matters - five or six years is a long commitment. Visit on an open day if you can; current students will be the most honest assessors of culture and clinical placement quality.
Read the full Griffith Dental course guide — integrated, 5 years (undergraduate entry), with placements in the Gold Coast, wider Queensland and northern New South Wales.
Application statistics for Griffith Dental
Griffith Dental intake
QTAC: 125 students admitted to BDHS for Trimester 1 2026, of whom 52 (41.6%) were international. BDHS → Master of Dentistry integrated pathway (3+2 years).
How Griffith Dental selects, at a glance
Source: Griffith University School of Medicine and Dentistry admissions data; GEMSAS / state-TAC published statistics; ACER (GAMSAT) and UCAT-ANZ Consortium decile data; recent FOI responses.
Six mistakes that derail dentistry applications
Griffith Dental — frequently asked questions
Sources for this Griffith Dental guide
Apply to Griffith Dental with confidence
We have helped hundreds of applicants turn their GAMSAT / UCAT-ANZ, portfolio and MMI prep into offers from Griffith Dental and other Australian dentistry schools.