What is the difference between the Sydney and Charles Sturt routes?

Sydney is graduate-entry — you need a prior bachelor degree and sit the GAMSAT, then an 8-station MMI. Charles Sturt is school-leaver / undergraduate entry — you apply with the UCAT-ANZ and your ATAR (around 95.00) and attend a panel interview, with priority for rural and regional applicants.

Does Charles Sturt favour rural applicants?

Yes. Charles Sturt’s dental program has an explicit rural-workforce mandate. Applicants from regional and rural backgrounds are prioritised, and clinical placements are delivered across regional NSW from the Orange and Wagga Wagga campuses.

What ATAR do I need for dentistry in NSW?

ATAR only applies to the undergraduate route at Charles Sturt, where the cut-off sits around 95.00 (adjustment schemes can lower the selection rank). Sydney is graduate-entry and uses your prior-degree GPA and GAMSAT rather than ATAR.

Do I need the UCAT-ANZ or the GAMSAT for NSW dentistry?

It depends on the school. Charles Sturt uses the UCAT-ANZ for its undergraduate BDS. Sydney’s graduate DMD uses the GAMSAT. You only sit the test required by the school you are applying to.

Australian Dentistry · Entry Guide

Dental schools inNew South Wales

2 schoolsGAMSAT / UCAT-ANZ pathways

NSW hosts two dental schools with very different selection profiles. The University of Sydney runs a 4-year graduate DMD (~60 places) selecting on GAMSAT plus an 8-station MMI. Charles Sturt University runs a 5-year undergraduate BDS based at Orange and Wagga Wagga (~40 places) with a rural-workforce mandate — selection uses UCAT-ANZ and ATAR (~95.00) and a panel interview.

Overview

Studying dentistry in New South Wales

NSW spans both Australian dental pathways. Sydney is a metropolitan graduate-entry program with clinical teaching concentrated in the city, while Charles Sturt is built around a rural-workforce mandate with placements across regional NSW from its Orange and Wagga Wagga campuses. Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) carry the standard student contribution, with HECS-HELP available to eligible domestic students; Bonded Medical / rural-origin considerations apply more strongly at Charles Sturt given its regional brief. Graduates register with the Dental Board of Australia via AHPRA on completion.

Funding + places. Domestic places are Commonwealth Supported (CSP) with HECS-HELP deferral; the student contribution applies. Sydney (~60 graduate DMD places) selects on GAMSAT + MMI; Charles Sturt (~40 undergraduate BDS places) prioritises rural-origin and regional applicants on UCAT-ANZ + ATAR (~95.00) + panel.

Schools