Adelaide vs Notre Dame Sydney

Adelaide uses UCAT-ANZ. Notre Dame Sydney uses GAMSAT and CASPer. 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.

Adelaide — does not publish a GAMSAT cut-off (may not use GAMSAT; check the admission-test question above). Notre Dame Sydney — Minimum 52 overall, 50 in each subsection. UNDA averages the three sections rather than using the overall weighted GAMSAT. 2023 intake average successful GAMSAT ~66. 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.

Adelaide — Strong bonus-region effect: ~2730 SA applicants vs ~3140 interstate (2024-2026 entry on old /3600 scale; MedView aggregator consensus). ~410-point gap (~10th percentile) is the most material datapoint for SA applicants. Adelaide does not officially publish cut-offs. UCAT cognitive subtests drive interview shortlist; Situational Judgement used only as tiebreaker at the lowest rank. Notre Dame Sydney — does not publish a UCAT-ANZ cut-off (may not use UCAT-ANZ; check the admission-test question above). 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.

Adelaide — Minimum entry ATAR 90.00 (adjusted selection rank). Successful applicants typically ~99.75 (commonly cited; not officially published). Adelaide explicitly does not publish ATAR cut-offs. Notre Dame Sydney — ATAR data not published in the structured AU requirements; see free-text admission requirements on the school page. 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.

Adelaide — GPA not published in the structured AU requirements. Notre Dame Sydney — Minimum 5.2/7.0 weighted from 3 years FTE. 2023 intake average successful GPA 6.70; competitive target ≥6.3. 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.

Adelaide uses: Multi-Mini Interview (8 stations). Notre Dame Sydney uses: MMI (asynchronous online via Modern Hire). Different formats reward different skill sets. Plan separate prep streams for each. Interview windows: November-December (Adelaide); September-November (Notre Dame Sydney).

Adelaide — 136 domestic places per year (CSP + BMP; specific split not publicly broken out). International fee AUD $94,300/year (2026). Notre Dame Sydney — 2027: 40 CSP + 17 BMP + up to 57 Full-fee domestic + up to 35 international = ~149 total (147 in 2026 intake). 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.

Adelaide — Wirltu Yarlu Aboriginal Education Access Pathway — alternative entry to medicine, dentistry and oral health degrees, administered with the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences (links to Yaitya Purruna Indigenous Health Unit). Quota qualitative, not numeric. Notre Dame Sydney — UNDA Indigenous entry pathway available; quota not publicly specified. Both schools accept ATSI applicants through the standard pathway as well; the dedicated pathway typically offers adjusted academic thresholds plus wrap-around academic support.

Adelaide — BMP included in the 136 domestic intake — specific count not publicly broken out. At least 50% of interview offers to SA school leavers. Notre Dame Sydney — 17 BMP places (~30% of CSP equivalents) per 2027 cycle. The federal BMP allocates ~28.5% of CSP places nationally; individual schools sit above or below that benchmark depending on their workforce remit.

Adelaide typically releases medicine offers January. Notre Dame Sydney releases medicine offers November-December. 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.

Adelaide runs a Integrated curriculum. Notre Dame Sydney runs a Integrated curriculum. Both schools deliver teaching in the same broad style, so day-to-day study habits will feel similar. Adelaide specifics: 6-year undergraduate Bachelor of Medical Studies + Doctor of Medicine (BMS/MD; 3 + 3). Years 1-3 foundations and clinical skills at North Terrace. Years 4-6 clinical placements across Royal Adelaide, Notre Dame Sydney specifics: 4-year graduate MD. Years 1-2 foundations with clinical immersion; years 3-4 hospital and rural placements. Mandatory medical ethics thread runs across all four years.

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; Adelaide and Notre Dame Sydney differ in their selection mechanics, so prepping both adds genuine optionality.