How do interviews differ between Adelaide and UQ?

Adelaide uses: Multi-Mini Interview (8 stations). UQ uses: Multi-Mini Interview (8 stations). The format is the same, so the same prep approach applies — practise reflective MMI-style answers on Medicare structure, AHPRA professionalism, ACCHO and rural-health context, and Indigenous health priorities. Interview windows: November-December (Adelaide); October-November (UQ).

When does each school release decisions?

Adelaide typically releases medicine offers January. UQ 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.

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Australian Medical school comparison

Adelaide vs UQ

Adelaide and UQ are both Australian medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Adelaide is in South Australia while UQ is in Queensland. State of origin matters here: several schools rank local applicants ahead of interstate ones. Adelaide uses UCAT-ANZ; UQ uses GAMSAT.

That mismatch means either preparing two assessments or choosing the school whose test suits you. They also recruit at different stages: Adelaide runs school-leaver (undergraduate) entry, UQ runs graduate entry.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Adelaide and UQ.
Comparison field	AdelaideAdelaide	UQHerston
Quick comparison
Location	Adelaide, Australia	Herston, Australia
Entry pathway	Undergraduate	Graduate
Admission tests	UCAT-ANZ	GAMSAT
GAMSAT	-	Minimum 50 in each of Sections I, II, III (any section below 50 = ineligible). Interview shortlist: 50% unweighted GAMSAT (mean of 3 sections) + 50% GPA, GPA as tiebreaker. Final offer: 25% ATAR/GPA + 25% UCAT/GAMSAT + 50% MMI (Fraser's reconstruction).
UCAT-ANZ	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.	Provisional Entry (school-leaver) only — 2025 intake lowest invited UCAT-ANZ 3110 (non-rural) / 2670 (Rural Access). 25% ATAR + 25% UCAT (cognitive sections only, excluding SJT) + 50% MMI.
ATAR	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.	-
Interview format	Multi-Mini Interview (8 stations)	Multi-Mini Interview (8 stations)
Post-interview chance	~35% interview-to-offer.	~40% interview-to-offer.
Decision date	January	November-December

ATAR	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.	-
Contextual ATAR	Wirltu Yarlu Aboriginal Education Access Pathway and at least 50% being school leavers from South Australia (Fraser's).	-
GAMSAT	-	Minimum 50 in each of Sections I, II, III (any section below 50 = ineligible). Interview shortlist: 50% unweighted GAMSAT (mean of 3 sections) + 50% GPA, GPA as tiebreaker. Final offer: 25% ATAR/GPA + 25% UCAT/GAMSAT + 50% MMI (Fraser's reconstruction).
UCAT-ANZ	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.	Provisional Entry (school-leaver) only — 2025 intake lowest invited UCAT-ANZ 3110 (non-rural) / 2670 (Rural Access). 25% ATAR + 25% UCAT (cognitive sections only, excluding SJT) + 50% MMI.
CASPer	-	-
ISAT	-	-
GPA	-	Minimum 5.0/7.0 in key degree. Currency rule: degrees > 10 years before commencement require ≥ 0.50 FTE subsequent coursework at GPA ≥ 5.0.
Prerequisites	-	-
Place types	136 domestic places per year (CSP + BMP; specific split not publicly broken out). International fee AUD $94,300/year (2026).	2027 graduate intake: 107 CSP + 43 BMP + up to 190 international (incl. UQ-Ochsner). Provisional Entry adds ~140 CSP school-leaver places with 28% reserved for Rural Access Scheme.
Indigenous pathway	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 Purru…	Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Provisional Entry scheme; UCAT not required for ATSI Admissions Scheme; no set graduate quota.
Bonded / rural	BMP included in the 136 domestic intake — specific count not publicly broken out. At least 50% of interview offers to SA school leavers.	28.5% of CSP places reserved for rural-background applicants (≥5 consecutive or ≥10 cumulative years in rural Australia per MMM 2023). Rural applicants receive two upward GAMSAT score adjustments. Reg…

Interview window	November-December	October-November
Interview details	Adelaide MMI uses 8 stations of 8 minutes each (with a 2-minute reading window). Stations span ethical reasoning, communication and role-play, motivation, teamwork, and reflective insight. Interviews…	UQ uses an 8-station MMI. Stations run 8 minutes each with a 2-minute reading window and cover ethical reasoning, communication, motivation, teamwork, and current-issue debates. Interviews are typical…

Specialities	Rural Medicine, Clinical Research, Reproductive Medicine, Indigenous Health, General Practice	Tropical Medicine, Global Health, Clinical Research, Indigenous Health, General Practice
Established	1885	1936
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	Adelaide runs South Australia's oldest medical school (est. 1885) as a 6-year undergraduate BMS+MD (3+3). Admission offer weighting: Academic 40% + UCAT cognitive 20% + Interview 40%. Strong rural pip…	UQ runs Australia's largest 4-year graduate-entry MD (~470 places), anchored across the Herston Health Sciences precinct and the Princess Alexandra, Royal Brisbane, Mater, and Gold Coast clinical scho…
Official course page	https://www.adelaide.edu.au/study/undergraduate/medicine-and-surgery	https://medical-school.uq.edu.au/study/md

Adelaide

Quick comparison

Location: Adelaide, Australia
Entry pathway: Undergraduate
Admission tests: UCAT-ANZ
GAMSAT: -
UCAT-ANZ: 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.
ATAR: 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.
Interview format: Multi-Mini Interview (8 stations)
Post-interview chance: ~35% interview-to-offer.
Decision date: January

UQ

Herston

Quick comparison

Location: Herston, Australia
Entry pathway: Graduate
Admission tests: GAMSAT
GAMSAT: Minimum 50 in each of Sections I, II, III (any section below 50 = ineligible). Interview shortlist: 50% unweighted GAMSAT (mean of 3 sections) + 50% GPA, GPA as tiebreaker. Final offer: 25% ATAR/GPA + 25% UCAT/GAMSAT + 50% MMI (Fraser's reconstruction).
UCAT-ANZ: Provisional Entry (school-leaver) only — 2025 intake lowest invited UCAT-ANZ 3110 (non-rural) / 2670 (Rural Access). 25% ATAR + 25% UCAT (cognitive sections only, excluding SJT) + 50% MMI.
ATAR: -
Interview format: Multi-Mini Interview (8 stations)
Post-interview chance: ~40% interview-to-offer.
Decision date: November-December

Compare different schools

Adelaide vs UQ - in detail

Admission tests compared

UCAT-ANZ cut-offs. 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… UQ — Provisional Entry (school-leaver) only — 2025 intake lowest invited UCAT-ANZ 3110 (non-rural) / 2670 (Rural Access).

25% ATAR + 25% UCAT (cognitive sections only, excluding SJT) + 50% MMI.

GAMSAT cut-offs. Adelaide — not used or not published. UQ — Minimum 50 in each of Sections I, II, III (any section below 50 = ineligible). Interview shortlist: 50% unweighted GAMSAT (mean of 3 sections) + 50% GPA, GPA as tiebreaker. Final offer: 25% ATAR/GPA…

Timing shapes the choice as much as the score. GAMSAT is graduate-only and sits in March and September; UCAT-ANZ is mostly undergraduate and sits in July. A few schools run their own selection model with no national test at all.

ATAR and academic profile

Adelaide requires Minimum entry ATAR 90.00 (adjusted) + UCAT-ANZ cognitive + MMI. English and Chemistry prerequisites; Wirltu Yarlu Aboriginal Education Access Pathway for ATSI applicants.

UQ requires Bachelor degree with minimum GPA 5.0/7.0; GAMSAT overall 50+ with section minima 50+; MMI.

ATAR. 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. UQ — no published cut-off.

Graduate-entry GPA. Adelaide — not applicable or not published. UQ — Minimum 5.0/7.0 in key degree. Currency rule: degrees > 10 years before commencement require ≥ 0.50 FTE subsequent coursework at GPA ≥ 5.0.

Read every ATAR figure as a selection rank, not a raw score. Educational access bonuses, rural-origin uplift and Indigenous pathways all adjust it, so the published number is rarely the one that decides your application.

Interview formats

Both Adelaide and UQ use MMI interviews, so the underlying prep approach is the same — practise ethics frameworks, Australian health-system topics (Medicare, rural workforce, Indigenous health) and (for MMI) structured station responses against a timer.

Interview windows: Adelaide interviews in November-December; UQ in October-November.

Curriculum and teaching style

Both schools deliver a Integrated-style curriculum, so day-to-day study habits will feel similar across years 1-3.

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. Yea 4-year graduate MD. Years 1-2 foundations and clinical skills at the Herston Health Sciences precinct. Years 3-4 clinical placements distributed acros

Intake size: Adelaide — 136 domestic places per year (Adelaide degree finder); ~600 applicants invited to interview annually. Admission offer weighting: Academic 40% + UCAT cognitive 20% + Interview 40%.; UQ — 2027 graduate intake: 107 CSP + 43 BMP + up to 190 international = up to 340 total (reduced from 350).

Plus ~140 Provisional Entry CSP (school-leaver) with 28% reserved for Rural Access Scheme.. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

Post-interview offer rate

Adelaide: ~35% interview-to-offer. UQ: ~40% interview-to-offer.

Post-interview odds give you the clearest signal of how competitive each school is at the final stage — a school with a 60% post-interview success rate is structurally easier to convert than one at 25%, even if the interview thresholds look identical on paper.

What makes each distinctive

Adelaide: Adelaide runs South Australia's oldest medical school (est. 1885) as a 6-year undergraduate BMS+MD (3+3). Admission offer weighting: Academic 40% + UCAT cognitive 20% + Interview 40%. Strong rural pipeline via the Rural Clinical School (Whyalla, Port Lincoln, Mount Gambier). Indigenous entry via Wirltu Yarlu Aboriginal Education Access Pathway.

The University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia MERGED into "Adelaide University" on 1 January 2026; both predecessor schools stopped accepting applications on 4 August 2025, and all current cycles run under the merged entity.

UQ: UQ runs Australia's largest 4-year graduate-entry MD (~470 places), anchored across the Herston Health Sciences precinct and the Princess Alexandra, Royal Brisbane, Mater, and Gold Coast clinical schools. The Ochsner Clinical School in New Orleans offers an internationally co-badged pathway.

Pre-interview ranking is a weighted GAMSAT + GPA composite; the MMI and MSA together carry significant weight in the final offer composite.

Which is right for you?

Start with the admission test: Adelaide needs UCAT-ANZ, UQ needs GAMSAT. Preparing for one well beats splitting your time across two. Check your state of origin before you apply — Adelaide draws heavily on South Australia applicants and UQ on Queensland, and an interstate application often faces a materially higher bar.

They suit different stages too: Adelaide is school-leaver (undergraduate) entry, UQ is graduate entry. Your preference list should ultimately weight: which admission test you can realistically score well in, whether your state of origin gives you a bonus at either school, and where you'd actually want to live for four to six years.

Common questions

Adelaide uses UCAT-ANZ. UQ uses GAMSAT. 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). UQ — Minimum 50 in each of Sections I, II, III (any section below 50 = ineligible). Interview shortlist: 50% unweighted GAMSAT (mean of 3 sections) + 50% GPA, GPA as tiebreaker. Final offer: 25% ATAR/GPA + 25% UCAT/GAMSAT + 50% MMI (Fraser's reconstruction). 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. UQ — Provisional Entry (school-leaver) only — 2025 intake lowest invited UCAT-ANZ 3110 (non-rural) / 2670 (Rural Access). 25% ATAR + 25% UCAT (cognitive sections only, excluding SJT) + 50% MMI. 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. UQ — 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. UQ — Minimum 5.0/7.0 in key degree. Currency rule: degrees > 10 years before commencement require ≥ 0.50 FTE subsequent coursework at GPA ≥ 5.0. 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 — 136 domestic places per year (CSP + BMP; specific split not publicly broken out). International fee AUD $94,300/year (2026). UQ — 2027 graduate intake: 107 CSP + 43 BMP + up to 190 international (incl. UQ-Ochsner). Provisional Entry adds ~140 CSP school-leaver places with 28% reserved for Rural Access Scheme. 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. UQ — Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Provisional Entry scheme; UCAT not required for ATSI Admissions Scheme; no set graduate quota. 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. UQ — 28.5% of CSP places reserved for rural-background applicants (≥5 consecutive or ≥10 cumulative years in rural Australia per MMM 2023). Rural applicants receive two upward GAMSAT score adjustments. Regional pathways: Central Queensland-Wide Bay (CQ-WB RMP) and Darling Downs-South West (DD-SW MP). The federal BMP allocates ~28.5% of CSP places nationally; individual schools sit above or below that benchmark depending on their workforce remit.

Adelaide runs a Integrated curriculum. UQ 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, UQ specifics: 4-year graduate MD. Years 1-2 foundations and clinical skills at the Herston Health Sciences precinct. Years 3-4 clinical placements distributed across Princess Alexandra, Royal Brisbane, Mater, Gold

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 UQ differ in their selection mechanics, so prepping both adds genuine optionality.

Where to go next

AdelaideEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full UQEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

Other medical school comparisons

School data reviewed by the NextGen MedPrep editorial team — last reviewed 25 August 2026.

Adelaide vs UQ

Side-by-side comparison

Adelaide vs UQ - in detail

Admission tests compared

ATAR and academic profile

Interview formats

Curriculum and teaching style

Post-interview offer rate

What makes each distinctive

Which is right for you?

Common questions

What admission tests do Adelaide and UQ use?

What GAMSAT score do I need for Adelaide vs UQ?

What UCAT-ANZ score do I need for Adelaide vs UQ?

What ATAR do I need for Adelaide vs UQ?

What GPA do I need for Adelaide vs UQ?

How do interviews differ between Adelaide and UQ?

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

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

Does Adelaide or UQ offer bonded / rural-entry places?

When does each school release decisions?

What curriculum style do Adelaide and UQ use?

Should I apply to both Adelaide and UQ?

Where to go next

Other medical school comparisons