Question 1

What admission tests do ANU and Monash use?

Accepted Answer

ANU uses GAMSAT. Monash uses UCAT-ANZ and ISAT. 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 ANU vs Monash?

Accepted Answer

ANU — Minimum Overall 50 AND minimum 50 in each section to be considered for interview; meeting the minimum does not guarantee an interview. ANU accepts GAMSAT results as valid for four years. Used at 50% weight in the interview-ranking composite alongside the standardised weighted GPA (50%), with a higher-degree research bonus applied to the combined score (standalone Honours 2%, Masters by Research 2%, PhD 4%; highest only). ANU publishes no median or cut-off GAMSAT for offer-holders. International applicants have a published interview guarantee at GAMSAT 60 overall with 50+ per section (or MCAT 515 with 125+ per section) alongside weighted GPA 6.0. Monash — Not required and not accepted on any Monash pathway - both Graduate Entry pages state applicants are not required to sit the GAMSAT, and Direct Entry has never used it. Monash publishes no date for its removal. These are the requirements on record for 2027-entry applicants. 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 UCAT-ANZ score do I need for ANU vs Monash?

Accepted Answer

ANU — does not publish a UCAT-ANZ cut-off (may not use UCAT-ANZ; check the admission-test question above). Monash — Domestic Direct Entry only (international applicants sit ISAT). Monash publishes its December-round interview cut-offs. On the current three-subtest /2700 scale, 2026 entry cleared at 2380 (94th percentile, 192 interview offers) for Victorian-based non-DRL applicants and 2050 (66th percentile, 193 offers) for Dean's Rural List applicants. The 2027-entry cut-offs are not yet published - invitations are scheduled for release on 12 and 14 October 2026. Earlier cycles sat on the retired /3600 four-subtest scale (2025 entry 3140 non-DRL / 2730 DRL; 2024 entry 3020 / 2670; 2023 entry 2990 / 2620) and are NOT convertible: UCAT-ANZ dropped Abstract Reasoning from the test sat in 2025 (first used for 2026 entry), so no ratio conversion between the scales is valid. Situational Judgement is banded separately and is used only to break ties on equal cognitive totals. These are the requirements on record for 2027-entry applicants. 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.

Question 4

What ATAR do I need for ANU vs Monash?

Accepted Answer

ANU — ATAR data not published in the structured AU requirements; see free-text admission requirements on the school page. Monash — Direct Entry minimum eligibility ATAR 90. Monash publishes lowest-offer ATARs rather than a competitive cut-off: for 2026 entry the lowest ATAR to receive an offer was 96.10 (standard School Leaver Entry), 95.05 (CSP Extended Rural Cohort) and 91.25 (CSP Bonded School Leaver Entry). Monash notes these are the lowest ATAR BEFORE equity-scheme/Dean's Rural List adjustment, while ranking itself uses the adjusted ATAR. No median and no guaranteed ATAR is published. These are the requirements on record for 2027-entry applicants. 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.

Question 5

What GPA do I need for ANU vs Monash?

Accepted Answer

ANU — Minimum weighted GPA 5.0 to be considered for interview — ANU states plainly that meeting it "does not guarantee an interview". The GPA is a 3-year weighted calculation over 3.0 FTE of the most recent eligible degree: final year x3, final-1 x2, final-2 x1. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander applicants have a lower published minimum weighted GPA of 4.5. The only published interview GUARANTEE is for INTERNATIONAL applicants: weighted GPA 6.0 plus GAMSAT 60 overall (50+ per section) or MCAT 515 (125+ per section). ANU publishes no 5.6 threshold and no median offer-holder GPA. Monash — Graduate Entry (domestic): minimum WAM 70 to be eligible, but Monash publishes the non-DRL WAM cut-off to be INVITED TO INTERVIEW - 82.313 for 2026 entry (81.179 for 2025, 80.313 for 2024, 82.386 for 2023); check Monash's table for the 2027-entry figure. Dean's Rural List applicants clear a lower WAM and are assessed separately. WAM is taken from the undergraduate degree only, measured at the end of Semester 1 of the application year. Graduate Entry (international): minimum GPA 6.0/7.0. These are the requirements on record for 2027-entry applicants. 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 6

How do interviews differ between ANU and Monash?

Accepted Answer

ANU uses: Online interview, held in two parts (2027 entry) — ANU does not publish the format. Monash uses: Multiple Mini Interview, online via Zoom (6 stations × 8 min interview + 2 min reading; 4 stations for international applicants). Different formats reward different skill sets. Plan separate prep streams for each. Interview windows: Early-mid September (domestic); mid-late July (international); late July (Indigenous) — 2027 entry: domestic window 4-11 Sept 2026 (ANU); Direct Entry December-January; Graduate Entry September (2027-entry cycle) (Monash).

Question 7

What place types (CSP / BMP / Full-fee) do ANU and Monash offer?

Accepted Answer

ANU — 2027 cycle: 63 CSP + 26 BMP + up to 30 international + uncapped Indigenous places. ~40 places reserved for ANU undergraduate pathway graduates. Monash — Direct Entry: approximately 234 domestic places in total per Monash's FAQs - the 30 Extended Rural Cohort places and the approximately 67 Bonded Medical Program places sit INSIDE that 234, not on top of it. Graduate Entry: approximately 72 domestic places, of which 35 are End-to-End Rural (30 north-west, 5 Gippsland from the 2027 intake) and at least 70% are held for Monash Bachelor of Biomedical Science graduates. All domestic places on both pathways are Commonwealth Supported Places. At least 27% of domestic medicine places are reserved for Dean's Rural List applicants. Monash does not publish an international place count. 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 8

What Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander entry pathways do ANU and Monash offer?

Accepted Answer

ANU — Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander places are uncapped — GEMSAS states they "may be offered in addition to the indicative CSP/BMP cap". Applicants may apply either directly to ANU or through GEMSAS. ANU publishes three Indigenous pathways — the Standard Indigenous pathway, Current ANU Students/Alumni, and Local Allied Health Professionals — and the latter two do not require the GAMSAT. The minimum weighted GPA is 4.5 (lower than the 5.0 standard minimum). A completed Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Declaration Form with supporting evidence is required for every pathway. Interviews run in late July with offers in August, ahead of the domestic round; successful applicants receive a Commonwealth Supported Place and every admitted Indigenous student is automatically considered for a scholarship. Monash — Monash Indigenous Entry Scheme: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants are exempt from competitive ranking and instead complete a panel interview with an all-Indigenous panel (academics, student engagement staff and a community member). On Direct Entry that panel interview replaces BOTH the MMI and the UCAT-ANZ; on Graduate Entry it replaces the MMI. Applicants register for the interview through a Monash form. Monash publishes no ATAR threshold for the scheme, and GAMSAT is not used at Monash so nothing is "waived". Support during the degree comes from the William Cooper Institute and the Gukwonderuk Indigenous Health Workforces Centre. 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 9

Does ANU or Monash offer bonded / rural-entry places?

Accepted Answer

ANU — GEMSAS states ANU "offers 29% of its domestic places to students from a rural background" (Modified Monash MM2-7; primary place of residence for 5 years consecutively or 10 years cumulatively, declared in the GEMSAS application with supporting evidence). Separately, 26 of the 2027-entry domestic places are Bonded Medical Places — a Commonwealth Supported Place carrying a return-of-service obligation in eligible regional, rural and remote areas after graduation. The two are distinct: a rural background does not make a place bonded, and a BMP is not restricted to rural-background applicants. Monash — Bonded Medical Program: the Australian Government requires participating universities to allocate 28.5% of commencing Commonwealth supported medical places to the Program (Monash's own page states "at least 28% of CSP places"). At Monash that is approximately 67 of the ~234 domestic Direct Entry places, applied for under a separate VTAC code (2800311251). Participants owe a 156-week (3-year) return of service in eligible MM2-MM7 areas, completable at any time within 18 years of finishing the medical course. Rural cohorts: Direct Entry Extended Rural Cohort, 30 places (first two years at Clayton, then at least 2.5 of the 3 clinical years in regional and rural Victoria); Graduate Entry End-to-End Rural Cohorts, 35 of the ~72 graduate places (30 north-west, 5 Gippsland from the 2027 intake). Separately, the Dean's Rural List reserves at least 27% of domestic medicine places for applicants who lived at an MM2-MM7 address for 5 consecutive or 10 cumulative years. The federal BMP allocates ~28.5% of CSP places nationally; individual schools sit above or below that benchmark depending on their workforce remit.

Question 10

When does each school release decisions?

Accepted Answer

ANU typically releases medicine offers November-December (domestic); August (international and Indigenous) — 2027 entry. Monash releases medicine offers Direct Entry mid-to-late January (VTAC January Rounds 1 and 2); Graduate Entry early 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.

Question 11

What curriculum style do ANU and Monash use?

Accepted Answer

ANU runs a Integrated curriculum. Monash runs a Integrated curriculum. Both schools deliver teaching in the same broad style, so day-to-day study habits will feel similar. ANU specifics: 4-year graduate Doctor of Medicine and Surgery (MChD), AQF Level 9, Semester 1 intake only. Years 1-2 are built around clinical case studies at Acton supported by lectures, practicals, tutorials and a Monash specifics: Both pathways award the same degree, Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine, and share the same four clinical schools. Direct Entry (5 years; years 1, 2, 3B, 4C, 5D): years 1-2 largely cam

Question 12

Should I apply to both ANU and Monash?

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; ANU and Monash differ in their selection mechanics, so prepping both adds genuine optionality.

Comparison field	ANUCanberra	MonashClayton
Quick comparison
Location	Canberra, Australia	Clayton, Australia
Entry pathway	Graduate	Dual (UG + Grad)
Admission tests	GAMSAT	UCAT-ANZ + ISAT
GAMSAT	Minimum Overall 50 AND minimum 50 in each section to be considered for interview; meeting the minimum does not guarantee an interview. ANU accepts GAMSAT results as valid for four years. Used at 50% weight in the interview-ranking composite alongside the standardised weighted GPA (50%), with a higher-degree research bonus applied to the combined score (standalone Honours 2%, Masters by Research 2%, PhD 4%; highest only). ANU publishes no median or cut-off GAMSAT for offer-holders. International applicants have a published interview guarantee at GAMSAT 60 overall with 50+ per section (or MCAT 515 with 125+ per section) alongside weighted GPA 6.0.	Not required and not accepted on any Monash pathway - both Graduate Entry pages state applicants are not required to sit the GAMSAT, and Direct Entry has never used it. Monash publishes no date for its removal.
UCAT-ANZ	-	Domestic Direct Entry only (international applicants sit ISAT). Monash publishes its December-round interview cut-offs. On the current three-subtest /2700 scale, 2026 entry cleared at 2380 (94th percentile, 192 interview offers) for Victorian-based non-DRL applicants and 2050 (66th percentile, 193 offers) for Dean's Rural List applicants. The 2027-entry cut-offs are not yet published - invitations are scheduled for release on 12 and 14 October 2026. Earlier cycles sat on the retired /3600 four-subtest scale (2025 entry 3140 non-DRL / 2730 DRL; 2024 entry 3020 / 2670; 2023 entry 2990 / 2620) and are NOT convertible: UCAT-ANZ dropped Abstract Reasoning from the test sat in 2025 (first used for 2026 entry), so no ratio conversion between the scales is valid. Situational Judgement is banded separately and is used only to break ties on equal cognitive totals.
ATAR	-	Direct Entry minimum eligibility ATAR 90. Monash publishes lowest-offer ATARs rather than a competitive cut-off: for 2026 entry the lowest ATAR to receive an offer was 96.10 (standard School Leaver Entry), 95.05 (CSP Extended Rural Cohort) and 91.25 (CSP Bonded School Leaver Entry). Monash notes these are the lowest ATAR BEFORE equity-scheme/Dean's Rural List adjustment, while ranking itself uses the adjusted ATAR. No median and no guaranteed ATAR is published.
Interview format	Online interview, held in two parts (2027 entry) — ANU does not publish the format	Multiple Mini Interview, online via Zoom (6 stations × 8 min interview + 2 min reading; 4 stations for international applicants)
Post-interview chance	ANU does not publish interview-to-offer conversion. On the standard graduate pathway, offers are ranked on 50% interview score + 50% GPA/GAMSAT composite, so a strong pre-interview composite still carries half the final rank.	Monash does not publish an interview-to-offer conversion rate. It does publish round volumes: for 2026 entry it made 192 December interview offers to Victorian-based non-DRL applicants and 193 to Dean's Rural List applicants, before two further interview rounds in January, against approximately 234 domestic places - so more applicants are interviewed than there are places. January-round interview volumes are not published, so no conversion percentage can be stated.
Decision date	November-December (domestic); August (international and Indigenous) — 2027 entry	Direct Entry mid-to-late January (VTAC January Rounds 1 and 2); Graduate Entry early December

ATAR	-	Direct Entry minimum eligibility ATAR 90. Monash publishes lowest-offer ATARs rather than a competitive cut-off: for 2026 entry the lowest ATAR to receive an offer was 96.10 (standard School Leaver Entry), 95.05 (CSP Extended Rural Cohort) and 91.25 (CSP Bonded School Leaver Entry). Monash notes these are the lowest ATAR BEFORE equity-scheme/Dean's Rural List adjustment, while ranking itself uses the adjusted ATAR. No median and no guaranteed ATAR is published.
Contextual ATAR	-	Adjustment factors come through VTAC equity schemes (formerly SEAS): Monash states the maximum available adjustment is 20 aggregate points (up to 10 ATAR points), applied to the combined study scores before the ATAR is recalculated, and that it uses this adjusted ATAR during selection. Dean's Rural List (DRL) applicants receive a further adjustment (Monash refers to "SEAS equity and/or Dean Rural List (DRL) adjustments") and are ranked in a separate rural pool, with at least 27% of domestic medicine places reserved for them. There is no scheme called the "Monash Access Scheme". Indigenous Australian applicants are exempt from competitive ranking rather than admitted at a stated ATAR - Monash publishes no ATAR threshold for them.
GAMSAT	Minimum Overall 50 AND minimum 50 in each section to be considered for interview; meeting the minimum does not guarantee an interview. ANU accepts GAMSAT results as valid for four years. Used at 50% weight in the interview-ranking composite alongside the standardised weighted GPA (50%), with a higher-degree research bonus applied to the combined score (standalone Honours 2%, Masters by Research 2%, PhD 4%; highest only). ANU publishes no median or cut-off GAMSAT for offer-holders. International applicants have a published interview guarantee at GAMSAT 60 overall with 50+ per section (or MCAT 515 with 125+ per section) alongside weighted GPA 6.0.	Not required and not accepted on any Monash pathway - both Graduate Entry pages state applicants are not required to sit the GAMSAT, and Direct Entry has never used it. Monash publishes no date for its removal.
UCAT-ANZ	-	Domestic Direct Entry only (international applicants sit ISAT). Monash publishes its December-round interview cut-offs. On the current three-subtest /2700 scale, 2026 entry cleared at 2380 (94th percentile, 192 interview offers) for Victorian-based non-DRL applicants and 2050 (66th percentile, 193 offers) for Dean's Rural List applicants. The 2027-entry cut-offs are not yet published - invitations are scheduled for release on 12 and 14 October 2026. Earlier cycles sat on the retired /3600 four-subtest scale (2025 entry 3140 non-DRL / 2730 DRL; 2024 entry 3020 / 2670; 2023 entry 2990 / 2620) and are NOT convertible: UCAT-ANZ dropped Abstract Reasoning from the test sat in 2025 (first used for 2026 entry), so no ratio conversion between the scales is valid. Situational Judgement is banded separately and is used only to break ties on equal cognitive totals.
CASPer	-	-
ISAT	-	-
GPA	Minimum weighted GPA 5.0 to be considered for interview — ANU states plainly that meeting it "does not guarantee an interview". The GPA is a 3-year weighted calculation over 3.0 FTE of the most recent eligible degree: final year x3, final-1 x2, final-2 x1. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander applicants have a lower published minimum weighted GPA of 4.5. The only published interview GUARANTEE is for INTERNATIONAL applicants: weighted GPA 6.0 plus GAMSAT 60 overall (50+ per section) or MCAT 515 (125+ per section). ANU publishes no 5.6 threshold and no median offer-holder GPA.	Graduate Entry (domestic): minimum WAM 70 to be eligible, but Monash publishes the non-DRL WAM cut-off to be INVITED TO INTERVIEW - 82.313 for 2026 entry (81.179 for 2025, 80.313 for 2024, 82.386 for 2023); check Monash's table for the 2027-entry figure. Dean's Rural List applicants clear a lower WAM and are assessed separately. WAM is taken from the undergraduate degree only, measured at the end of Semester 1 of the application year. Graduate Entry (international): minimum GPA 6.0/7.0.
Prerequisites	-	-
Place types	2027 cycle: 63 CSP + 26 BMP + up to 30 international + uncapped Indigenous places. ~40 places reserved for ANU undergraduate pathway graduates.	Direct Entry: approximately 234 domestic places in total per Monash's FAQs - the 30 Extended Rural Cohort places and the approximately 67 Bonded Medical Program places sit INSIDE that 234, not on top of it. Graduate Entry: approximately 72 domestic places, of which 35 are End-to-End Rural (30 north-west, 5 Gippsland from the 2027 intake) and at least 70% are held for Monash Bachelor of Biomedical Science graduates. All domestic places on both pathways are Commonwealth Supported Places. At least 27% of domestic medicine places are reserved for Dean's Rural List applicants. Monash does not publish an international place count.
Indigenous pathway	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander places are uncapped — GEMSAS states they "may be offered in addition to the indicative CSP/BMP cap". Applicants may apply either directly to ANU or through GEMSAS…	Monash Indigenous Entry Scheme: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants are exempt from competitive ranking and instead complete a panel interview with an all-Indigenous panel (academics, stu…
Bonded / rural	GEMSAS states ANU "offers 29% of its domestic places to students from a rural background" (Modified Monash MM2-7; primary place of residence for 5 years consecutively or 10 years cumulatively, declare…	Bonded Medical Program: the Australian Government requires participating universities to allocate 28.5% of commencing Commonwealth supported medical places to the Program (Monash's own page states "at…

Interview window	Early-mid September (domestic); mid-late July (international); late July (Indigenous) — 2027 entry: domestic window 4-11 Sept 2026	Direct Entry December-January; Graduate Entry September (2027-entry cycle)
Interview details	ANU does not publish its interview format. GEMSAS states only that interviews are "held in two parts", and ANU says they "cover a range of topics and scenarios" — no station count, station length or r…	Monash interviews by Multiple Mini Interview on every pathway, delivered online via Zoom. Domestic applicants sit SIX stations on both Direct and Graduate Entry; Monash publishes the timing on the Dir…

Specialities	Clinical Research, Rural Medicine, Indigenous Health, Public Policy, General Practice	Rural Medicine, Clinical Research, Global Health, Indigenous Health, General Practice
Established	2004	1961
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	ANU runs a 4-year graduate-entry MChD (Doctor of Medicine and Surgery) with a research-intensive identity — students complete a research project in Years 1-2, and completed higher research degrees att…	Monash says it is the only Victorian university offering both a direct-entry school-leaver pathway and a graduate-entry pathway to the SAME degree - Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine.…
Official course page	https://science.anu.edu.au/study/masters/doctor-medicine-surgery-mchd	https://www.monash.edu/medicine/medical-school

ANU vs Monash

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ANU

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ANU vs Monash - in detail

Admission tests compared

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