Skip to main content
Back to Australian Medical School Compare
Australian Medical school comparison

ANU vs Monash

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

That mismatch means either preparing two assessments or choosing the school whose test suits you. They also recruit at different stages: ANU runs graduate entry, Monash runs both undergraduate and graduate entry. The interview formats diverge — Panel vs MMI — and the prep approaches for the two are fundamentally different.

Side-by-side comparison

ANU

Canberra

Quick comparison

Location
Canberra, Australia
Entry pathway
Graduate
Admission tests
GAMSAT
GAMSAT
Minimum 50 overall + 50 in each section. Used at 50% weight for interview-ranking composite (alongside 50% GPA). Median offer-holder GAMSAT not officially published; aggregator estimates ~65-68.
UCAT-ANZ
-
ATAR
-
Interview format
Online interview covering a range of topics and scenarios (50% of final offer score). Domestic interviews run early-to-mid September; international interviews are held over Zoom in mid-July. ANU does not publish the station format.
Post-interview chance
~38% interview-to-offer.
Decision date
November-December

Monash

Clayton

Quick comparison

Location
Clayton, Australia
Entry pathway
Dual (UG + Grad)
Admission tests
UCAT-ANZ + GAMSAT
GAMSAT
NOT required. Removed from Graduate Entry selection in 2017; never used for Direct Entry.
UCAT-ANZ
Direct Entry only. 2026 entry December round cut-off ~2380/2700 (~94th percentile, post-rebase). 2023 entry on old /3600 scale was ~2990 non-rural / ~2620 rural — not directly comparable due to 2024 UCAT-ANZ rebase.
ATAR
Direct Entry minimum ATAR 90; competitive typically ≥99.45.
Interview format
Multi-Mini Interview (8 stations × 8 min, 2 min reading)
Post-interview chance
Not publicly disclosed.
Decision date
December-January

ANU vs Monash - in detail

Admission tests compared

UCAT-ANZ cut-offs. ANU — no published cut-off. Monash — Direct Entry only. 2026 entry December round cut-off ~2380/2700 (~94th percentile, post-rebase). 2023 entry on old /3600 scale was ~2990 non-rural / ~2620 rural — not directly comparable due to 2024…

GAMSAT cut-offs. ANU — Minimum 50 overall + 50 in each section. Used at 50% weight for interview-ranking composite (alongside 50% GPA). Median offer-holder GAMSAT not officially published; aggregator estimates ~65-68. Monash — NOT required. Removed from Graduate Entry selection in 2017; never used for Direct Entry.

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

ANU requires Bachelor degree with minimum weighted GPA 5.0/7.0 (final year weighted x3, prior year x2, two years prior x1); GAMSAT 50 overall with a minimum of 50 in each section, or MCAT with at least 125 in each section for international applicants; online interview (format not published by ANU); rural and Indigenous pathways available.

A weighted GPA of 6.0 with GAMSAT 60+ (or MCAT 515+) guarantees an interview. Domestic applications go through GEMSAS.

Monash requires Direct Entry: ATAR minimum 90 (competitive typically ≥99.45) + UCAT-ANZ + MMI; VCE English (study score 35 EAL or 30 English) and Chemistry (30) prerequisites.

Graduate Entry: Monash undergraduate degree (Bachelor of Biomedical Science, Pharmacy Hons, Physiotherapy Hons, designated BSc units, or Federation Uni Bachelor of Biomedical Science via Gippsland Partnership) with WAM ≥ 70 + MMI + SJT. No GAMSAT for grad pathway since 2017.

ATAR. ANU — no published cut-off. Monash — Direct Entry minimum ATAR 90; competitive typically ≥99.45.

Graduate-entry GPA. ANU — Minimum weighted GPA 5.0 (latest guidelines; 5.6 historically quoted as practical interview threshold). ANU uses weighted GPA (most recent results weighted heaviest). Monash — Graduate Entry: WAM minimum 70. Lowest accepted WAM (2025 cycle, student-reported) 81.179.

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

ANU uses Panel (Online interview covering a range of topics and scenarios (50% of final offer score). Domestic interviews run early-to-mid September; international interviews are held over Zoom in mid-July. ANU does not publish the station format.); Monash uses MMI (Multi-Mini Interview (8 stations × 8 min, 2 min reading)).

These two formats reward different skills — Panel emphasises narrative coherence and the ability to develop a thread under follow-up questioning, while MMI rewards breadth and quick recovery.

If your strengths lie in conversational depth, ANU may suit you more. If you prefer discrete capsule answers under time pressure, Monash is the better fit.

Interview windows: ANU interviews in October-November; Monash in October-December.

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: 4-year graduate Doctor of Medicine and Surgery (MChD). Years 1-2 foundations and clinical skills at Acton (Canberra) with early Canberra Hospital imme Direct Entry 5-year MD: years 1-2 foundations and clinical skills at Clayton; years 3-5 clinical placements across Monash Health, Peninsula, and rural

Intake size: ANU — 2027 cycle: 63 CSP + 26 BMP + up to 30 international + uncapped Indigenous. Total domestic ~89, total cohort ~115-120 (GEMSAS ANU).; Monash — Direct Entry (Clayton): ~264 domestic (234 + 30 ERC). Graduate Entry (Gippsland): ~70 domestic + 30 Rural End-to-End + ~30 international. Total combined ~390+ (Fraser's Monash MD 2027 guide)..

A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

Post-interview offer rate

ANU: ~38% interview-to-offer. Monash: Not publicly disclosed.

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

ANU: ANU runs a 4-year graduate-entry MChD (Doctor of Medicine and Surgery) with a distinctive research-intensive identity — mandatory research project woven through the program, leveraging ANU's broader research powerhouse status. The Rural Clinical School operates across Goulburn, Cooma, Bega, and Eurobodalla, giving one of the largest rural footprints relative to cohort size in Australia. Predominantly CSP intake.

Pre-interview ranking weights GAMSAT and GPA; the MMI carries substantial weight in the final composite.

Monash: Monash runs a dual-pathway MD: Direct Entry (M6011, 5-year BMedSc+MD at Clayton, UCAT-ANZ + ATAR) and Graduate Entry (4-year MD at Gippsland / Churchill campus). Graduate Entry MD requires Monash undergraduate study (closed to external grads since 2017 GAMSAT removal); no GAMSAT required for the graduate pathway.

The Direct Entry December round uses UCAT-only ranking before ATAR is released; the January round uses combined UCAT + ATAR.

Which is right for you?

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

They suit different stages too: ANU is graduate entry, Monash is both undergraduate and 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

ANU uses GAMSAT. Monash uses UCAT-ANZ and 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.

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