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Australian Medical school comparison

Charles Darwin University vs Notre Dame Sydney

Charles Darwin University and Notre Dame Sydney are both Australian medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Charles Darwin University is in the Northern Territory while Notre Dame Sydney is in New South Wales. State of origin matters here: several schools rank local applicants ahead of interstate ones.

Charles Darwin University uses no national admission test; Notre Dame Sydney uses GAMSAT, CASPer and MCAT. That mismatch means either preparing two assessments or choosing the school whose test suits you. They also recruit at different stages: Charles Darwin University runs school-leaver (undergraduate) entry, Notre Dame Sydney runs graduate entry.

The interview formats diverge — Panel vs MMI — and the prep approaches for the two are fundamentally different.

Side-by-side comparison

Charles Darwin University

Darwin, Northern Territory

Quick comparison

Location
Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
Entry pathway
Undergraduate
Admission tests
None
GAMSAT
-
UCAT-ANZ
-
ATAR
85 or above after adjustment factors (recent school leavers).
Interview format
Panel interview, 30 minutes
Post-interview chance
-
Decision date
-

Notre Dame Sydney

Sydney

Quick comparison

Location
Sydney, Australia
Entry pathway
Graduate
Admission tests
GAMSAT + CASPer + MCAT
GAMSAT
Minimum total of 52 with at least 50 in each subsection; UNDA uses the unweighted average of the three GAMSAT sections, not the overall weighted score. Notre Dame publishes the average GAMSAT of applicants OFFERED AN INTERVIEW at Sydney: 67.84 (2024 entry), 68.08 (2025 entry), 68.23 (2026 entry). These are interview-shortlist averages, not the scores of applicants who received a place, and UNDA states they exclude applicants considered on additional criteria including rurality and facilitated interview pathway eligibility. No cut-off is published.
UCAT-ANZ
-
ATAR
-
Interview format
MMI (recorded/asynchronous online); live online panel for international applicants
Post-interview chance
Not publicly disclosed.
Decision date
Late October-early November (main round); additional offers November 2026-January 2027

Charles Darwin University vs Notre Dame Sydney - in detail

Admission tests compared

GAMSAT cut-offs. Charles Darwin University — not used or not published. Notre Dame Sydney — Minimum total of 52 with at least 50 in each subsection; UNDA uses the unweighted average of the three GAMSAT sections, not the overall weighted score. Notre Dame publishes the average GAMSAT of…

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

Charles Darwin University requires Recent school leavers need an ATAR of 85 or above after the addition of any relevant adjustment factors. Applications go through SATAC (code 113371) and must be accompanied by a CDU Menzies Medical Program Application Pack.

40 Commonwealth Supported Places, allocated NT First Nations 40%, NT residency 30%, NT residency MMM 4–7 15%, non-NT First Nations 10%, rural and remote 5%.

CDU’s statements on international entry conflict: for 2027 entry the course page and the CMMP FAQ list 10 onshore international fee-paying places (applicants in Australia without a student visa) on top of the 40 Commonwealth Supported Places, while the course page’s key-details box, the 2027 Course Catalogue and the FAQ’s eligibility answer say the course is open only to domestic students, and the FAQ’s fees answer and the 2027 Admissions Guide say all places are Commonwealth supported.

Notre Dame Sydney requires Bachelor degree with minimum GPA 5.2/7.0 (weighted from 3 years FTE); GAMSAT 52 overall + 50 in each subsection; Casper (mandatory — applicants without a Casper score are not considered; last accepted sitting 11 June 2026 for the 2026-27 cycle); recorded/asynchronous online MMI.

ATAR. Charles Darwin University — 85 or above after adjustment factors (recent school leavers). Notre Dame Sydney — no published cut-off.

Graduate-entry GPA. Charles Darwin University — not applicable or not published. Notre Dame Sydney — Minimum weighted GPA of 5.2/7.0 over three FTE years, with GPA years progressively weighted Final-minus-2 x1, Final-minus-1 x2, Final x3. Notre Dame publishes the average GPA of applicants OFFERED AN…

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

Charles Darwin University uses Panel (Panel interview, 30 minutes); Notre Dame Sydney uses MMI (MMI (recorded/asynchronous online); live online panel for international applicants). 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, Charles Darwin University may suit you more. If you prefer discrete capsule answers under time pressure, Notre Dame Sydney is the better fit.

Curriculum and teaching style

Charles Darwin University runs a PBL curriculum; Notre Dame Sydney runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Charles Darwin University leans on small-group case-based learning from year 1, while Notre Dame Sydney uses a more traditional lecture-led structure.

Specifics: Five-year direct-entry Bachelor of Clinical Science Medicine/Doctor of Medicine (SMED01, 400 credit points), the CDU Menzies Medical Program. Years 1– 4-year graduate MD. Foundation Years 1-2 are delivered principally through Problem Based Learning in small groups led by a clinician; Clinical Years 3

Intake size: Charles Darwin University — First cohort (February 2026): 42 students, including two First Nations students, from about 1,900 applications; Notre Dame Sydney — 2027 cycle: 40 CSP + 17 BMP + up to 57 full-fee domestic (via GEMSAS) + up to 35 full-fee international (direct….

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

What makes each distinctive

Charles Darwin University: All of Years 3–5 are block placements across the Northern Territory; for placements outside Darwin, students live in towns such as Katherine, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs and Nhulunbuy. First Nations Culture and Health is one of five themes, with a pass/fail task in every Year 1–2 unit, and research is mentored through Menzies School of Health Research.

The course is built on Western Sydney University’s curriculum, which CDU is adapting for the NT. Study is full time and face to face, and students must live in Darwin. AMC accredited to 31 March 2031 with conditions (decision of 29 November 2024).

Notre Dame Sydney: Notre Dame retired its selection Portfolio from the 2024 intake and put Casper in its place as the non-academic component; the interview format was not part of that change.

Casper is 30% of the pre-interview composite — the same weighting Notre Dame Fremantle uses — while Wollongong leans on Casper harder still, ranking for interview on 50% Casper plus 50% UOW admissions bonuses. Catholic ethos shapes the curriculum (medical ethics, end-of-life care, social justice) but the program is open to applicants of all faiths and none.

Strong placement network in Sydney Catholic and public hospitals, extending to Werribee Mercy and St John of God Ballarat in Victoria.

Notre Dame also runs entry pathways no other Australian medical school offers: a Priority Entry Pathway reserving MD places for its own Bachelor of Biomedical Science graduates (first Priority Entry in the 2026-27 intake, for students admitted to that degree from 2024 onwards; GPA >=6.0, unweighted GAMSAT >=55, Casper no lower than 1 SD below the mean, Notre Dame preferenced first through GEMSAS), plus facilitated interview pathways reaching the Sydney campus for Notre Dame undergraduate graduates (up to 10 across Fremantle and Sydney), Notre Dame Graduate Diploma or Master of Health and Medical Sciences graduates (up to 25) and ACU Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences graduates (up to 5, Sydney only).

Notre Dame's Pre-Medicine Certificate facilitated pathway is a Fremantle pathway and does not apply at Sydney. 2027 cycle: 40 CSP + 17 BMP + up to 57 full-fee domestic through GEMSAS, plus up to 35 full-fee international places that are NOT offered through GEMSAS in 2027 — international applicants must apply direct to Notre Dame's International Admissions Office.

GEMSAS notes the numbers are subject to change and that the quota includes the assured and priority pathways.

Which is right for you?

Start with the admission test: Charles Darwin University needs no national admission test, Notre Dame Sydney needs GAMSAT, CASPer and MCAT. Preparing for one well beats splitting your time across two.

Check your state of origin before you apply — Charles Darwin University draws heavily on the Northern Territory applicants and Notre Dame Sydney on New South Wales, and an interstate application often faces a materially higher bar. They suit different stages too: Charles Darwin University is school-leaver (undergraduate) entry, Notre Dame Sydney 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

Charles Darwin University uses no admission test. Notre Dame Sydney uses GAMSAT, CASPer and MCAT. 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.

Where to go next

Charles Darwin UniversityEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full
Notre Dame SydneyEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

Other medical school comparisons

School data reviewed by the NextGen MedPrep editorial team.