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Australian Medical school comparison

Charles Sturt (Rural) vs Notre Dame Sydney

Charles Sturt (Rural) and Notre Dame Sydney are both Australian medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Both sit in New South Wales, so the state bonus schemes and clinical-placement networks broadly overlap — the differentiation comes from selection, interview and curriculum. Charles Sturt (Rural) uses UCAT-ANZ; Notre Dame Sydney uses GAMSAT and CASPer.

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

Side-by-side comparison

Charles Sturt (Rural)

Orange

Quick comparison

Location
Orange, Australia
Entry pathway
Undergraduate
Admission tests
UCAT-ANZ
GAMSAT
-
UCAT-ANZ
JPM era: UCAT weighted at 100% for the interview-selection stage. Indicative UCAT cut-off for interview invitations (2024) ~3090 on old /3600 scale (~90th percentile).
ATAR
ATAR hurdle (JPM era 2024-2026): Metropolitan 95.50; Greater Western Sydney 93.50; Rural (RA2-5) 91.50.
Interview format
Multi-Mini Interview (~8 stations)
Post-interview chance
~50% interview-to-offer among eligible applicants.
Decision date
January

Notre Dame Sydney

Sydney

Quick comparison

Location
Sydney, Australia
Entry pathway
Graduate
Admission tests
GAMSAT + CASPer
GAMSAT
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.
UCAT-ANZ
-
ATAR
-
Interview format
MMI (asynchronous online via Modern Hire)
Post-interview chance
Not publicly disclosed.
Decision date
November-December
Compare different schools

Charles Sturt (Rural) vs Notre Dame Sydney - in detail

Admission tests compared

UCAT-ANZ cut-offs. Charles Sturt (Rural) — JPM era: UCAT weighted at 100% for the interview-selection stage. Indicative UCAT cut-off for interview invitations (2024) ~3090 on old /3600 scale (~90th percentile). Notre Dame Sydney — no published cut-off.

GAMSAT cut-offs. Charles Sturt (Rural) — not used or not published. 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.

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 Sturt (Rural) requires ATAR 95.00+ (standard rural pathway 2025); UCAT-ANZ; MMI; rural origin verification (MM2-7 residency); bonded service.

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; MMI (Modern Hire asynchronous).

ATAR. Charles Sturt (Rural) — ATAR hurdle (JPM era 2024-2026): Metropolitan 95.50; Greater Western Sydney 93.50; Rural (RA2-5) 91.50. Notre Dame Sydney — no published cut-off.

Graduate-entry GPA. Charles Sturt (Rural) — not applicable or not published. Notre Dame Sydney — Minimum 5.2/7.0 weighted from 3 years FTE. 2023 intake average successful GPA 6.70; competitive target ≥6.3.

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 Charles Sturt (Rural) and Notre Dame Sydney 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.

That said, the specifics differ slightly: Charles Sturt (Rural) runs multi-mini interview (~8 stations); Notre Dame Sydney runs mmi (asynchronous online via modern hire). Mock practice tailored to each school's exact format is the highest-leverage prep.

Interview windows: Charles Sturt (Rural) interviews in November-December; Notre Dame Sydney in September-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: 5-year undergraduate joint program (BMedSci + MD). Years 1-2 foundations at Orange campus; years 3-5 distributed clinical placements across Central We 4-year graduate MD. Years 1-2 foundations with clinical immersion; years 3-4 hospital and rural placements. Mandatory medical ethics thread runs acros

Intake size: Charles Sturt (Rural) — 2024-2026 (JPM era): ~120 places combined with WSU. 2027 standalone CSU program: ~47 CSP places; ~80% rural-pathway, ~15-20 non-rural.; Notre Dame Sydney — 2027 cycle: 40 CSP + 17 BMP + up to 57 Full-fee domestic + up to 35 international = ~149 total (Fraser's Notre Dame MD 2027 Guide; GEMSAS Notre Dame Sydney)..

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

Post-interview offer rate

Charles Sturt (Rural): ~50% interview-to-offer among eligible applicants. Notre Dame Sydney: 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

Charles Sturt (Rural): The first Australian medical program established explicitly and exclusively for rural-origin applicants. Joint delivery between Charles Sturt University and Western Sydney University. All places are bonded to rural service. Strong placement network across the Central West NSW LHDs.

Notre Dame Sydney: Notre Dame Sydney replaced its portfolio + panel system with CASPer from the 2024 intake — one of the heaviest CASPer weightings in Australian medicine (30% of pre-interview composite). 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. 2027 cycle: 40 CSP + 17 BMP + 57 FFP + 35 international = ~149 total.

Which is right for you?

Start with the admission test: Charles Sturt (Rural) needs UCAT-ANZ, Notre Dame Sydney needs GAMSAT and CASPer. Preparing for one well beats splitting your time across two. Both sit in New South Wales, so a local applicant gets the same state bonus at each.

They suit different stages too: Charles Sturt (Rural) 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 Sturt (Rural) 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.

Where to go next

Charles Sturt (Rural)Entry requirements, interview format and key dates in fullNotre Dame SydneyEntry 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.