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Australian Medical school comparison

Curtin vs Macquarie

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

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

Side-by-side comparison

Curtin

Bentley

Quick comparison

Location
Bentley, Australia
Entry pathway
Undergraduate
Admission tests
UCAT-ANZ + CASPer
GAMSAT
-
UCAT-ANZ
No official Curtin-published cut-off. Curtin ranks total UCAT score, not a fixed threshold. Aggregator-derived competitive score ~2970 for local WA applicants (2024-2026 entry, old /3600 scale). Interview shortlist ratio 35 ATAR : 35 CASPer : 30 UCAT (per MedEntry / Curtin official Q&A — Fraser's 35:35:40 reporting is an error). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants are exempt from BOTH the UCAT ANZ and the Casper test.
ATAR
Minimum ATAR (WA applicants) 95.00 (inclusive of bonus points); minimum ATAR (non-WA applicants) 92.00. TISC 2025 (Dec 2024 round) for CUMBS: min rank n/a, lowest n/a — selection is NOT solely on ATAR.
Interview format
Multi-Mini Interview (8 stations)
Post-interview chance
Not publicly disclosed.
Decision date
December-January

Macquarie

Sydney

Quick comparison

Location
Sydney, Australia
Entry pathway
Graduate
Admission tests
GAMSAT
GAMSAT
Minimum 50 overall, 50 in each section. Used at 50% weight (alongside 50% GPA) for interview shortlist. 2024 intake average successful GAMSAT ~66.
UCAT-ANZ
-
ATAR
-
Interview format
Multi-Mini Interview (8 stations, live online)
Post-interview chance
~56% (2024 cycle: 125 offers from 223 interviews — 79 domestic, 46 international)
Decision date
November
Compare different schools

Curtin vs Macquarie - in detail

Admission tests compared

UCAT-ANZ cut-offs. Curtin — No official Curtin-published cut-off. Curtin ranks total UCAT score, not a fixed threshold. Aggregator-derived competitive score ~2970 for local WA applicants (2024-2026 entry, old /3600 scale)… Macquarie — no published cut-off.

GAMSAT cut-offs. Curtin — not used or not published. Macquarie — Minimum 50 overall, 50 in each section. Used at 50% weight (alongside 50% GPA) for interview shortlist. 2024 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

Curtin requires ATAR 95.00 (WA-domiciled) / 92.00 (non-WA), plus UCAT-ANZ + CASPer; 35:35:30 shortlist ratio (ATAR : CASPer : UCAT-ANZ).

Macquarie requires Bachelor degree with minimum GPA 5.0/7.0; GAMSAT overall 60+; MMI; English prerequisites.

ATAR. Curtin — Minimum ATAR (WA applicants) 95.00 (inclusive of bonus points); minimum ATAR (non-WA applicants) 92.00. TISC 2025 (Dec 2024 round) for CUMBS: min rank n/a, lowest n/a — selection is NOT solely on… Macquarie — no published cut-off.

Graduate-entry GPA. Curtin — not applicable or not published. Macquarie — Minimum 5.0/7.0 (or WAM 65). 2024 intake average successful GPA ~6.7/7.0.

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 Curtin and Macquarie 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: Curtin runs multi-mini interview (8 stations); Macquarie runs multi-mini interview (8 stations, live online). Mock practice tailored to each school's exact format is the highest-leverage prep.

Interview windows: Curtin interviews in October-November; Macquarie in September-October.

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 Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS). Years 1-2 foundations and clinical skills at Bentley with early community place 4-year MD with hospital-integrated placements from year 1 at Macquarie University Hospital. Years 3-4 expand to broader Sydney clinical school network

Intake size: Curtin — 2024 intake ~110 places (CSP + BMP combined). Curtin 2024 Domestic Admissions Guide.; Macquarie — 2027: ~60 full-fee domestic + ~20 international. No CSP/BMP at Macquarie (full-fee program; no Commonwealth-mandated bonded allocation).. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

Post-interview offer rate

Curtin: Not publicly disclosed. Macquarie: ~56% (2024 cycle: 125 offers from 223 interviews — 79 domestic, 46 international).

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

Curtin: Curtin is one of the newest Australian medical schools (first intake 2017) and runs a 5-year undergraduate MBBS for outer-metropolitan Perth, rural WA, and Indigenous workforce service. CASPer required alongside UCAT-ANZ and ATAR — one of only 2 AU med schools using CASPer (other: Notre Dame Fremantle/Sydney).

Pre-interview ratio 35 (ATAR) : 35 (CASPer) : 30 (UCAT) per MedEntry/Curtin official. ATSI applicants exempt from CASPer.

Macquarie: Macquarie is Australia's first fully full-fee graduate MD (no CSP places) and is co-located with Macquarie University Hospital — students train alongside private practice from year 1. Small cohort (~60) gives a high-touch teaching model. GAMSAT and prior clinical exposure are weighted heavily.

Which is right for you?

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

They suit different stages too: Curtin is school-leaver (undergraduate) entry, Macquarie 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

Curtin uses UCAT-ANZ and CASPer. Macquarie 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.

Where to go next

CurtinEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in fullMacquarieEntry 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.