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Australian Medical school comparison

Macquarie vs Monash

Macquarie and Monash are both Australian medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Macquarie is in New South Wales while Monash is in Victoria. State of origin matters here: several schools rank local applicants ahead of interstate ones. Macquarie 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: Macquarie runs graduate entry, Monash runs both undergraduate and graduate entry.

Side-by-side comparison

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

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
Compare different schools

Macquarie vs Monash - in detail

Admission tests compared

UCAT-ANZ cut-offs. Macquarie — 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. Macquarie — Minimum 50 overall, 50 in each section. Used at 50% weight (alongside 50% GPA) for interview shortlist. 2024 intake average successful GAMSAT ~66. 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

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

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

Graduate-entry GPA. Macquarie — Minimum 5.0/7.0 (or WAM 65). 2024 intake average successful GPA ~6.7/7.0. 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

Both Macquarie and Monash 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: Macquarie runs multi-mini interview (8 stations, live online); Monash runs multi-mini interview (8 stations × 8 min, 2 min reading). Mock practice tailored to each school's exact format is the highest-leverage prep.

Interview windows: Macquarie interviews in September-October; 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 MD with hospital-integrated placements from year 1 at Macquarie University Hospital. Years 3-4 expand to broader Sydney clinical school network 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: Macquarie — 2027: ~60 full-fee domestic + ~20 international. No CSP/BMP at Macquarie (full-fee program; no Commonwealth-mandated bonded allocation).; 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

Macquarie: ~56% (2024 cycle: 125 offers from 223 interviews — 79 domestic, 46 international). 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

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.

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: Macquarie 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 — Macquarie draws heavily on New South Wales applicants and Monash on Victoria, and an interstate application often faces a materially higher bar.

They suit different stages too: Macquarie 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

Macquarie 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.

Where to go next

MacquarieEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in fullMonashEntry 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.