Monash vs Notre Dame Sydney

Monash uses UCAT-ANZ and GAMSAT. 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.

Monash — NOT required. Removed from Graduate Entry selection in 2017; never used for Direct Entry. 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. GAMSAT results are valid for four years with ACER, but some graduate MD programs accept only the most recent two cycles — verify before relying on an older sitting.

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 UCAT-ANZ rebase. Notre Dame Sydney — does not publish a UCAT-ANZ cut-off (may not use UCAT-ANZ; check the admission-test question above). UCAT-ANZ cut-offs are cohort-dependent, so the headline number from one cycle is not guaranteed for the next — use it as a planning anchor, not a guarantee.

Monash — Direct Entry minimum ATAR 90; competitive typically ≥99.45. Notre Dame Sydney — ATAR data not published in the structured AU requirements; see free-text admission requirements on the school page. Selection rank typically includes Educational Access Scheme bonuses, rural-origin uplift, and (where applicable) Indigenous-pathway adjustments — your raw ATAR is rarely the final figure used.

Monash — Graduate Entry: WAM minimum 70. Lowest accepted WAM (2025 cycle, student-reported) 81.179. Notre Dame Sydney — Minimum 5.2/7.0 weighted from 3 years FTE. 2023 intake average successful GPA 6.70; competitive target ≥6.3. Many AU graduate MD programs treat the GPA as a hurdle (above the floor, all candidates are weighted equally on GAMSAT and interview) rather than as a sliding-scale rank — confirm each school's specific model.

Monash uses: Multi-Mini Interview (8 stations × 8 min, 2 min reading). Notre Dame Sydney uses: MMI (asynchronous online via Modern Hire). Different formats reward different skill sets. Plan separate prep streams for each. Interview windows: October-December (Monash); September-November (Notre Dame Sydney).

Monash — Direct Entry: ~234 domestic + 30 Extended Rural Cohort = ~264 (Clayton). Graduate Entry: ~70 domestic + 30 Rural End-to-End + ~30 international (Gippsland). BMP allocation 28.5% of all Monash medicine places. Notre Dame Sydney — 2027: 40 CSP + 17 BMP + up to 57 Full-fee domestic + up to 35 international = ~149 total (147 in 2026 intake). CSP (Commonwealth Supported Place) is the lowest student contribution; BMP (Bonded Medical Program) adds a 1-year return-of-service obligation in a Modified Monash Model 2-7 area after Fellowship; Full-fee places carry no bond but the highest tuition.

Monash — William Cooper Institute (formerly Yulendj Indigenous Engagement Unit) — admissions test (UCAT/GAMSAT) waived for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants; ATAR 50+ entry via VTAC with academic support via the Gukwonderuk Indigenous Health Workforces Centre. Notre Dame Sydney — UNDA Indigenous entry pathway available; quota not publicly specified. Both schools accept ATSI applicants through the standard pathway as well; the dedicated pathway typically offers adjusted academic thresholds plus wrap-around academic support.

Monash — BMP 28.5% of all Monash places. Direct Entry Extended Rural Cohort (ERC) up to 30 places at Clayton; Graduate Entry Rural End-to-End Cohort 30 places. Notre Dame Sydney — 17 BMP places (~30% of CSP equivalents) per 2027 cycle. The federal BMP allocates ~28.5% of CSP places nationally; individual schools sit above or below that benchmark depending on their workforce remit.

Monash typically releases medicine offers December-January. Notre Dame Sydney releases medicine offers November-December. AU MD offers run through GEMSAS (graduate consortium) or direct school portals; if one is earlier than the other you may need to defer a decision while waiting for the second.

Monash runs a Integrated curriculum. Notre Dame Sydney runs a Integrated curriculum. Both schools deliver teaching in the same broad style, so day-to-day study habits will feel similar. Monash specifics: 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 clinical schools. Graduate Entry 4-year MD at the Notre Dame Sydney specifics: 4-year graduate MD. Years 1-2 foundations with clinical immersion; years 3-4 hospital and rural placements. Mandatory medical ethics thread runs across all four years.

Yes — AU medical applicants typically lodge preferences across multiple schools via GEMSAS (graduate) or direct-undergraduate portals + state TACs (UAC for NSW, VTAC for VIC, QTAC for QLD, etc.). The two schools' selection mechanics differ enough that listing both is a legitimate diversification strategy. A common mistake is over-indexing on schools with the same test-and-interview profile; Monash and Notre Dame Sydney differ in their selection mechanics, so prepping both adds genuine optionality.