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Australian Medical school comparison

Notre Dame Sydney vs UQ

Notre Dame Sydney and UQ are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Both sit in England, so location and clinical-placement breadth are similar — the differentiation comes from selection methodology, interview style and curriculum philosophy.

Side-by-side comparison

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

UQ

Herston

Quick comparison

Location
Herston, Australia
Entry pathway
Graduate
Admission tests
GAMSAT
GAMSAT
Minimum 50 in each of Sections I, II, III (any section below 50 = ineligible). Interview shortlist: 50% unweighted GAMSAT (mean of 3 sections) + 50% GPA, GPA as tiebreaker. Final offer: 25% ATAR/GPA + 25% UCAT/GAMSAT + 50% MMI (Fraser's reconstruction).
UCAT-ANZ
Provisional Entry (school-leaver) only — 2025 intake lowest invited UCAT-ANZ 3110 (non-rural) / 2670 (Rural Access). 25% ATAR + 25% UCAT (cognitive sections only, excluding SJT) + 50% MMI.
ATAR
-
Interview format
Multi-Mini Interview (8 stations)
Post-interview chance
~40% interview-to-offer.
Decision date
November-December
Compare different schools

Notre Dame Sydney vs UQ - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

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).. UQ requires Bachelor degree with minimum GPA 5.0/7.0; GAMSAT overall 50+ with section minima 50+; MMI.. Both demand the same A-Level grade band, so academic prediction is unlikely to differentiate your application between them — provided you meet the required subject combination at each.

Interview formats

Both Notre Dame Sydney and UQ use MMI interviews, so the underlying prep approach is the same — practise ethics frameworks, NHS hot-topic answers and (for MMI) structured station responses against a timer. That said, the specifics differ slightly: Notre Dame Sydney runs mmi (asynchronous online via modern hire); UQ runs multi-mini interview (8 stations). Mock practice tailored to each school's exact format is the highest-leverage prep. Interview windows: Notre Dame Sydney interviews in September-November; UQ in October-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: 4-year graduate MD. Years 1-2 foundations with clinical immersion; years 3-4 hospital and rural placements. Mandatory medical ethics thread runs acros 4-year graduate MD. Years 1-2 foundations and clinical skills at the Herston Health Sciences precinct. Years 3-4 clinical placements distributed acros Intake size: 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).; UQ — 2027 graduate intake: 107 CSP + 43 BMP + up to 190 international = up to 340 total (reduced from 350). Plus ~140 Provisional Entry CSP (school-leaver) with 28% reserved for Rural Access Scheme.. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

Post-interview offer rate

Notre Dame Sydney: Not publicly disclosed.. UQ: ~40% interview-to-offer.. 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

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. UQ: UQ runs Australia's largest 4-year graduate-entry MD (~470 places), anchored across the Herston Health Sciences precinct and the Princess Alexandra, Royal Brisbane, Mater, and Gold Coast clinical schools. The Ochsner Clinical School in New Orleans offers an internationally co-badged pathway. Pre-interview ranking is a weighted GAMSAT + GPA composite; the MMI and MSA together carry significant weight in the final offer composite.

Which is right for you?

Both schools sit in the same England foundation-programme catchment, so post-graduation training paths overlap heavily. Your firm/insurance choice should ultimately weight: where your UCAT and predicted grades sit relative to each school's threshold, which interview format you can prepare for most credibly, and where you'd actually want to live for five or six years.

Common questions

What admission tests do Notre Dame Sydney and UQ use?+
Notre Dame Sydney uses GAMSAT and CASPer. UQ 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.
What GAMSAT score do I need for Notre Dame Sydney vs UQ?+
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. UQ — Minimum 50 in each of Sections I, II, III (any section below 50 = ineligible). Interview shortlist: 50% unweighted GAMSAT (mean of 3 sections) + 50% GPA, GPA as tiebreaker. Final offer: 25% ATAR/GPA + 25% UCAT/GAMSAT + 50% MMI (Fraser's reconstruction). 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.
What UCAT-ANZ score do I need for Notre Dame Sydney vs UQ?+
Notre Dame Sydney — does not publish a UCAT-ANZ cut-off (may not use UCAT-ANZ; check the admission-test question above). UQ — Provisional Entry (school-leaver) only — 2025 intake lowest invited UCAT-ANZ 3110 (non-rural) / 2670 (Rural Access). 25% ATAR + 25% UCAT (cognitive sections only, excluding SJT) + 50% MMI. 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.
What GPA do I need for Notre Dame Sydney vs UQ?+
Notre Dame Sydney — Minimum 5.2/7.0 weighted from 3 years FTE. 2023 intake average successful GPA 6.70; competitive target ≥6.3. UQ — Minimum 5.0/7.0 in key degree. Currency rule: degrees > 10 years before commencement require ≥ 0.50 FTE subsequent coursework at GPA ≥ 5.0. 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.
How do interviews differ between Notre Dame Sydney and UQ?+
Notre Dame Sydney uses: MMI (asynchronous online via Modern Hire). UQ uses: Multi-Mini Interview (8 stations). Different formats reward different skill sets. Plan separate prep streams for each. Interview windows: September-November (Notre Dame Sydney); October-November (UQ).
What place types (CSP / BMP / Full-fee) do Notre Dame Sydney and UQ offer?+
Notre Dame Sydney — 2027: 40 CSP + 17 BMP + up to 57 Full-fee domestic + up to 35 international = ~149 total (147 in 2026 intake). UQ — 2027 graduate intake: 107 CSP + 43 BMP + up to 190 international (incl. UQ-Ochsner). Provisional Entry adds ~140 CSP school-leaver places with 28% reserved for Rural Access Scheme. 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.
What Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander entry pathways do Notre Dame Sydney and UQ offer?+
Notre Dame Sydney — UNDA Indigenous entry pathway available; quota not publicly specified. UQ — Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Provisional Entry scheme; UCAT not required for ATSI Admissions Scheme; no set graduate quota. Both schools accept ATSI applicants through the standard pathway as well; the dedicated pathway typically offers adjusted academic thresholds plus wrap-around academic support.
Does Notre Dame Sydney or UQ offer bonded / rural-entry places?+
Notre Dame Sydney — 17 BMP places (~30% of CSP equivalents) per 2027 cycle. UQ — 28.5% of CSP places reserved for rural-background applicants (≥5 consecutive or ≥10 cumulative years in rural Australia per MMM 2023). Rural applicants receive two upward GAMSAT score adjustments. Regional pathways: Central Queensland-Wide Bay (CQ-WB RMP) and Darling Downs-South West (DD-SW MP). The federal BMP allocates ~28.5% of CSP places nationally; individual schools sit above or below that benchmark depending on their workforce remit.
When does each school release decisions?+
Notre Dame Sydney typically releases medicine offers November-December. UQ 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.
What curriculum style do Notre Dame Sydney and UQ use?+
Notre Dame Sydney runs a Integrated curriculum. UQ runs a Integrated curriculum. Both schools deliver teaching in the same broad style, so day-to-day study habits will feel similar. 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. UQ specifics: 4-year graduate MD. Years 1-2 foundations and clinical skills at the Herston Health Sciences precinct. Years 3-4 clinical placements distributed across Princess Alexandra, Royal Brisbane, Mater, Gold
Should I apply to both Notre Dame Sydney and UQ?+
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; Notre Dame Sydney and UQ differ in their selection mechanics, so prepping both adds genuine optionality.