In this article, we’re going to give you an overview of The University of NSW and the medical courses it offers that require UCAT for admission.

In this article on The University of NSW,

• Overview of The University of NSW
• University rankings
• The University of NSW courses requiring UCAT
  • Bachelor of Medical Studies/ Doctor of Medicine
  • Bachelor of Medical Studies/ Doctor of Medicine/ Arts
• Clinical placement information
• Partner hospitals

An Overview of The University of NSW

The University of NSW (known as UNSW) was established in 1943 however its history can be traced back to the formation of Sydney Mechanics Institue in 1843.

UNSW is a member of the Group of Eight and has a strong research community. Currently, there are 59,871 students enrolled at UNSW with 35,679 of those students domestic.

There are 18 different colleges and student accommodation options with 4,400 beds for students on campus.

Some of these options include:

• The Village
• Colombo College
• Fig Tree Hall, etc.

UNSW has a vibrant campus life with various things to do! The university has many restaurants, bars, societies, and events to help students live a balanced life.

There are many seminars as well to help students become career-ready.

UNSW has many campuses for different faculties:

• Kensington (Main campus)
• Port Macquarie which opened in 2017 (Rural Clinical School)
• Wagga Wagga (Rural Clinical School)
• Randwick (UNSW Medicine’s National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre)
• Paddington (Art and Design)
• Canberra (Australian Defence Force Academy)
• CBD (for Staff and hospitality)
• Manly Vale (UNSW’s Water Research Laboratory for School of Civil and Environmental Engineering)

Rankings

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Medical Courses Offered that require UCAT

The University offers two medical courses to students. The following table outlines the courses offered, its specifics, and entry requirements such as ATAR and UCAT score:

Bachelor of Medical Studies/ Doctor of Medicine

Entry requirements

ATAR:

• Minimum ATAR requirement: 96
• In 2020, the lowest ATAR which received local entry was 96.20.
• In 2020, the lowest ATAR which received entry through the Rural entry Scheme was 91.05.
• The minimum ATAR students need is 96.00.

IB:

The minimum IB score students need is 38.

Prerequisites:

There are no prerequisites for the degree.

Entry Requirements:

Student applications are ranked for an offer based upon the combination of UCAT, ATAR and Interview results.

Application process:

• Students are required to sit the UCAT and score a high mark. There is no minimum, but there is an expectation that students must reach at least the 50th percentile to proceed to the interview stages.
• Students are also required to complete an application through the Medicine Application Portal which can be accessed through the UNSW website.
• Students will then be invited for an interview based on their selection rank and UCAT overall score. Approximately, 500 local applicants are interviewed each year.

Interview Criteria and structure:

Criteria: The interview covers a range of issues and analyses your ability to respond to different situations.

Structure: Students are interviewed by two individuals who could be academic staff, medical practitioners and community representatives.

Other options to entry:

• If you are not offered a place into UNSW medicine at the completion of Year 12, you are able to apply again whilst studying a tertiary degree. You must do the UCAT again to apply.
• Students who have completed more than 0.75 years of full-time equivalent study will be assessed on either their university results (min 70 WAM) or ATAR (min 96.00).
• Students who have completed less than 0.75 of a full-time equivalent university load will be assessed only on the basis of their Year 12 marks.

Degree facts:

• The fourth year of the degree is an independent learning project (ILP) whereby students research a topic of choice.
• High marks in the Bachelor of Medical Studies component of this program will allow you to undertake a one-year research program and gain honours.

Note: Students who begin their studies in Port Macquarie in year 1 are expected to continue their studies in the Mid North Coast region (Coffs Harbour or Port Macquarie Rural Clinical School) for the whole 6 years.

Students who begin their studies in Wagga Wagga in year 1 are expected to continue their studies in the Murrumbidgee, Riverina and Border region (Wagga Wagga, Albury, and Griffith Rural Clinic School Campuses) for the whole 6 years.

Only in exceptional circumstances can the students studying on Rural campuses can move to the metropolitan campus.

Bachelor of Medical Studies/ Doctor of Medicine/ Arts

The entry to this degree has the same requirements and process as the program listed above. The only difference with this program is that students spend a part of their degree completing a Bachelor of Arts in addition to Medicine.

Clinical placement information

Clinical placements for the medicine program at UNSW are organised into phases.

Phase 1: Most teaching is conducted on the main university campus in Kensington, fortnightly clinical sessions are held in Sydney metropolitan area hospitals. A smaller cohort of students is also located at the Port Macquarie campus of the Rural Clinical School, with those students attending clinical sessions at Port Macquarie Base Hospital.

Phase 2: Teaching in clinical environments is 3 days per week.

Phase 3: Most teaching is conducted in clinical environments.

Partner hospitals

Partner hospitals for students are split between metropolitan and rural hospitals in NSW.

Metropolitan hospitals

The St. Vincent’s Clinical School

• St. Vincent’s Hospital, Darlinghurst
• Sacred Heart Hospice, Darlinghurst
• Sydney Hospital and Sydney Eye Hospital, Sydney

The St. George & Sutherland Clinical School

• St. George Hospital, Kogarah
• The Sutherland Hospital, Caringbah
• Calvary Hospital, Kogarah

The Prince of Wales Clinical School

• The Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick

The South Western Sydney Clinical School

• Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool
• Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital, Bankstown
• Braeside Hospital, Prairiewood
• Fairfield Hospital, Prairiewood
• Campbelltown Hospital, Campbelltown
• Camden Hospital, Camden

School of Women’s and Children’s Health

• Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick
• The Royal Hospital for Women, Randwick

Rural hospitals

Information about teaching in rural hospitals can be found, here.

Rural Clinical School

• Wagga Wagga Base Hospital, WaggaWagga
• Albury Base Hospital, Albury Wodonga Health, Albury
• Port Macquarie Base Hospital, Port Macquarie
• Coffs Harbour Health Campus, Coffs Harbour
• Griffith Base Hospital, Griffith