Medicine in Australia can be entered through direct undergraduate study after secondary school or graduate entry after a prior degree. Graduation does not itself authorise medical practice. The Australian Medical Council (AMC) does not register doctors; registration is granted through the Medical Board of Australia. Australian and New Zealand medical graduates apply for provisional registration, complete postgraduate year one (PGY1) and then satisfy the requirements for general registration. Graduates qualified outside Australia or New Zealand use separate international medical graduate (IMG) pathways.
Direct undergraduate and graduate entry routes
The direct undergraduate route, often called provisional entry, allows an applicant to complete a first bachelor’s degree before beginning a Doctor of Medicine. Graduate entry is the alternative for applicants who have already completed a prior degree and apply directly to a graduate medicine programme.
The University of Queensland (UQ) and Australian National University (ANU) examples below illustrate how these routes operate. They are programme-specific publications, not system-wide rules for every Australian medical school.
What the direct undergraduate route involves
For UQ’s Greater Brisbane provisional entry pathway, an applicant completes a first bachelor’s degree at UQ before starting the Doctor of Medicine. Eligibility requires an applicant to be in the final year of secondary school, completing Queensland Year 12 or an equivalent qualification on a first attempt. The MD application must be submitted during the final year of secondary school, regardless of whether the secondary results are released in the same calendar year.
UQ publishes the following minimum entry requirements:
- an adjusted ATAR of 95 or equivalent;
- Queensland Year 12 English or an equivalent subject;
- a competitive University Clinical Aptitude Test for Australia and New Zealand (UCAT ANZ) aggregate score from the year of application; and
- attendance at a multiple mini-interview in the year of application.
Meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. The required UCAT ANZ score for an interview invitation also changes with applicant performance and available places and cannot be determined in advance. For UQ’s 2026 intake, the lowest UCAT ANZ scores for an invitation to interview were 1960 for Rural Background Sub-Quota provisional entry applicants and 2290 for provisional entry applicants not eligible for that sub-quota. These figures apply to the stated intake and categories rather than operating as permanent thresholds.
Progression into the MD is a second stage. UQ requires students to complete the first degree within the minimum time and achieve an overall GPA of at least 5.0 on a seven-point scale across all undergraduate study undertaken at UQ. The International Student Admissions Test (ISAT) is not accepted for this pathway.
What graduate entry involves
ANU’s Doctor of Medicine and Surgery, or MChD, illustrates a graduate medicine programme. ANU distinguishes the admissions tests used by domestic and international applicants.
Domestic applicants must sit the Graduate Australian Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT). It is held in March and September, with results released in May and November respectively. ANU states that GAMSAT results remain valid for four years for admissions purposes.
International applicants must sit either GAMSAT or the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). MCAT is held at various times during the year, and ANU states that MCAT results are also valid for four years. International applicants must provide the GAMSAT or MCAT result by the application closing date. Meeting the applicable minimum test score does not guarantee an interview.
ANU publishes a detailed selection weighting for domestic applicants. Selection for interview uses a 50:50 composite of GPA, weighted at 50 per cent, and overall GAMSAT score, also weighted at 50 per cent, plus any applicable higher degree research bonus. Composite scores produce a ranked list, and interviews are offered across a range of GPA and GAMSAT combinations.
An offer is then based on a final score weighted equally between the interview result, at 50 per cent, and the GPA/GAMSAT composite used for interview ranking, also at 50 per cent. ANU states this weighting for domestic selection; the same weighting cannot be assumed to apply to international applicants.
University English requirements are not registration requirements
English evidence is assessed at more than one stage. ANU requires applicants to meet its English language requirements for admission to postgraduate coursework and warns that these differ from the Medical Board of Australia’s English requirements. ANU notes that the difference becomes particularly important before registering for an internship.
UQ gives a related but programme-specific example. International provisional entry applicants need to meet the English requirements for the bachelor’s degree. After completing that degree, the completed bachelor’s degree satisfies UQ’s English requirement for the MD.
Neither example replaces the separate English assessment required by the Medical Board for registration. Admission to a university programme and registration to practise medicine are distinct decisions made by different bodies.
Published medicine fees and other costs
UQ publishes an approximate yearly tuition figure of **AUD $109,328 for 2027**, based on **16 units**, for its four-year Doctor of Medicine. This is UQ’s international tuition indicator for that programme and year. It is one provider’s published amount, not a national Australian medicine fee or a cost applicable to other universities.
UQ states that fees are reviewed each year and may increase. The published amount also varies according to the selected courses and study load, so applicants need to check the programme fee page for the relevant intake rather than treat the figure as fixed.
The same UQ page lists a further **$13,560 for 2027** program-specific charge for provisional entry students. This amount applies in addition to the MD tuition and is not charged to graduate entry students. A provisional entry student must also pay the fees for the separate bachelor’s degree. Course-fee-paying students are also charged the student services charge listed as the SSAF, which UQ says funds non-academic services.
By contrast, ANU’s MChD programme page publishes no numerical fee. It directs readers to the ANU Programs and Courses website for fee information. That published programme page therefore cannot be used as evidence of an ANU tuition amount.
Registration after an Australian medical degree
Australian and New Zealand medical graduates must apply for provisional registration so they can complete an accredited PGY1 position, also called a medical internship. Provisional registration is not full registration.
Final-year medical students are encouraged to apply for provisional registration up to three months before completing their medical course. This means the registration application can begin before the degree itself is finished, subject to the Board’s assessment of the application.
After provisional registration, the graduate completes PGY1 training. PGY1 completion makes the graduate eligible for general registration, but the degree by itself does not provide that outcome. The graduate must satisfy the Board’s registration standard for Australian and New Zealand medical graduates.
The overseas-trained doctor pathway
Internationally qualified medical practitioners, or IMGs, gained their medical qualifications outside Australia and New Zealand. The Medical Board selects the applicable pathway according to the applicant’s qualifications, the type of registration sought and whether practice in Australia is intended to be temporary or long term.
The Board identifies four pathway categories:
- Standard pathway: For IMGs not eligible for the Competent Authority or Specialist pathway. Completion of this assessment pathway leads to general registration.
- Competent Authority pathway: For IMGs assessed by a competent authority who have practised in a competent authority country. It covers non-specialists and international medical specialists, including general practitioners, and is a route to registration and practice in Australia.
- Specialist pathway: For IMGs holding an international specialist medical qualification. It leads to specialist registration and includes expedited specialist assessment, specialist recognition and specialist area-of-needs assessment.
- Short term training in a medical specialty pathway: For specialist IMGs and specialists in training seeking a short period of specialist or advanced training in Australia, usually for up to 24 months.
The AMC’s role is narrower than its association with medical assessment may suggest. It manages the assessment process for the **Standard pathway only**. It does not assess IMGs on the Competent Authority pathway, the Specialist pathway or the short-term specialty training pathway.
The AMC does undertake primary source verification of medical credentials connected to the other pathways. However, it is not responsible for determining eligibility or conducting their assessments. Credential verification is the first step for an IMG using the AMC’s assessment system.
The AMC has no role in processing applications for medical registration and cannot grant registration. That function belongs to the Medical Board of Australia. The IMG pathway is therefore separate from the provisional registration and PGY1 process used by Australian and New Zealand medical graduates.
Questions students ask
What does PGY1 training involve?
PGY1 doctors must complete 47 weeks of full-time equivalent training. This includes at least four terms of at least 10 weeks each in different specialties, with direct clinical care. Up to two types of patient care can count in each 10-week term, and the terms must be pre-accredited against approved accreditation standards.
Can a PGY1 doctor undertake clinical work elsewhere?
PGY1 doctors can perform clinical work only in their allocated position at an accredited location. They are not permitted to undertake clinical work outside that PGY1 position.
How does an IMG begin the registration process?
The Board’s process begins with finding the appropriate pathway and registration type through its self-assessment tool. The IMG then gathers the documents listed for that pathway and submits or manages the application through the Ahpra portal.
Which body hosts the IMG eligibility tools?
The Medical Board of Australia hosts the pathway-eligibility tool and the medical-school check. These tools are designed to identify whether the overseas school, medical degree and graduation year fall within a possible registration pathway.
What costs may sit outside the published tuition figure?
UQ states that students are expected to fund travel and living expenses associated with placements. Some placements may take place away from the campus, so the published tuition indicator does not represent every cost associated with the programme.