Researching university is pain, and navigating those university websites is actually the worst. Having 50 tabs open on your browser is a tax so, we have compiled all the info in one page. This is all the basics on Med School at Otago and Auckland Univeristy.
Univesity of Otago:
University of Otago is New Zealand’s first university and it’s also considered one of the best in the medical field. 12 of its courses are in the top 100 in the world, including both medicine and dentistry.
A bonus of studying medicine at University of Otago is that they offer both undergraduate and graduate degrees, which isn’t as common as you’d think.
Even though Otago offers an undergraduate course, in NZ you can’t study medicine straight out of school. In order to be eligible for undergraduate med, you’re required to complete one year of a health science degree (called Health Science First Year) and pass all the assessments on first attempt, with a minimum score of 70%. You also need to have a valid UMAT result.
Weightings:
Your GPA after Health Science First Year (HSFY) is weighted at 67%, and your UMAT result at 33%.
When it comes to the postgraduate degree, it goes without saying that you’re required to hold a bachelor’s degree (or greater).
There is no preference given to any specific degree qualification or major subject.
A major benefit of applying for medicine at University of Otago is that there is no interview as part of the application process, which as you’ll see reading on, can often be the most gruelling part!
Cost:
Local student: $15,087 NZDInternational student: $32,025-$83,200 NZD
Entry requirements:
Undergraduate: UMAT, HSFY papersPostgraduate: GAMSAT, Bachelor’s degree (or higher)
QS World University Rankings:
Overall: 151Dentistry: =29
Medicine: 51 - 100
Student enrolment:
Total: 18, 532International students: 3,871
Useful Links:
Health Sciences First Year ( HSFY ) Overview
Admission into Health Sciences First Year ( HSFY ) FAQs
University of Auckland
The University of Auckland is New Zealand’s highest ranked university with a strong reputation amongst employers.
The University of Auckland is ranked 62nd in world for life sciences and medicine, offering both undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
In order to be eligible for the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB), you will be required to sit the obligatory UMAT test and you must complete eight required first year courses in either the Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc) or the Bachelor of Science (BSc Biomedical Science). Subjects are listed on The University of Auckland website.
No matter how many times you sit these courses, only your first attempt will be considered upon application and you must have a GPA of at least 6.0 to be eligible for the next phase of the admissions process – the interview stage!
Note: achieving the minimum GPA does not guarantee you an interview!
Yearly, there are about twice as many eligible candidates as there are places available in the medical program!
The interview stage is one of the more stressful aspects of the medical admissions process at The University of Auckland as they follow the multiple mini interview (MMI) process.
MMI is exactly what it sounds like; a bunch of short interviews. In total, there are eight stations. Each station has one interviewer and takes eight minutes to complete: two minutes for the applicant to read and think over a given scenario and six minutes of being interviewed.
Each stage of the MMI process will assess a non-academic quality that the university considers to be important when pursuing a career in medicine. The interview panels consist of staff members from the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences and invited members of the wider community.
For graduate entry, it is the same process, except you don’t have to take the eight Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc) or the Bachelor of Science subjects because you’ll already hold a Bachelor’s degree.
Be aware: you can only have two attempts at applying to the MBChB program.
Cost:
Local student: $15,082.80 NZDInternational student: $72,896 NZD
Entry requirements:
Undergraduate: UMAT score (15%), first year subjects GPA (60%), Multiple Mini Interview (25%), competent in English (prerequisite)QS World University Rankings:
Overall: =82Life sciences and medicine: =62
Medicine: 51 - 100
Student enrolment:
Total: 29,461International students: 8,568