Deakin University

Deakin School of Medicine Contact Details

 Places available in 2027

Qualifying degree/GPA

Qualifying degree

Applicants are considered on academic performance in an approved Bachelor, Honours, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma or Master’s by coursework with a minimum weighted GPA of 5.0.

The minimum entry requirement is:

• A completed Bachelor degree with a minimum weighted GPA of 5.0
• Applicants currently studying the minimum requirement must be in their final year of a 3-year bachelor which must be completed by COB 23 December in the year of application

The completed qualifying degree must be from an Australian University or a Higher Education Institution recognised by the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), or equivalent as deemed by Deakin University.

Deakin recognises up to one year (1FTE) of credit, from below AQF Level 7 study, towards the completion of an undergraduate degree. Deakin does not recognise 2-year bachelor degrees (accelerated degrees (3FTE) completed over 2 years, however, are accepted).

Any credit from an International Baccalaureate will also not be accepted.

GPA

• For all applicants, the GPA will be calculated based on academic grades obtained during the final three full-time equivalent years of the most recent study. Years are progressively weighted x1, x2 and x3, to give greater weight to the most recent results.
• 2020 Calendar year results will not be used in the GPA calculation. Applicants who studied in the final year of their most recent degree in 2020 and who completed at least 0.25FTE of their final year requirements prior to 2020, will have their GPA calculated as Final - 2 x1, Final - 1 x2 and Final x3.
• Applicants who studied in the final year of their most recent degree in 2020 and had less than 0.25FTE of their final year requirements completed prior to 2020, will have their GPA calculated from the Final - 2 and Final - 1 years only. Years will be progressively weighted x1 and x5 to give greater weight to the most recent results.
• An Honours year (embedded or standalone) will be considered and may count as your final year in the GPA calculation. Applicants should note that results for all 2020 calendar year enrolled subjects will not be used (regardless of subject or degree completion/conferral in 2021).
• Graduate Certificates, Graduate Diplomas and Masters by coursework qualifications successfully completed by 31 July 2026 will also be used towards GPA calculations. Applicants should note that 2020 calendar year results will not be used.

Note: A GPA year must have at least 0.25FTE of graded results.

Early exit from a combined degree

Applicants will meet Deakin University's admission requirement if they have completed 3FTE when taking an early exit from a combined degree.

If the applicant takes an early exit from the combined degree, the GPA will be recalculated and if applicable, made a conditional offer of a place. This is dependent on the successful completion and evidence via an official transcript for the single degree.

Submission of documentation to the University after the closing date for the purpose of assessing qualifications will not be accepted. All documentation must be submitted with the application.

Currency of qualification

General stream and Rural Training Stream Tier 2 and 3 applicants are required to have completed their qualifying degree within 10 years of their projected commencement date.

This requirement is waived for Tier 1 Rural Training Stream applicants.

Note:

Applicants whose qualifying degree was completed outside this 10 year period may be considered for admission:

• If they have successfully completed the equivalent of one half year of tertiary coursework study (i.e. 0.5FTE) at Honours, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma level or Master by Coursework by 23 December in the year of application. This study will not be considered in the GPA calculation if the qualification is not completed by 31 July in the year of application (except for Honours which can be completed by COB 23 December in the year of application).
• A Higher Degree by Research will not be considered in the GPA calculation, but may meet the requirements for currency of qualification provided the qualification is completed/will be completed by COB 23 December in the year of application. Applicants should be aware that both the thesis submission and the full examination process must be successfully completed prior to the December deadline in order to meet the application requirement.

Applicants who are in the process of completing these qualifications will receive a conditional offer.

Qualifications must be completed at a TEQSA-accredited institution (or for equivalent international qualifications, defined by the Australian Department of Education (DE) (previously AEI-NOOSR)).

GAMSAT

General Stream and Rural Training Stream Tier 2 and 3 applicants: a minimum GAMSAT overall score of 50 with a minimum of 50 in each of the three sections is required to be considered for interview.

This requirement is waived for Deakin’s Tier 1 Rural Training Stream.

Notes:

• Applicants with a valid GAMSAT who want to be considered for the Deakin Rural Training Stream can enter multiple preferences but must place Deakin as their first preference.
• The GEMSAS application form enables you to submit your application without a GAMSAT ID if you’re only applying for Deakin’s Rural Training Stream Tier 1. When applying for Deakin RTS Tier 1, select Yes to ‘Rural Background’, select Deakin University, and answer the Deakin RTS Tier 1 questions. From 2025, applicants no longer need to email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to apply without a GAMSAT ID.
• Applicants who have had a ban imposed by ACER are ineligible to be considered for the Rural Training Stream during the time of their ban.

Adjustments (Bonuses) / Special entry schemes

Adjustments (Bonuses) / Special entry schemes Applicants may be eligible for the following adjustments (bonuses) which will count towards your aggregate score for interview consideration.

• Relevant Prior Clinical experience (4%)
• Work Experience (2%)
• Deakin Study adjustment (bonus) (4%)
• Rural/Regional residency (Geelong MM1 and Modified Monash Model-MM2 (4%) Modified Monash Model-MM3-MM7 (8%)
• Demonstration of financial disadvantage during undergraduate and/or postgraduate degree (2%)

Please see the table below for more information.

Rural Training Stream Applicants

The Deakin Rural Training Stream (RTS) is part of Deakin’s commitment to address health workforce needs, and to advance the health and wellbeing of regional, rural, remote, Indigenous and marginalised individuals and communities. As such, the RTS is designed to both improve access to medical training for students from rural communities in the Barwon South West Health Region (with a focus on applicants residing locally to their allocated Rural Learning Campus and/or allocated Rural Deakin Medical School site throughout their course), and provide the experience of completing all four years of the MD course within a rural location.

In line with the above, applicants to the RTS program should be aware of the following:

• Students who reside in Deakin’s Tier 1 footprint and opt to stay in their rural communities throughout the course will be required to undertake regular travel to their assigned Rural Learning Campus; Rural Clinical Placement sites; and/or Rural Deakin Medical School site, as part of the program of study.
• Students who reside outside of Deakin's Tier 1 footprint would be expected to relocate locally to their designated Rural Learning Campus; Rural Clinical Placement sites; and/or Rural Deakin Medical School site, as regular study at the assigned Rural Learning Campus and/or Rural Deakin Medical School site is a requirement of the program.
• Students residing within Deakin’s Tier 1 footprint but closer to the Deakin Waurn Ponds Campus than to one of the Rural Learning Campuses will not be able to use Waurn Ponds as their primary place of study, as RTS places are not funded or allocated for study at this campus. Regular travel will be necessary to the assigned Rural Learning Campus; Rural Clinical Placement sites; and/or Rural Deakin Medical School site.
• Some required learning experiences will be scheduled at the Deakin Waurn Ponds campus for RTS students.
• Places are strictly limited at each of the Rural Learning Campuses and/or Rural Deakin Medical School site, so if applicants are unsuccessful in being offered a place at their closest Rural Learning Campus or Rural Deakin Medical School site but are offered a place, and elect to study, at a Rural Learning Campus or Rural Deakin Medical School site further away from their place of residence, regular travel will still be necessary to the assigned Rural Learning Campus and/or Rural Deakin Medical School site.

Entry Requirements

In addition to the entry requirements above, applicants to the RTS will be considered on the basis of their rural background and ranked according to a tiered priority system (please visit https://www.deakin.edu.au/faculty-of-health/school-of-medicine/study-with-us/rural-training-stream for further information on how this Stream operates).

You may find this interactive link helpful for determining your tier eligibility: https://geo.spatialventures.com.au/deakin_rh/deakin_tier_rts.html

Applicants meeting the eligibility criteria for Tier 1 will have the following admission requirements waived:

• a valid GAMSAT, and
• an undergraduate degree that must have been completed within the last 10 years.

Applicants meeting the eligibility criteria for Tier 1 who have a valid GAMSAT and meet the 10-year rule requirement, can still apply for the Rural Training Stream by placing Deakin as their first preference. They will be ranked in accordance with the Rural Training Stream criteria.

Applicants meeting the eligibility criteria for Tier 2 and Tier 3 can apply for the Rural Training Stream by placing Deakin as their first preference. A valid GAMSAT and meeting the 10-year rule is a requirement.

Note: Applicants who indicate their interest in being considered for the Rural Training Stream will be assessed and ranked based on the criteria for that stream first. If an applicant is not successful in securing a position in the Rural Training Stream and they have a valid GAMSAT result, they will then be considered for the General Stream.

Applicants who decline their offer of a place in the Rural Training Stream will not be considered for a place in the Deakin General Stream.

Written Application

Rural Training Stream applicants are required to submit a written application (1000-character limit for each section) demonstrating:

• a rural community connection (provide examples of service and involvement in your community and what motivates your contribution to your rural community); and
• an interest in rural medicine (describe the reasons why you are applying to the Rural Training Stream and your interest in rural medicine, providing examples that demonstrate why you would be an appropriate candidate for this pathway).
• evidence of capability to undertake postgraduate study (prior experiences and independent learning skills).

The written application contributes 50% to the aggregate score for interview ranking and 25% for course offer ranking.

Rural Training Commitment

Acceptance of a place in the Rural Training Stream will require written commitment to completing all four years of the MD course at a rural training site allocated by the School.

Students are expected to reside locally to their allocated Rural Learning Campus and/or Rural Deakin Medical School site throughout their course.

• Year 1 and 2: Delivered through a blend of online and face-to-face learning requirements at either Deakin University’s Warrnambool campus or East Grampians Health Service, Ararat. Following acceptance of course offer, Rural Training Stream entrants will be asked to provide a preference for one of these two training sites but cannot be guaranteed to receive that allocation. Students based at both Warrnambool and Ararat sites will be required to attend Waurn Ponds campus infrequently. Note: Rural Training Stream students cannot complete Year 1 or 2 based at the Waurn Ponds campus.
• Year 3 and 4: Students will be allocated to one or more of Deakin’s rural clinical Deakin Medical School sites – Ballarat-Grampians, Warrnambool-South West or Rural Communities. Deakin Medical School site allocations will take place in first semester of Year 2 based on students’ preferences and availability of places. Deakin Medical School site allocation is independent of the Year 1 and 2 Rural Learning Campus training location. Note: Deakin Medical School, Geelong-Barwon and Eastern Health Clinical School are not available training locations for Rural Training Stream students.

First Nations Australian Applicants

First Nations Australian applicants are highly encouraged to apply directly via the Indigenous Entry Stream but are also able to apply via GEMSAS.

See Medical School website for details: https://www.deakin.edu.au/faculty-of-health/indigenous-entry-stream

First Nations Australians applying via GEMSAS are required to provide Confirmation of Aboriginality and/or Torres Strait Islander Descent signed by and stamped with the common Seal of an Incorporated Indigenous Organisation by 30 June 2026.

Please contact the School directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if further information is required about the documentation required.

Examples of qualified Incorporated Indigenous Organisations:

• Land Councils
• Community Councils
• Housing Organisations
• Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations
• Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations
• Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services

English Language Requirement

English language requirements apply to international applicants and other applicants whose previous study was undertaken in a country other than Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales), the United States of America, Zambia or undertaken in a language other than English.

Evidence of English language proficiency must be current when the applicant commences their studies at Deakin. Time limitations apply to the age of the evidence used to demonstrate English language proficiency:

• tests must be completed no more than two years prior to commencement at Deakin unless otherwise specified; and
• qualifications must be completed no more than 5 years prior to commencement at Deakin unless otherwise specified.

Please refer to Deakin's English Language Proficiency procedure at https://policy.deakin.edu.au/document/view-current.php?id=161) for further information.

Further evidence can be demonstrated as follows:

Applicants may seek to demonstrate English language proficiency on the basis of work and life experience and who have provided evidence that:

• English is their primary language or they completed at least the final four years of their secondary schooling in a recognised English-speaking country; or
• they have continuously resided or worked in a recognised English-speaking country between the completion of their studies and commencement at Deakin.

Link to Deakin's English language requirement: https://policy.deakin.edu.au/document/view-current.php?id=161

Interview

A maximum of 220 applicants will be interviewed.

General Stream applicants are selected for interview based on:

• The number of interview places available
• An aggregate score comprising: equal weighting of GPA + GAMSAT + any adjustment factors if applicable

Rural Training Stream applicants are ranked for interview based on the following factors:

• The number of interview places available
• Tier order (Tier 1 > Tier 2 > Tier 3)
• Ranked order within each tier based on the aggregate score

Tier 1 applicants are ranked within their tier based on:

Aggregate score comprising: GPA + any adjustment factors if applicable (50%) + written application score (50%)

Tier 2 and 3 applicants are ranked within their tier based on:

Aggregate score comprising: Equal weighting of GPA + GAMSAT + any adjustment factors if applicable (50%) + written application score (50%)

Interviews will use the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) format in which applicants are interviewed at up to 6 consecutive stations with 5 minutes for each interaction. Qualities to be assessed at interview may include:

• communication skills
• commitment to rural and regional practice
• evidence-based practice
• self-directed learning
• teamwork
• motivation for a career in medicine
• a commitment to social justice
• professionalism
• effective use of resources
• health promotion

Interviews will be held online in September 2026. Applicants are strongly advised to refer to the School website for updated information, https://www.deakin.edu.au/doctor-medicine.

Offers

Offers will be made to applicants based on the following:

General Stream applicants are ranked for offers based on:

• Equal weighting of GPA + GAMSAT + any adjustment factors if applicable (50%) + MMI interview score (50%)

Rural Training Stream applicants are ranked for offers based on:

• Tier order (Tier 1 > Tier 2 > Tier 3)
• Ranked order within each tier based on the aggregate score applicable to their assigned tier (50%) + MMI interview score (50%)

Tier 1 applicants are ranked within their tier based on:

GPA + any adjustment factors if applicable (25%) + written application score (25%) + MMI interview score (50%)

Tier 2 and 3 applicants are ranked within their tier based on:

Equal weighting of GPA + GAMSAT + any adjustments factors if applicable (25%) + written application score (25%) + MMI Interview score (50%)

Conditional Offers

Offers for applicants in the final year of their degree will be conditional on successfully passing their qualifying degree. Applicants who are in the process of completing their qualifying degree MUST provide their finalised transcript to GEMSAS by COB 23 December 2026.

Applicants who receive a conditional offer will have their overall GPA recalculated. Applicants will be expected to maintain or exceed their overall GPA used when shortlisted for an offer.

An applicant whose overall GPA decreases by 0.4 or less, will have their offer confirmed.

An applicant whose GPA decreases by more than 0.4 or conditions are not met by the specified date on the offer letter, will have their offer withdrawn.

Applicants who are in the process of completing their undergraduate degree MUST provide their finalised transcript to GEMSAS by COB 23 December 2026.

Please note that deferrals are not permitted. Applicants accepting a medical place at Deakin University must carefully consider their personal circumstances to ensure they are able to successfully commence and undertake the course.

International Students

International applicants may apply with GAMSAT or MCAT scores. The minimum GAMSAT score is at least 50 in each section and a score of at least 50 overall. The minimum score for MCAT is 125 in each section. GAMSAT and/or MCAT results must be obtained within 4 years prior to the application. Students who have undertaken their qualifying studies in a non-English speaking country must, in addition, obtain a minimum overall IELTS score of 7.0 (with no band less than 7.0). Applicants, whose qualifying degree was taught and assessed entirely in English, no more than 2 years prior to enrolment at Deakin, are considered as having met the English language requirement. A combination of the GAMSAT/MCAT score and GPA score will be taken into consideration when selecting applicants for interview.

International applicants must apply directly to International Admissions at Deakin University: https://student-deakin.studylink.com

For more information, please visit https://www.deakin.edu.au/course/doctor-medicine-international.

Open Days and Information Sessions

On Demand Course Information Session

An on-demand course information webinar is available at https://www.deakin.edu.au/student-life-and-services/events by selecting Medicine as the study area.

Open Day

Please visit the Deakin website for information about Open Day, https://www.deakin.edu.au/openday.

Deakin University Documentation