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Entry to Medicine and Health careers
Saturday, 1 March 2025
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Entry to Medicine in New Zealand
Students who are thinking of professional medical degrees need to read the following before making subject choices for Year 13. There are two universities who offer medical degrees in New Zealand. For Otago University only: You must take Health Science First Year (HSFY) and apply for entry at the end of your first year of university. It is strongly recommended students take Level 3 Chemistry, Physics and Calculus and at least one English rich subject (this could include Biology but does not have to be) as there is a compulsory English Diagnostic test. This information was updated December 2023. HSFY is also required at Otago for entry into professional courses in physiotherapy, pharmacy, dentistry and medical laboratory science and is recommended but not compulsory for students considering degrees in oral health, dental technology and radiation therapy. See here for ways to prepare for HSFY and also Summer school options for Chemistry and Physics preparation for those students who may not have completed Year 12 Physics For Auckland University only: There are two options for the first year pathway to medicine; complete the first year of either a Biomedical Science degree or a Health Science degree. See here for details of the second year application which is based on your first year course.
Students will be selected into the first year of a health sciences degree on the basis of their rank score and as well as UE must have at least 18 credits in one of Biology, Chemistry or Physics, and 18 credits in one of Classical Studies, English, Geography, History, History of Art, Social Studies, Te Reo Māori (or Te Reo Rangatira) at NCEA Level 3 or equivalent. In 2024 they wanted you to have a rank score of 250 for your top 80 credits. For potential applicants to the MBChB, Level 3 Biology, Chemistry and at least one English-rich subject are strongly recommended.
For Biomedical Science: It is strongly recommended that students have Level 3 Chemistry, recommended that students have Level 3 Biology, and it is useful to have achieved a Level 3 English rich subject, Level 3 Physics and Level 3 Mathematics, either Statistics or Calculus. In 2024 they wanted you to have a rank score of 280 for your top 80 credits. Students interested in studying Medicine or some other medical professional degrees at both Otago and Auckland need to sit the UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test) as part of their admissions process in the year they apply for the professional programme. The UCAT is a well-established and internationally respected test, used to select students for medicine and dentistry courses at the majority of universities in the UK. The test is a 2 hour computer based test which gives students immediate results. The test consists of five, separately timed, sub-tests in these areas: verbal reasoning, decision making, quantitative reasoning, abstract reasoning and situational judgement. All the universities in New Zealand and Australia who use UCAT for admissions are here. https://www.ucat.edu.au/ucat-anz/universities/ Please note, some Australian Universities will not require UCAT but all New Zealand ones will. To help prepare for UCAT, free comprehensive preparation materials, including an online guide, tutorials, question banks and practice tests will be available on the UCAT website https://www.ucat.edu.au/ucat-anz/ MedEntry is a private organisation who offer preparation help at a cost. Students interested in pursuing medicine can sit the UCAT test in July/August of your Year 13 year. However, in New Zealand your results from sitting UCAT in Year 13 will not be considered for your application at the end of your first year at university. You need to sit the test again in the year you are applying for entry to medical school or dentistry school. There may be benefits from sitting the test in Year 13 to familiarise yourself with the process. MedEntry is a government-accredited Registered Training Organisation specialising in UCAT preparation. MedEntry offers free resources, discounts of 40% for groups, and many other discounts including for those nominated by their teacher. For more information, please visit www.medentry.co.nz Please note, Otago University do not support this organisation and state there is no need to sit the test in year 13 as well. It is a personal choice. If you are hoping to study medicine in Australia your Year 13 UCAT result is used for your application. How to deal with the stresses of first year. Entry to Medicine in Australia Careers in Health The Allied Health, Scientific and Technical Career Information Booklet is a valuable resource identifying many of the Allied Professions, what they do, how you train and what school subjects would be useful. If you are drawn to healthcare careers take a look at the many options listed here: |