UQ medicine entry requirements: GPA, GAMSAT and how you are ranked
UQ assesses graduate applicants differently from most GEMSAS schools. It calculates GPA over your whole key degree, deems a fixed GPA for Honours and research degrees, and uses the unweighted average of your three GAMSAT sections rather than the overall score. This guide sets out each rule, how the interview and offer rankings combine your numbers, and what UQ publishes about past cohorts.
Facts checked against UQ's official pages on .
Independent service: Key2MD is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to The University of Queensland or GEMSAS. Everything below is general guidance drawn from publicly available information, may change between cycles, and is not official advice. Always confirm current requirements on the official pages linked in the sources.
Which cycle this covers. Rules below are for 2027 entry, the latest published, from the GEMSAS Admissions Guide and UQ's Admission to Coursework Procedure (last approved 27 August 2026). If you are planning for 2028 entry, check the 2028 GEMSAS guide when it is released, as UQ reviews its criteria each cycle.
On this page
Eligibility checklist
To be considered for a domestic graduate-entry place through GEMSAS, you need all of the following. Each one is a hurdle: missing any of them makes you ineligible, however strong the rest of your application is.
| Key degree | A completed bachelor degree of at least three years full time. Your key degree is your most recently completed degree, which can be a later bachelor, Honours, graduate diploma, postgraduate diploma, master's or doctoral degree. It must be AQF Level 7 or above. |
|---|---|
| Timing | A first key degree in its final year must be completed by close of business on 23 December 2026 (2027 entry). A new subsequent key degree must be finished by the end of Semester 1 in the year you apply to be assessed. |
| Currency | A key degree finished more than 10 years before you would start needs at least 0.5 full-time equivalent year of later coursework (bachelor level or higher) with a GPA of 5.0, completed in the 10 years before you start. Those grades are not added to your key-degree GPA. |
| GPA | A UQ-equivalent GPA of 5.0 out of 7 or above in the key degree. |
| GAMSAT | At least 50 in each of the three sections. Any section below 50 makes you ineligible. |
| Interview | You must complete UQ's Multiple Mini Interview in the year you apply, and reach the minimum MMI score set by the Executive Dean. |
| English | Applicants from a non-English speaking background must meet UQ's English language proficiency requirements, which are the same as for international applicants. |
How UQ calculates your GPA
GEMSAS calculates a standard GPA for every applicant, but UQ applies its own method for its preference. The differences matter most if your degree had a weak first year, failed units, or a combined degree.
- The whole degree counts. UQ uses every subject you studied while enrolled in the key degree, whether or not it counted towards the award.
- Weighted by credit, not by year. Most GEMSAS schools give your final years more weight. UQ weights each subject by its credit value only, so first-year results count as much as final-year results.
- Credited study is included. If you received credit from earlier study, those grades are included, including failed attempts at subjects in an earlier degree that you repeated and passed.
- Combined degrees count in full. If your key degree was part of a combined, dual or parallel program, every subject towards both degrees is included, including integrated bachelor and master's programs.
- Letter grades are used, with percentages only where no letter grade exists.
- No COVID-19 variation. UQ does not change its method for study periods affected by COVID-19.
Deemed GPAs for Honours and research degrees
If your key degree is one of the following, UQ deems it to have a fixed GPA instead of calculating one from your grades:
| Key degree | Deemed GPA |
|---|---|
| Honours, class I | 7.00 |
| Honours, class IIA | 6.00 |
| Honours, class IIB | 5.00 |
| Honours, class III | 4.00 |
| AQF Level 10 research master's or doctoral degree | 7.00 |
Because UQ uses your most recently completed key degree, a separate Honours year replaces your bachelor GPA. A bachelor GPA of 6.6 followed by Honours class IIA becomes a UQ GPA of 6.00. Class I Honours or a PhD lifts it to 7.00.
If you are in your final year
UQ only runs a current-study assessment if you are completing your first key degree, you are in its final year, your progressive GPA is above 5.0, and you expect to finish by 23 December. You are ranked for interview without your final semester. Any offer is conditional on finishing on time with an overall GPA of 5.0 or better.
The 5.0 to 5.75 review
Competitive applicants whose GEMSAS GPA is between 5.0 and 5.75 are reviewed to check they meet 5.0 on UQ's method. If your GEMSAS GPA is close to 5.0 and your first year was weak, calculate the UQ version yourself before you list UQ.
Which GAMSAT score UQ uses
ACER reports three section scores and an overall score. The overall score counts Section III twice (Flinders publishes the formula as (S1 + S2 + 2 × S3) ÷ 4). UQ ignores it. It ranks you on the unweighted average of the three sections, calculated to six decimal places, with every section required to be at least 50.
Worked example: the same result, two scores
| Step | Working | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Section scores | S1 62, S2 70, S3 58 | |
| ACER overall (approximate) | (62 + 70 + 2 × 58) ÷ 4 | 62.0 |
| UQ unweighted average | (62 + 70 + 58) ÷ 3 | 63.333333 |
ACER calculates the overall score from unrounded section scores, so the published overall can differ slightly from this calculation.
The practical effect: strong Section I and II results help more at UQ than at an overall-score school, while a high Section III helps less. Melbourne and Notre Dame also rank on the section average; ANU, Deakin, Griffith, Macquarie and UWA use the overall score.
Which sittings count
GAMSAT results are valid for four years under GEMSAS rules, and a September sitting cannot be used for the following year's intake.
| Intake | Valid GAMSAT sittings |
|---|---|
| 2027 entry | September 2022 to March 2026 |
| 2028 entry | September 2023 to March 2027 |
If you have several valid results, choose carefully: GEMSAS does not let you change your GAMSAT ID after you submit.
How your numbers become an offer
-
Interview ranking
50% unweighted average GAMSAT, 50% assessed GPA converted to a percentage.
- GPA is the tiebreaker where combined scores are equal.
- Applicants who chose a regional Queensland pathway are ranked for it first, by tier, and UQ aims to invite an equal number from each tier where it can. Those not invited for a regional pathway are then ranked for Greater Brisbane.
- Rural background sub-quota applicants compete within the quota, so their interview threshold may be lower. UQ also applies two adjustments to their unweighted GAMSAT average to help them compete for non-bonded places.
-
The MMI
Online, in September for graduate applicants. A minimum MMI score applies.
- You must accept the invitation in GEMSAS and book a time directly with UQ. Late bookings are only considered in exceptional circumstances.
- The format and what it assesses are covered in the UQ interview guide.
-
Offer ranking
25% GPA, 25% unweighted average GAMSAT, 50% MMI.
- The MMI score breaks ties on the final score.
- Regional pathway offers are made first, by tier and merit, then Greater Brisbane.
- Non-bonded Commonwealth supported places are offered before Bonded Medical Program places in merit order. You can choose which place types you will accept, but your preferred type is not considered when offers are made.
- Offers come out in November, with a small number in December and January.
The interview counts for half of your final score. Once you are invited, a strong MMI can overtake a higher GPA and GAMSAT, and a weak one can undo them.
What UQ publishes about past cohorts
| Domestic cohort, 2023 to 2025 intakes | Average | Range |
|---|---|---|
| GPA | 6.66 | 5.00 to 7.00 |
| Unweighted average GAMSAT | 65.33 | 51.66 to 81.00 |
These figures cover everyone who entered, including the Greater Brisbane and both regional pathways. UQ notes they vary each intake and cannot be predicted, and that meeting the minimums does not guarantee an interview.
Published
- Minimum GPA and GAMSAT section scores
- The interview and offer weightings
- Deemed GPAs for Honours and research degrees
- Average and range of entrants' GPA and GAMSAT over three intakes
- Indicative place numbers
Not published
- The interview cut-off for each pathway or tier
- How GPA is converted to a percentage for ranking
- The size of the two rural GAMSAT adjustments
- The minimum MMI score
- Separate figures for the regional pathways
Places, pathways and quotas
| Domestic MD places | About 275 a year in total. GEMSAS lists 107 graduate Commonwealth supported places and 43 Bonded Medical Program places for 2027 (indicative), including Greater Brisbane, the regional pathways and the rural quota. |
|---|---|
| Central Queensland-Wide Bay Regional Medical Pathway | About 60 places. All four years in Central Queensland (based in Rockhampton) or Wide Bay (Bundaberg and Hervey Bay in Years 3 and 4). |
| Darling Downs-South West Medical Pathway | About 36 places. All four years based in Toowoomba. |
| Regional pathway tiers | Tier 1: five consecutive or ten cumulative years living in the region. Tier 2: a rural background elsewhere (MM2 to MM7). Tier 3: any other interested applicant. To apply, list UQ as your first, second or third GEMSAS preference. |
| Rural background sub-quota | 28.5% of places (GEMSAS; UQ's own page says 28%) for applicants with five consecutive or ten cumulative years in a rural area (MM2 to MM7, Modified Monash Model 2023). Evidence goes to GEMSAS by its deadline (15 June 2026 for 2027 entry). |
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander | No set quota. Apply directly to UQ's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit; the GAMSAT is not mandatory. Applicants who sit it may also apply through GEMSAS. |
| School leavers | UQ also offers provisional entry and, from 2027, a six-year Bachelor of Medical Science / Doctor of Medicine through QTAC. Both use the UCAT ANZ instead of the GAMSAT. See the UQ interview guide for those routes. |
Fees and place types
| Commonwealth supported place | You pay a student contribution set by the Australian Government. The 2027 maximum for medicine units is $14,046 per full-time year, deferrable through HECS-HELP. |
|---|---|
| Bonded Medical Program place | The same student contribution, with a three-year return of service obligation in regional, rural or remote Australia after you finish training. |
| Deferral | Only in limited circumstances, such as a one-year UQ Honours or research master's, professional registration requirements for your current degree, or a UQ PhD. |
Dan's strategy notes for UQ
The following is independent advice, not UQ guidance.
- Recalculate your GPA the UQ way. Students with a weak first year or a failed unit often find their UQ GPA is lower than their GEMSAS GPA. Students who improved steadily lose the benefit of year weighting.
- Think before you add Honours. Honours replaces your bachelor GPA with a deemed figure. Class I helps; class IIA caps you at 6.00, which is below UQ's recent cohort average.
- Compare your section average with your overall. If your Section I and II scores beat Section III, UQ may rank you higher than overall-score schools. Use that when ordering your GEMSAS preferences.
- Take the regional pathways seriously or not at all. They are ranked first and can be a real advantage for Tier 1 and 2 applicants, but accepting one commits you to all four years in the region.
- Prepare for the MMI early. Half the offer score comes from the interview, and UQ's graduate MMIs run in September, a few weeks after invitations.
Frequently asked questions
What GPA do you need for UQ medicine?
The minimum is a UQ-equivalent GPA of 5.0 in your key degree. The 2023 to 2025 domestic entrants averaged 6.66, with a range of 5.00 to 7.00.
Does UQ use the GAMSAT overall score?
No. UQ ranks applicants on the unweighted average of the three section scores, to six decimal places, and requires at least 50 in each section.
How does UQ treat an Honours degree?
If Honours is your most recently completed degree, UQ deems your GPA as 7.00 for class I, 6.00 for IIA, 5.00 for IIB and 4.00 for III. An AQF Level 10 research master's or doctorate is deemed 7.00.
How is the UQ offer ranking calculated?
Under UQ's Admission to Coursework Procedure, the final score is 25% GPA, 25% unweighted average GAMSAT and 50% MMI, and every applicant needs a minimum MMI score.
Is UQ's GPA the same as my GEMSAS GPA?
Not necessarily. UQ includes every subject in the key degree, weights by credit value rather than year, and includes credited study. Applicants with a GEMSAS GPA between 5.0 and 5.75 are reviewed against UQ's method.
Which GAMSAT results can I use for UQ in 2028?
Under the GEMSAS four-year rule, sittings from September 2023 to March 2027 are valid for 2028 entry. A September 2027 result cannot be used for 2028.
Does UQ have a rural quota?
Yes. 28.5% of places go to applicants with a rural background, and two regional Queensland pathways (about 60 and 36 places) are ranked first by tier.
Sources
Facts on this page come from the sources below, checked on . Strategy notes are Dan's independent advice.
- GEMSAS: The University of Queensland (2027 entry): places, key degree and GPA rules, GAMSAT, pathways, interview selection, offers
- UQ Admission to Coursework Procedure, Schedule 2 (last approved 27 August 2026): deemed GPAs, interview and offer weightings, minimum MMI score, deferral
- UQ: MD graduate entry requirements: places, cohort GPA and GAMSAT, rural sub-quota
- GEMSAS: GAMSAT: score used by each school, validity for 2027 and 2028 intakes
- ACER: GAMSAT results: overall score calculation and rounding
- GEMSAS: rurality and bonuses: rural background definition and evidence
- Study Assist: student contribution amounts: 2027 medicine maximum
Check UQ against your own GPA and GAMSAT
The Key2MD calculator applies UQ's published GPA and GAMSAT rules to your own numbers. It is an independent estimate, not an assessment by the university or GEMSAS.
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