Doctor of Medicine

The Doctor of Medicine (MD) program at Griffith University is a GRADUATE ENTRY program. As such, ALL applicants are to have completed or be in the final year of completing an undergraduate degree before they are eligible to apply for entry.

Applicants to the MD are encouraged from all degree backgrounds.

The medical selection criteria comprise three essential components:

1. completion of a Bachelor degree or other 'key degree' (see below) achieving an overall GPA of 5.0 or above on a 7-point scale calculated using the GEMSAS schema.
2. performance in the Graduate Medical School Admission Test (GAMSAT) - applicants must achieve a minimum score of 50 in each GAMSAT section.
3. performance in the Griffith University Multi Station Admissions Assessment (GUMSAA).

The GPA will be added to the GAMSAT score (50:50) by converting GPA and GAMSAT to a percentage score in order to rank applicants for selection for GUMSAA.

Key degree

Applicants must have achieved a minimum GPA of 5.0 in their most recent Bachelor or other key degree. A key degree is a Bachelor degree, Honours degree, Masters (coursework or research) or a PhD.

Applicants are ranked for interview based on selections rank derived from a 50/50 combination of an unweighted GPA (converted to a percentage) and the overall GAMSAT score (also from 100). This combination rank means that a lower GAMSAT score may be offset by a higher GPA and vice versa (within the minimum requirement limits).

Griffith recognises two year accelerated Bachelor degrees or one year conversion degrees for the purposes of admission to Medicine. However, these degrees MUST be complete at the time of application.

For completed Bachelor degrees, the GPA will be calculated using the GEMSAS grading schema and will be calculated over the final three years of full-time study. Applicants who are in the final year of a Bachelor degree at the time of application will have a GPA calculated over all grades available to date.

The GPA for completed Honours degrees will have a final year GPA applied according to the classification awarded (as per the conversion table from the GEMSAS Admissions Guide, available at the GEMSAS website). The balance of the GPA calculation will be based on the final two years of the undergraduate degree.

Completed Masters by Research only (where the degree is non-graded) will receive a GPA of 7.0 for the duration of equivalent full-time study up to a maximum of two years. The balance of the GPA calculation will be based on the final one or two years of the undergraduate degree.

Completed Masters by Coursework (or a combination of coursework and research) will have a GPA calculated from the graded components of the program for the duration of equivalent full-time years of study in the program with the balance of the GPA calculation being based on the final one or two years of the undergraduate degree.

Completed PhDs will receive an overall GPA of 7.0.

The key degree must have been completed within 10 years of the projected commencement date. Applicants whose key degree was completed outside the 10 year period will be considered for admission if they have also completed (with a passing GPA) the equivalent of one year of full time tertiary study at Diploma level or higher within the past 10 years.

Offer types

There are 198 Commonwealth Supported Places available in the graduate entry Doctor of Medicine (MD) program at Griffith University. One of the place types has bonding arrangements.

To qualify for the bonded offer type that the School has available, applicants must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia at the time of application (citizens of New Zealand do not meet this requirement).

Approximately 80 places each year are reserved for students entering the graduate entry medical program from the Bachelor of Medical Science facilitated entry into the Medicine pathway.

Griffith University Rural Priority Access Scheme

A proportion of the Griffith University medical intake will be required to be from a rural background (MM 2-7). Therefore, applicants who meet these criteria will be given priority access to Griffith University selection interviews (GUMSAA). More information is available here.

Griffith University First Peoples' Health Pathway

Griffith upholds a commitment to support people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent to pursue a medical career. More information is available here.

Graduate Medical School Admission Test (GAMSAT)

All applicants may apply using a valid GAMSAT score. The minimum GAMSAT score for applications to be considered further is 50/50/50.

GAMSAT scores are required to be no more than four years old at the time of application.

MD/PhD pathway

Applications for admission are to be submitted to the Dean of Medicine during Year 2/Trimester 2 of study in the Doctor of Medicine program. Applicants to the MD/PhDs pathway should have:

• a numerical score equivalent to a Distinction for Year 1 of the MD;
• approval by the Head of School and satisfying the admission requirements as detailed in the Higher Degree Research policy:
  • a Bachelor degree with first-class Honours or second-class Honours (Division A); or
  • a Masters degree incorporating a significant research component from a recognised institution; or
  • a record of research, such as publication authorship, research employment, or a qualification granted by a professional or other body deemed by the Dean, Griffith Graduate Research School, to be of a standard comparable to a Bachelor degree with second-class Honours (Division A).

There are four steps in the Domestic application process. Applicants are required to:

1. Complete an undergraduate degree or other key degree with a GPA of 5.0 or better on a 7-point scale calculated using the grading schema and calculation method available on the Graduate Entry Medical School Admissions System (GEMSAS) website.
2. Register for and sit the Graduate Australian Medical Schools Admissions Test (GAMSAT).
3. Apply for entry to the Griffith School of Medicine and Dentistry via GEMSAS* and nominate in your GEMSAS application if you wish to be considered under the Griffith University Rural Priority Access Scheme.
4. Be invited to attend a multiple station assessment procedure at the Griffith School of Medicine and Dentistry.

* Applicants must have a valid GAMSAT ID number.

You can find further information and register online for GAMSAT at the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) website. If required, please refer to the School of Medicine and Dentistry website for further advice.

Applicants should also note that no direct entry applications for new students will be accepted by the Griffith School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Applicants who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander should refer to Griffith University First Peoples' Health Pathway.

MD/PhD pathway

The following application closing dates apply for this pathway:

• Closing date for Expressions of Interest from Year 1 MD students:
  • 1 December - applications are to be submitted directly to the Dean of Medicine (Head of School, School of Medicine and Dentistry).
• Closing date for Applications from Year 2 MD students:
  • 1 June - applications are to be submitted directly to the Dean of Medicine (Head of School, School of Medicine and Dentistry ).
• Closing date for HDR Candidature and Scholarship Applications from Year 2 MD students:
  • 6 September (one month prior to scholarship round closing date) - documentation is to be submitted to the Griffith Graduate Research School.

Applications for this pathway are to be submitted to the Dean of Medicine (Head of School, School of Medicine and Dentistry ) during Year 2/Trimester 2 of study in the Doctor of Medicine program.

English language requirements apply to International applicants and other applicants whose previous study was undertaken in a country other than Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland, United Kingdom, the United States of America or South Africa or undertaken in a language other than English. The minimum English language requirements for such applicants for admission to this program are as follows:

• a minimum overall band score of 7.0 on IELTS (Academic) with a minimum of 7.0 in each sub-score;
• OR the Occupational English Test (OET) with a minimum score of B in each of the four components (listening, reading, writing and speaking);
• OR an internet-based (iBT) TOEFL score of 94 (minimum score of 24 for listening and reading, 27 for writing and 23 for speaking);
• OR a minimum overall score of 65 in the Pearson Test of English (Academic) with no score less than 65;
• OR successful completion of at least two years of secondary and your entire tertiary studies taught and assessed solely in English from a recognised country*;
• OR successful completion of at least two years in the last five years of tertiary study taught and assessed solely in English from a recognised country* prior to commencement.

English test results must be no more than two years old.

* Recognised countries: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland, South Africa, United Kingdom and the United States of America.

Applicants should refer to the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA) for the English Language Skills Standard for all Doctor of Medicine graduates seeking registration as an Intern.

The Direct Entry Program (DEP) pathway is not accepted for this program.

The above requirements are HIGHER than the requirements stipulated in University policy. Applicants should refer to the following procedure for further information:

• Admission Procedure

Normally credit will not be granted in this program. However, credit transfer in lieu of prior studies will only be awarded in instances where the relevant Dean or nominee determines that the study is equivalent in level and content to courses in the program. Such studies normally would have been completed in an equivalent medical program.