Overview
About this course
Our Doctor of Medicine (MD) is a masters-level degree that provides students with world-class clinical and research training.
On completion, graduates are eligible for provisional registration with the Medical Board of Australia as a medical practitioner.
Who is it for?
Our Doctor of Medicine (MD) is suitable for graduates from any discipline who are interested in becoming a doctor and have a passion for healthcare.
Structure
What you’ll study
The Doctor of Medicine is a postgraduate coursework degree that will provide you with clinical and research training to develop the skills needed to be responsive to the health needs of individuals, families and communities and committed to improving the health care system at all levels. Graduates from this program are eligible for provisional registration with the Medical Board of Australia as a medical practitioner.
Over four years you will complete core units according to a prescribed course of study, covering eight vertical themes:
- basic and clinical sciences
- clinical skills
- diagnostics and therapy
- research, evidence and informatics
- population health
- indigenous health
- ethics and law
- professionalism and interprofessional teamwork
You will also complete a minimum of 2,310 hours of professional placements, and a research project in your third year.
Costs
Funding
Admissions
To be eligible for admission to the Doctor of Medicine in 2025, applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Satisfactory performance* in an eligible bachelor’s degree at the time of application, as indicated by Grade Point Average (GPA); and
- Satisfactory performance* in an admissions test – Domestic applicants must submit eligible Graduate Australian Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT) results with their application. International applicants must submit eligible GAMSAT or Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) results with their application.
Eligible GAMSAT results: The University will ONLY accept GAMSAT results from one or more of the following tests for admission to the MD in 2025: September 2022, March 2023, September 2023 or March 2024.
Applicants for the Dubbo Stream must also provide a Personal Statement (docx, 63KB) in the template form demonstrating genuine interest, intention and aptitude for practising medicine in rural and regional areas. Please note Dubbo Stream is available to Domestic applicants only.
The University reserves the right to ask some applicants to participate in further assessment using another selection tool. The University will give these applicants due notice of any additional requirements.
Eligibility
You will be ineligible to apply if:
- You have not completed or will not complete an eligible bachelor’s degree by 1 January of the year in which you intend to enrol in the MD. (Please note the exception for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants under the Indigenous Facilitated Entry Scheme – see below.)
- You have previously applied unsuccessfully for admission to the MD at the University of Sydney and have commenced studies in postgraduate medicine at another university.
You will be ineligible for admission to the MD for a period of two years from the date of application or enrolment, as relevant, if you have previously accepted an offer of a place in the MD at the University of Sydney, and have:
- failed to submit any outstanding documentation to proceed with an unconditional offer or to enrol; or
- enrolled in and subsequently withdrawn from, or discontinued, the MD without prior approval from the relevant delegate;
Indigenous Facilitated Entry Scheme (For Domestic applicants only)
- For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants with a bachelor’s degree and GAMSAT results
- For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants with a postgraduate degree
Rural Applicants Facilitated Entry Scheme (For Domestic applicants only)
- For Australian rural origin applicants as defined by the Australian government
Please refer to the MD Domestic Admissions Guide (pdf, 1.25MB) for definitions and information on facilitated entry schemes.
Important information
Disclaimer
Please note Sydney Medical School regularly reviews the admission criteria and application processes for its courses including the Doctor of Medicine. It reserves the right to change these criteria and processes without notice. Information on this website provides advice about the currently applicable criteria and processes, and may not be correct for future application periods. Applicants are advised to consult this website on a regular basis for any changes to entry criteria or program updates.
Additional costs
Additional costs are involved pre-application and during the application process.
- Admission test fees - GAMSAT/MCAT
- UAC Qualifications Assessment Service (QAS) - GPA calculation
- International application processing fee (University)
All students will need to purchase specific equipment and supplies as part of their course. Find out more.
You can find information on health cover for international students here and the University provides a guide for living away from home costs here.
Other requirements prior to commencement of the MD
Students who are offered and accept a place in the MD will be required to provide a current approved First Aid Certificate and meet Clinical Compliance requirements.
- First Aid qualification (details are outlined in the Admissions Guide)
- NSW Ministry of Health Compliance Checking
- NSW Working with Children Check (WWCC)
Post-degree Registration Requirements: Information about registration, internships, and practice in Australia and other countries can be found here (pdf, 79KB).
Deferral
Applicants should be prepared and ready to commence the course in the year for which they have applied. Applications for deferral of enrolment following offer and acceptance of a place in the Doctor of Medicine will only be considered under exceptional circumstances that could not have been foreseen at the time of application, and require the approval of the relevant delegate.
Transfer
Transfer of enrolment between medical schools is not possible, other than in exceptional circumstances. Applications for transfer for 2025 close on 30 September 2024.
Change in immigration status
International applicants and students who change from international to domestic status can find the relevant rules here (pdf, 106KB).
Impermissible conduct
Sydney Medical School reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to reject an application for admission or to vary or cancel an offer of admission if an applicant’s conduct during the admissions process or prior to enrolment causes Sydney Medical School to form the view that the applicant is unsuitable for admission to the MD.
Examples of conduct that might make an applicant unsuitable for admission to the MD include (but are not limited to):
- failure by the applicant to treat University of Sydney employees, students, applicants or other members of the University community with respect and courtesy, including failure to use appropriate language and tone in written or verbal communications;
- failure by the applicant to act honestly and ethically in their dealings with University of Sydney employees, students, applicants or other members of the University community;
- conduct that results in the applicant being excluded from another higher education institution, or from a course or program offered by another higher education institution;
- conduct that gives Sydney Medical School reasonable cause to believe that enrolling the applicant in clinical training may place them, their peers, or members of the public at risk of harm; and
- conduct that results in the applicant being charged with a criminal offence.
International qualifications
For qualifications awarded outside Australia, equivalencies and entry requirements are determined based on the country, institution, and qualification.
A minimum result of 7.0 overall and a minimum result of 7.0 in each band
A minimum result of 96 overall including a minimum result of 23 in Reading, Listening and Speaking and 25 in Writing
A minimum result of 68 overall and a minimum result of 68 in each band