University Of Otago Dentistry Entry Requirements

University of Otago Dentistry Entry Requirements

Entry requirements

The Dental Admissions Committee considers applications from candidates in the following categories:

University of Otago Health Sciences First Year category
Graduate category
Alternative category

University of Otago Health Sciences First Year (HSFY) category

Information about future changes to scoring for admission categories

To be considered for admission in the HSFY category an applicant must enrolled in HSFY at Otagoand pass all the prescribed papers for this programme, at first attempt, and achieve a minimum average of 70%, with no paper grade less than 65%.

Applicants will also be required to have passed the HSFY English Diagnostic Test or have passed ENGL 126.

The total number of 2019 applicants that will be invited to undertake an interview will be approximately 300. The main round of interviews will be held in Dunedin on 4 and 5 October 2018.

The final determining factor for selection for an applicant that has met all three admission criteria will be academic score, see scoring example:

Scoring Example HSFY Category (PDF 40 KB)

For further information on previous years please contact: health-sciences@otago.ac.nz

HSFY checklist

Completed online application form
Completed declaration and police vetting forms (PDF 230 KB)
Completed Māori sub-category requirements (if applicable)
Completed NZRIPO sub-category requirements (if applicable)
Completed New Zealand Rural Origins requirements (if applicable)

Graduate category

From 2020, admissions scoring for the Graduate admissions category will change.

Information about the changes to scoring for admission categories

To be considered for admission in the Graduate category, applicants must have completed, normally in the minimum academic time and within three years of the date of application, the requirements of a degree (as outlined below) awarded by a university in New Zealand.

All applicants in the Graduate category are ranked on the basis of a score derived from the grades achieved in:

A bachelor’s degree, or
A bachelor’s honours degree, or
A bachelor’s degree, followed by a postgraduate diploma equivalent to a bachelor’s honours degree from the awarding university

No preference is given to degree qualification or major subject.

The qualifying degree is the first university degree awarded to the applicant.

The score for candidates is based on the following:

Papers are given a weighted academic score and are ranked
The best 120 points of papers are used in each year of academic study

Please refer to the scoring example below or contact the Health Sciences Admissions Office for further details.

Due to the scoring system for admission to Dentistry, we are not able to score papers that have a pass / fail grade, nor are we able to score aegrotat passes.

It is to every applicant’s advantage to ensure that each year of study has at least 120 points. A weighting factor is applied for each year of university study.

The weighting factors for a three-year degree see the first year score multiplied by 0.5, the second year score by 1.0 and the third year score by 1.5. Thus a paper score for each paper is generated in the following way: grade point value × number of points × weighting (see example below).

Scoring Example Graduate Category (PDF 40 KB)

Applicants are required to have a minimum of a B (grade point average (GPA) of 5) and have passed the HSFY papers (or equivalents).

An applicant must have a current UMAT (from 2019 to be replaced with UCAT) result and achieved a score in all three of the UMAT sections at a threshold level determined annually by the Dental Admissions Committee, to proceed to interview. The total number of 2018 applicants that will be invited to undertake an interview will be approximately 300.

The Interviews for University of Otago-enrolled applicants will be held in Dunedin on 4 and 5 October 2018. Applicants from other Universities or applicants that are not currently enrolled at a University will be interviewed in Dunedin on either 20 or 21 November 2018.

The final determining factor for selection for an applicant that has met all three admission criteria will be weighted academic score, see scoring example.

For further information on previous years’ cutting marks, please contact: health-sciences@otago.ac.nz

Graduate category checklist

Completed online application form
Completed declaration and police vetting forms (PDF 230 KB)
Current Certified Academic Records (transcripts)
- We do not require copies of Otago academic records.
- Result notification forms are not acceptable.
- Certified transcripts may be obtained from the relevant university.
- Final semester results will be obtained from your university by the Health Sciences Admissions Office in November.
- Failure by your university to release your final semester grades in time for Admissions Committees meetings may result in your application not being processed in the current year.
Complete Māori sub-category requirements (if applicable)
Completed NZRIPO sub-category requirements (if applicable)
Completed New Zealand Rural Origins requirements (if applicable)

Alternative category

To be considered for entry under the Alternative category a candidate must meet one or more of the following criteria:

Hold a degree from a New Zealand university and no longer eligible under the Graduate category; or
Have completed a degree at an overseas university at a standard of at least NZQF Level 7; or
Hold a master’s or doctoral degree

All applicants to Dentistry must have passed the equivalent of all papers prescribed for the University of Otago Health Sciences First Year and have achieved a minimum academic standard determined by the Dental Admissions Committee, usually a B (grade point average (GPA) of 5) across any papers undertaken at university level.

An applicant must have a current UMAT (from 2019 to be replaced with UCAT) result and achieved a score in all three of the UMAT sections at a threshold level determined annually by the Dental Admissions Committee, to proceed to interview. The total number of 2019 applicants that will be invited to undertake an interview will be approximately 300.

The Interview for University of Otago enrolled applicants will be held in Dunedin on 4 and 5 October 2018. Applicants from other Universities or applicants that are not currently enrolled at a University will be interviewed in Dunedin on either 20 or 21 November 2018.

The final determining factor for selection for an applicant that has met all three admission criteria will be based on academic performance.

Alternative category checklist

Completed online application form
Completed declaration and police vetting forms (PDF 230 KB)
Curriculum vitae to include names, addresses, and email contacts of three people who may be contacted for a confidential reference
- The Career Development Centre has useful information available on their website about how to prepare your CV, should you require assistance.
Current certified copy of academic records (transcripts) of all university study (including extramural and incomplete courses)
- Result notification forms are not acceptable
- Certified transcripts can be obtained from the relevant university
- Applications will not be processed if complete academic transcripts are not attached
Statement of interest:
- A short statement outlining the reasons for wanting to enter the course headed: Statement of reasons for wanting to enter Dentistry
- This must be on one A4 page and include your name
Complete Māori sub-category requirements (if applicable)
Complete NZRIPO sub-category requirements (if applicable)
Complete NZ Rural Origins requirements (if applicable)

Sub-categories

The University of Otago is committed to initiatives that increase the number of Māori ethnicity and Pacific ancestry. The Division of Health Sciences is focused on ensuring that New Zealand’s need for a diverse health workforce is met, honouring the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi / Te Tiriti o Waitangi and promoting academic equity for under-represented groups.

Applicants may also be considered in one or both of the following sub-categories:

Māori
Indigenous Pacific (see note)

An applicant in either or both of these sub-categories requires verification of ancestry by the University. You can apply for verification of ancestry from the ‘My details’ section of your eVision portal, and we would encourage you to request this as soon as possible if you are intending to apply for the health sciences professional programmes, to minimise delays in processing your application.

Applicants will also need to provide a written statement describing their commitment to Māori and/or Pacific health.

Note: An application via the Indigenous Pacific sub-category requires verification of ancestry for one or more of the following Pacific nations:

American Samoa
Cook Islands
Federated States of Micronesia
Fiji
French Polynesia
Hawaii
Kiribati
Marshall Islands
New Caledonia
Niue
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Rapanui (Easter Island)
Rotuma
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tokelau
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
Wallis and Futuna

Māori sub-category

Applicants wishing to be considered under the Māori sub-category must indicate this at the time of application by ticking the Māori sub-category box in the online application. Using the form below, applicants will also be required to complete and upload:

A written personal supporting statement

Māori – Supporting Statement form (PDF 56 KB)

In order to be eligible for the Māori sub-category your ancestry needs to be verified by the University. You can apply for verification of ancestry from the ‘My details’ section of your eVision portal.

Successful applicants from the Māori sub-category are required to attend a mihiwhakatau (greeting) at the commencement of classes in Dunedin. Whānau are welcome and encouraged to attend.

It is recommended that students wishing to apply under the Māori sub-category attend a relevant information session held by the Division of Health Science Māori Health Workforce Development Unit (MHWDU) and/or contact the MHWDU to arrange a meeting with staff or for further information:

Pacific sub-category

Applicants wishing to be considered under the NZRIPO sub-category must indicate this at the time of application by ticking the NZRIPO sub-category box on the application form. Using the form below, applicants will also be required to complete and upload:

An endorsement of Pacific Island Heritage, and
A written personal supporting statement outlining your commitment to Pacific health

New Zealand Resident Indigenous Pacific Origins (NZRIPO) endorsement and statement form(PDF 56 KB)

In order to be eligible for the Pacific sub-category your ancestry needs to be verified by the University. You can apply for verification of ancestry from the ‘My details’ section of your eVision portal.

Successful applicants from the Pacific sub-category are expected to be connected and contribute to the Health Sciences Pacific support network.

It is highly recommended that students wishing to apply under the NZRIPO sub-category contact the staff in the Pacific Islands Research and Student Support Unit, in the Office of the Associate Dean (Pacific):

Email pirssu@otago.ac.nz

New Zealand Rural Origins

The New Zealand Government has agreed to fund extra places in the programme targeting those from rural backgrounds seeking medical or dental careers in rural practice.

In order to apply in the New Zealand Rural Origins sub-category, candidates for admission must:

Have undertaken a minimum of four years of their pre-tertiary education at a school in a rural area of New Zealand; or
Have resided in a rural area of New Zealand for a minimum of four consecutive years following the completion of their secondary education; or
Have undertaken a combination of pre-tertiary education at a school in a rural area of New Zealand and residence in a rural area of New Zealand, for a minimum of four consecutive years

Applicants wishing to have their New Zealand Rural Origins status considered with their application must indicate this at the time of application by ticking the New Zealand Rural Origins sub-category box in the online application and provide the following supporting information:

An official letter from the pre-tertiary regional / rural education institution they attended, outlining:
- The duration of their study, and
- The physical location of the institute
or
A statutory declaration, made before an authorised person, confirming residency of four years or more in a rural location (this declaration must specify which years are being claimed as the four qualifying years)

An authorised person is a person listed in the Oaths and Declarations Act 1957 as able to take declarations. This person could be a:

Justice of the Peace
Barrister or Solicitor of the High Court

Students within New Zealand may wish to check the Yellow Pages for a list of Justices of the Peace in their area. Students from remote areas who do not have access to anyone in the approved categories should contact the University Information Centre for advice.

The University utilises Statistics New Zealand’s Urban / Rural Profile Classification to define rural. For the purposes of this policy, students will be eligible if their address on which the rural sub-category application is based on, is classified as one of the following:

Satellite urban community
Independent urban community
Rural area with high urban influence
Rural area with moderate urban influence
Rural area with low urban influence
Highly rural / remote area

The Statistics New Zealand website has information on these rural categories.

Preliminary eligibility assessment

Using the spreadsheet below, you can undertake an informal check of your eligibility for the rural origins sub-category by matching, at an area unit level, the rural location you will use for application purposes.

It is important to note that this should be considered as a guide only. The address you supply with your application will be officially geo-coded by a specialist GIS company. This will occur by an automated geocoding process that records the latitude and longitude information for address records and matches this against the Statistics New Zealand Urban / Rural classification system. This process determines final eligibility.

You are strongly encouraged to contact the Health Sciences Admissions Office prior to applications closing if you have any questions regarding your eligibility for the Rural Origins sub-category.

Urban rural profile categories list (PDF 240 KB)