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University of Otago Medicine Entry Requirements 2019 – 2020

University of Otago Medicine Entry Requirements 2019 – 2020

Entry requirements

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

  • University of Otago Health Sciences First Year category
    • Applications open 1 August 2018
    • Applications close 15 September 2018
  • Graduate category
    • Applications open 1 August 2018
    • Applications close 15 September 2018
  • Alternative category (domestic applicants only)
    • Applications open 1 April 2018
    • Applications close 1 May 2018

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 be enrolled in HSFY at Otago and pass all the papers prescribed for HSFY at first attempt, with a minimum of 70% in each paper, and have a valid UMAT result.

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

Selection into Medicine is determined by a combination of an applicant’s academic grades in HSFY (67%) and weighted UMAT (from 2019 to be replaced with UCAT) result (33%).

For further information on the cut-offs for previous years’ combined scores, please contact: health-sciences@otago.ac.nz

UMAT weighting for entry into Medicine:

  • Section 1 – Logical Reasoning and Problem Solving: 45%
  • Section 2 – Understanding People: 45%
  • Section 3 – Non-Verbal Reasoning: 10%

Scoring Example HSFY Category (PDF 40 KB)

When applying for Medicine a candidate may apply once only using this category.

HSFY category checklist

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 first degree 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 Medicine, 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 50 KB)

Applicants must have a current UMAT (from 2019 to be replaced with UCAT) score that is at a threshold level determined annually by the Medical Admissions Committee.

The final year of study will be scored using only those papers at 200-level or above (i.e. no 100-level papers taken in the final year of study will be scored).

Selection for applicants who reach the UMAT threshold is competitive according to the weighted academic score, see scoring example.

Applicants who are offered a place in second-year Medicine, and are missing the First Year papers (or their equivalent) listed in the MB ChB Schedule, will be required to undertake a prescribed course of study. When the Medical Admissions Committee offer a place, applicants will be advised which papers they must complete, as well as the grades that must be attained in order to be eligible to be admitted to the second year of Medicine.

Applications must be received within three years of completion of the qualifying degree. Normally, the date of completion will be taken as the end of the teaching period in which the final paper or papers included in the programme are undertaken. Repeat applications within the eligibility period are allowed.

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

Graduate category checklist

Alternative category

The purpose of the Alternative Category is to attract a range of academically suitable applicants with broad life experiences, skills and perspectives to the medical programme. This increased diversity will help ensure that each graduating class shall better mirror and understand contemporary New Zealand society, and be best placed to contribute across the full spectrum of community medical needs in New Zealand.

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Admission for Medicine in the Alternative category for 2019 open 1 April 2018 and close on 1 May 2018.

This category for application for admission to second-year Medicine is open to allied health professionals and other graduates.

To be considered for admission under the Alternative category, an applicant must be a domestic student and:

  • Hold a degree from a New Zealand university, and no longer be eligible under the Graduate category; or
  • Have completed a degree at an overseas university at a standard of at least NZQF Level 7 no less than three years prior to application; or
  • Hold a master’s or doctoral degree; or
  • Demonstrate health-related professional experience in a relevant field to a standard acceptable to the Medical Admissions Committee

Applicants seeking admission to Medicine with health-related professional experience will be required to demonstrate academic and/or professional experience in the relevant field, to a standard acceptable to the Medical Admissions Committee, as part of the selection process. Allied health professionals are recommended to have not less than five years’ experience in their chosen profession(s), and preferably at least two years in New Zealand.

International applicants are not considered under the Alternative category.

Qualifications that applicants wish to be considered as part of their application must be completed (with results available by 1 May in the year of application) and a full academic transcript must be provided before an application can be processed.

Applicants will be required to provide the names and contact details of three referees (both professional and character), who will be contacted only if an applicant is selected for interview.

Please note that references are confidential and will not be released to the applicant.

Candidate selection is a two-stage process. Candidates are selected for interview based on academic achievements, statement of interest, and CV. Not all applicants will be selected for interview.

At interview, topics covered include:

  • Academic achievement
  • Other achievements
  • Commitment to a career change
  • Communication skills
  • Knowledge of the New Zealand health system
  • Understanding of the profession

Interviews take place in Dunedin approximately eight weeks from the closing date. Notification is via your eVision account. Applicants need to ensure that they are available to attend for interview if invited, as the Interview Panel will not reschedule their dates.

A candidate may apply once only using this category.

The final outcome of applications will be confirmed by 11pm (New Zealand Time) 31 August 2018.

Applicants who are offered a place in second-year Medicine and are missing more than one of the First Year papers (or their equivalent) listed in the MB ChB Schedule, may be required to undertake a prescribed course of study. When the Medical Admissions Committee offer a place, applicants will be advised which papers they must complete, as well as the grades that must be attained in order to be eligible to be admitted to the second year of Medicine.

The Medical Admissions Committee will not enter into any correspondence regarding application outcome or interview.

Alternative category checklist

Sub-categories

The University of Otago is committed to initiatives that increase the number of Māori and indigenous Pacific Island graduates. The Division of Health Sciences is focused on ensuring that New Zealand’s diverse health workforce needs are met, to honouring the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi / 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
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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:

Email mhwdu@otago.ac.nz

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 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:

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.

Students who selected the New Zealand Rural Origins sub-category on their application for entry to Medicine may be required to participate in the Year 5 Rural Medical Immersion Programme.

Students will not be bonded after graduation nor will the inclusion of the rural training increase the length of the programme.

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 spreadsheet (PDF 240 KB)

See Also: University of Otago Admissions

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