A Complete Overview of the ANU Application Process before you apply to ANU Med School!

The Doctor of Medicine and Surgery or Medicinae ac Chirurgiae Doctoranda (MChD) aims to produce graduates committed to ethical health care, compassionate work during clinical years and dedicated to expanding medical knowledge. Located in the inner-city suburb of Acton, Canberra, ANU is the only Australian university to offer a Ph.D. double post-graduate degree, graduating as a MChD/Ph.D. This also happens to be the highest joint qualification offered across Australia.

The ANU MChD coursework is an AQF Level 9 Extended qualification, leading graduates to pre-register as a junior doctor. Four themes drive the MChD coursework, enabling the student to gain scientific knowledge and ethical experience deemed essential for future doctors. 

The Four themes are as follows:

  1. Medical Sciences - It covers a vast scope of ever-evolving and expanding knowledge around modern medicine.
  2. Clinical Skills - This theme ensures graduates acquire the communication skills, ability to examine patients, and critically examine information necessary for medical practice
  3. Population Health - Drawing key analysis between individual health, society, and environment.
  4. Professionalism and Leadership - These skills are highly desirable to function as a medical practitioner within the profession.

ANU Medicine Course Information

The ANU Medicine is a four-year, full-time comprehensive course that requires a minimum of 192 credit points to achieve the postgraduate degree. The ANU Medical School is proximally located to Canberra Hospital, which happens to be the primary teaching location.  

Students attend sessions based on the PBL (Problem-based learning) structure during the first two years of the medical curriculum. PBL sessions are designed to test the student’s ability to be creative and develop analytical thinking skills through cooperative and self-directed learning. Each week, the students are presented with a PBL case study supported by lectures, practical tutorials, and once-a-week clinical experience in one of Canberra’s hospitals. Additionally, students also spend one week in a rural location around Canberra and/or a southeast region of NSW. 

The second year of their study period focuses on Indigenous health and encourages students to undertake a research project to upgrade their research skills through collaboration with ANU’s research teams. At the end of the second year, all students spend most of their study period within the health sector and are immersed in major medical disciplines through clinical rotations spanning over four or more weeks. Calvary Public Hospital complements the ANU Medical School facilities. Calvary John James Hospital, Calvary Private Hospital, and the National Capital Private Hospital.

The third year of the ANU medical program revolves around rural clinics extended for over six weeks. Once students commence their fourth year, they must undertake an elective that runs over four or more weeks at any reputable worldwide location of their choice. The main motive behind the final year of the study period is to broaden students’ clinical domain beyond the school curriculum.

Australian National University Medicine Entry Requirements

Domestic and international students choosing to pursue medicine at ANU must have completed or studied in their final year of Bachelor’s Degree. The Bachelor's degree will only be accepted if it is an AQF Level 7 qualification, at a minimum.

The final offers for students is based on the combinations of:

  1. Minimum weighted GPA score of 5.6 (25%)
  2. A satisfactory GAMSAT score (25%) 
  3.  ANU Medicine Interview (50%)

NOTE: A 50:50 ratio of weighted GPA: Overall GAMSAT score is weighed to rank students for an interview.

The GPA calculation is based on the last three years of full-time equivalent study from a recently completed eligible undergraduate degree program.

Students must pass all sections of the GAMSAT and must obtain an overall score of 55 or more. If a student has completed a standalone Honours degree or a Masters by Research, they may receive a 2% bonus or a 4% bonus for Ph.D. added to the combined GAMSAT/GPA score while ranking the applicants for an interview offer. 

Alternatively, international applicants can either sit the GAMSAT or the MCAT.  Students must achieve a minimum score of 125 in each MCAT section to receive the ANU Medical Interview Offer.

Subject Prerequisites for ANU Medicine

All applicants are required to meet the English language proficiency requirements determined by ANU for graduate admission into medicine.

ANU Medicine Application Process

Domestic applicants must apply through the GEMSAS website. You are considered to be a domestic applicant if you are:

  • An Australian Citizen
  • A New Zealand Citizen
  • An Australian Permanent Resident
  • An Australian Humanitarian Visa Holder

International applicants must register via the Australian National University website and complete their application to pursue medicine at ANU.

ANU Medical School Interview

Domestic applicants must attend the ANU Medical interview at the ANU, Acton campus. The interview covers a range of topics and scenarios to evaluate students’ ability to understand and comprehend the work ethic of a medical practitioner. International applicants are invited for an interview via Skype.

ANU Med Interview Structure

The medical interview is divided into two parts:

Part 1 = A scheduled interview (online interview in overseas students) with recorded responses to a series of scenarios posed by the interviewer.

Part 2 = A 30-minute panel interview.

Interview Activity Interview Dates
Domestic Students
ANU interview offers released via email to students
Early September
First-round offers sent to students via email
Early November
The second round of offers sent to students via email
December - January
International Students
 
The interview offers sent to students via email
Late July
Interviews are conducted via Skype
Early August
The second round of offers sent to students via email December - January

ANU Medicine Fee Structure

Domestic students to pursue the MChD are eligible for the Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) and Bonded Medical Places (BMP). Due to the limited number of available places, the postgraduate CSPs are highly competitive. There is no requirement to submit an application to be considered for a CSP as all domestic students who have received the confirmation of enrolment are automatically deemed CSP-eligible for a postgraduate program before the commencement of the medical course.

Approximately 64 places are allocated for CSPs and 26 for BMP under the current program. In addition, up to 20 places are reserved for international students each year to study medicine at ANU.

Fee Type


Domestic applicants

Commonwealth Supported Places

Bonded Medical Places


Full-Fee Paying Places



International applicants

Course Fees (Standard full-time enrolment load of 48 units per year)



AUD $11,401 (Student contribution amount per EFTSL)


AUD $52,280 (TBA; Indicative fee per year)

AUD $86,652.00 (Indicative fee per year)

What Should You Read Next?

Now that you have read about applying for medicine at ANU check out Fraser’s detailed Medical Interview Ethics - Example, Questions, and Approach to be fair and equitable at MMI stations.