The UK and Australia are known to have some of the best medical programmes in the world. While both share many enticing benefits, which attract applications of students from all over the world, there are some distinguishing features that may help you decide which destination suits you best.
Entrance Exam Requirements for Australia Medical School vs UK Medical School
For undergraduate medical programmes in Australia, most schools will require you to pass the ISAT or the UCAT ANZ. While the UCAT is also a popular requirement for undergraduate medical schools in the UK, the BMAT is another test that is conducted for select UK medical schools. While neither is harder than the other, there are many things to consider when deciding to take the BMAT, the UCAT, or both. Another factor to keep in mind is that the BMAT is a requirement for the NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. In Australia, the GAMSAT is a requirement to apply for postgraduate medical programmes. This test will allow you to apply for medical courses including dentistry, podiatry, and optometry. In the UK, the UCAT, BMAT, or GAMSAT is required to apply for graduate medical programmes. At the Duke-NUS medical programme in Singapore, the GAMSAT can be used instead of the MCAT, which is the standardised test required by graduate medical programmes in the US.Application Processes for UK and Australia Medical Schools
For international students applying to study medicine in Australia, each university has their own application process and admissions requirements that you’ll need to look into. In the UK, almost all university applications are submitted through the UCAS portal. You can only select up to 4 medical schools on the UCAS form and the international application is different from the local, so make sure to follow the correct steps. In case you were wondering, UCAS is used for both undergraduate and postgraduate medicine applications.Pro Tip: Applications can also be directly submitted via organisations like IDP, which offers application and visa services for students applying to study abroad at universities in Australia, UK or New Zealand. They may also offer application fee waivers for eligible programs and institutions.