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University of Otago

Dunedin, New Zealand 🇳🇿MB ChB · 5 years

Takes internationalNo interview
Admissions websiteVerified Oct 22, 2026

At a glance

Application

Direct

Entry

School-leaver & graduate

Class size

—

Applicants

—

Interviewed

—

Admitted

—

Program length

5 years

Deadline

—

Who can apply

Alternative category (domestic, allocated first)

10% of seats

Up to 10% of the overall places available in the following year; international applicants are not considered under this category.

Health Sciences First Year category (domestic)

70% of seats

As near as possible to 70% of the places remaining after the Alternative category allocation.

Graduate category (domestic)

30% of seats

The balance (~30%) of the places remaining after the Alternative category allocation.

International (HSFY and Graduate categories only)

Māori equity group

New Zealand Resident Indigenous Pacific Origins (NZRIPO) equity group

New Zealand Rural Origins equity group

Requirements

Degree

5-year MB ChB from admission to second year (6 years total including Health Sciences First Year for school leavers), via HSFY, Graduate or Alternative category.

Prerequisites

  • HSFY: the seven prescribed Health Sciences First Year papers (University of Otago)
  • Graduate: a completed NZ bachelor's degree, any major (no preference given to qualification or subject)

GPA

HSFY: pass (50%+) in all seven prescribed HSFY papers, average mark of at least 65% in the applicant's best seven papers. Graduate: a completed NZ university bachelor's degree with a minimum weighted GPA of 5 (on Otago's A+ to D/E scale), completed within 3 years of application.

MCAT

No MCATMCAT is not used in New Zealand medical admissions; not mentioned on the official MBChB admissions page. UCAT replaced UMAT in 2019.

Casper

Not published by the school

Also required

Alternative category: CV, statement of reasons for wanting to enter Medicine (one A4 page), three referees, two-stage interview process · Equity group options: Māori, (Resident) Indigenous Pacific, Socioeconomic Equity, Refugee Background, New Zealand Rural Origins · Deferral of admission possible for up to one academic year

How selection works

Places first allocated to the Alternative category (two-stage: shortlist on CV/statement/academic record, then interview and referee reports, then ranked on overall assessment); remaining places split ~70% HSFY / ~30% Graduate; HSFY and Graduate applicants must clear the annual UCAT threshold, then are ranked purely on academic score; offers made first to equity-group members in a set sequence, then general applicants.

Interview invitation

UCAT (HSFY/Graduate) 0%

Final ranking

Academic score (HSFY/Graduate, after UCAT threshold met) 100%

Interview

Format

None

Delivery

Not published

When

Not published

Dates, deadlines & fees

  1. Jul 1, 2026

    HSFY and Graduate category applications open

  2. Aug 13, 2026

    HSFY and Graduate category applications close

  3. Apr 1, 2026

    Alternative category applications open

  4. May 1, 2026

    Alternative category applications close

  5. Dec 18, 2026

    HSFY and Graduate category outcomes sent out by

  6. Aug 31, 2026

    Alternative category outcome confirmed by · Confirmed by 11pm New Zealand Time.

Tuition (2026)

Domestic: NZ$19,538 per year (Medicine, 2026 domestic tuition fees) · International: HSFY NZ$43,253; Years 2-3 NZ$96,731/year; Years 4-6 NZ$110,550/year (2026 estimate)

Special programs & mission

Alternative category

Māori equity group

Verified Māori ancestry applicants given preference in the equity-group selection sequence.

New Zealand Resident Indigenous Pacific Origins (NZRIPO) equity group

Verified Resident Indigenous Pacific ancestry applicants given preference in the equity-group selection sequence.

New Zealand Rural Origins equity group

For applicants with 4+ years of pre-tertiary education and/or post-secondary residence in a rural area of New Zealand.

A socially accountable education programme emphasising graduate commitment to improving health of individuals and communities, equitable outcomes, and the Treaty of Waitangi.

Sources

Every figure links to the official page it came from. Look for the icon. Verified Oct 22, 2026.

Some details aren't published by the school yet; they show as “—” until they are.