Rural/Remote Admissions Scheme (RRAS)

RRAS is aimed at increasing the number of rural/remote origin students selected for entry to the Bachelor of Medicine - JMP.

Thirty percent of available Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) in the Bachelor of Medicine - JMP will be allocated to students entering under RRAS. In 2009 this translates to a RRAS quota of 48 places (18 at University of New England and 30 at the University of Newcastle).

Candidates considering applying for a position under RRAS are advised to carefully read and ensure they understand the information provided in:

• The Bachelor of Medicine - Joint Medical Program 2009
  
• Bachelor of Medicine - Joint Medical Program Rural/Remote Admissions Scheme Policy

Both documents contain important information regarding requirements and responsibilities under RRAS.

Enquiries should be directed to:

Enquiry Centre University of Newcastle Callaghan NSW 2308 Ph: 02 4921 5000 Fax: 02 4921 2020 Email: enquirycentre@newcastle.edu.au

Student Centre University of New England Armidale NSW 2350 Ph: 1800 818865 Fax: 02 6773 4400 AskUNE: www.une.edu.au/askune

Eligibility

Candidates must satisfy the following criteria:

• Academic - candidates must satisfy the minimum academic requirement for admission to the Bachelor of Medicine as outlined in the The Bachelor of Medicine - Joint Medical Program 2009
  
• UMAT - candidates must have a valid UMAT score.
• Resided in a rural/remote location for at least 5 years cumulatively since the age of 5 years (see below Assessment of Rural/Remote Status).
• Interview - candidates who have been deemed to have satisfied the rural/remote criteria will be ranked on the basis of their UMAT score. Interviews will be offered to candidates with the highest UMAT score. The minimum UMAT requirement for interview will vary each year and is dependent upon the applicant pool. Thirty percent of the interviews scheduled during the November / December interview period will be allocated to RRAS candidates.
• Only Australian Citizens and Australian Permanent Residents are eligible to apply under RRAS - New Zealand Citizens are ineligible.

RRAS candidates who do not to satisfy the rural/remote requirement will be advised by mail and their applications will be automatically transferred to the standard (non-rural) CSP applicant pool.

Assessment of Rural/Remote Status

A candidate's rural/remote status will be assessed based on information provided on the candidates RRAS application. In order to be considered under RRAS a candidate must have resided in a rural/remote location for at least 5 years consecutively or cumulatively since the age of 5 years. Where appropriate, factors such as schools attended by the candidate (Kindergarten through to Year 12), work experience, work history and a reference from a rural community leader (supporting and validating the student's rural status) will be taken into account.

The University of Newcastle / University of New England will classify an individual's background as rural or non-rural based on the Federal Government's Rural, Remote and Metropolitan Areas (RRMA) Classification.

Application Process

In brief, candidates are required to:

• Register to sit UMAT - Information concerning UMAT can be found at http://umat.acer.edu.au. The on-time closing date is 6 June 2008 - late applications will be accepted up until 20 June 2008 (fees apply).
• Complete and submit the online direct university RRAS application form. The online application form will be available in August. The closing date for applications is 30 September 2008. The closing date is strictly enforced and applications received after the closing date WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED under any circumstances.

Note: Candidates must apply as either a standard (non-rural) applicant OR as a RRAS applicant - candidates may not apply in both categories.

• Lodge an Application through the Universities Admissions Centre (NSW & ACT) Pty Ltd (UAC). It is essential that candidates have lodged a UAC application and that Bachelor of Medicine - JMP (780000-CSP and / or 781000-DFee) is included as a preference by 28 November 2008. Any change of preference to add Bachelor of Medicine - JMP to your preferences after this date will not be considered.

To be eligible to be considered for entry to the Bachelor of Medicine - JMP ALL candidates must lodge ALL THREE of the above applications outlined above.

Verification of Rural / Remote Status

Details concerning your rural/remote status should be listed on the RRAS direct University application in chronological order starting with the most recent and working backwards. Candidates should note that they may be asked to provide documentation to validate the information provided; for example, a letter from a past school or a letter from a previous employer.

All RRAS candidates are required to provide a reference in support of their rural/remote status - this reference needs to be from a rural community leader, preferably from the local community. The purpose of the reference is to validate a candidate's rural/remote status - it is not a character reference.

References can be downloaded or mailed to:

RRAS Reference
BMed Program Officer
School of Medicine and Public Health
Level 2 Bowman Building
University of Newcastle
Callaghan NSW 2308

Confirmation of Information

The University of Newcastle / University of New England reserve the right to check all information provided in support of a RRAS application, including contacting schools and referees. Applicants may also be requested to provide additional documentation to support their application - additional documentation may take the form of a letter from your school verifying the dates of attendance.