Bachelor of Medicine - JMP Admission and Selection Policy

Document Number	000871
Date Approved	3 December 2008
Date Last Amended	18 December 2009

1. Introduction

UAC COURSE CODE: 780000 Bachelor of Medicine - JMP

The Bachelor of Medicine - JMP is offered jointly by the University of Newcastle and the University of New England. Admission is managed through a common selection process.

Applicants for the BMed - JMP must lodge an application through UAC listing course code 780000. Applicants will have the opportunity to select the site (Newcastle or New England) at which they would prefer to complete the program when they lodge their direct application to the University.

2. NSW HSC Prerequisites, Recommended Studies and Assumed Knowledge

Pre-requisite: Nil

Recommended Studies: Any two units of English

3. Special Admission Procedures and Selection Criteria

3.1. Admission

ALL APPLICANTS are required to complete an on-line direct university JMP application either standard or rural (application under the Rural Remote Admission Scheme) by 5.00 pm on the closing date in the year prior to that in which admission is sought. The closing date for applications will be the on-time closing date (ie, end September) for UAC applications. Applicants will be required to state their preferred enrolment location (University of Newcastle or University of New England) on their on-line direct university JMP application.

ALL APPLICANTS must lodge a UAC application to the Universities Admission Centre, which includes a preference for the Bachelor of Medicine - JMP (CSP 780000), by UAC’s November closing date for late applications.

ALL APPLICANTS must register with the Australian Council for Education Research (ACER) UMAT Office to undertake the Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission Test (UMAT) by the final closing date for UMAT applications.

If an applicant does not lodge all three of the applications outlined above by the respective closing dates, they will not be eligible for consideration.

To be eligible for admission, applicants must satisfy both the academic requirement and the Personal Qualities requirement as specified below:

3.2. Academic Requirements

To satisfy the academic requirement, an applicant must:

have achieved an ATAR of at least 94.30 in the New South Wales Higher School Certificate (or interstate equivalent), or 91.40 (or equivalent) at a school in a designated rural or remote location. All applicants applying on the basis of secondary examination results, regardless of the year the examination was undertaken, will be considered for the Rural/Remote Bonus Scheme. Determination of eligibility for the Rural/Remote Bonus Scheme will be based on the postcode of the high school attended by the applicant at the time of completion of the examination. The postcode classification is based on the Federal Government’s Rural, Remote and Metropolitan Areas Classification (RRMA); or
have completed at least one full-time year or equivalent of approved study at a higher education institution and have achieved in that study a UAC (ATAR Based) Rank of 88.40 or better.

In instances where an applicant has undertaken one or more years of tertiary study and subsequently completes secondary studies, eligibility will be based on the most recent tertiary studies. In other instances the determination of academic eligibility will be based on the applicant’s most recent study.

3.3. Personal Qualities Requirement

The Assessment of Personal Qualities consists of two stages:
1. Stage 1 comprises the Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission Test (UMAT); and
2. Stage 2 comprises an interview as determined by the Joint Medical Program Committee and approved by the relevant Faculty Board at each University.
All applicants who have registered with the ACER UMAT office will be invited by ACER to undertake Stage 1. Stage 1 will be offered at locations across Australia and limited overseas sites.
To be eligible for Stage 2 of the Assessment of Personal Qualities an applicant must achieve the required score in Stage 1 as determined each year by the Joint Medical Program Committee. The required score will be based on the performance of the applicant pool in any given year. Applicants who achieve the required score will be invited to undertake Stage 2.
Only those applicants who satisfy Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the Assessment of Personal Qualities and satisfy the minimum academic requirement will be eligible for consideration for admission.
Invited applicants who do not attend Stage 1 and/or Stage 2 of the Assessment of Personal Qualities will be deemed to have withdrawn their application and will be ineligible for consideration.

3.4. Selection

Applicants shall be ranked for selection in descending order of merit according to results in Stage 2 of the Assessment of Personal Qualities. Applicants with the same score in Stage 2 will be sub-ranked on the basis of their score in Stage 1.
Applicants whose results in Stage 1 of the Assessment of Personal Qualities do not reach the standard determined by the Joint Medical Program Committee shall not be invited to Stage 2 and therefore would not be included in the ranked list.
The available positions will be allocated rural and non-rural applicants at each university in the proportions determined by the Joint Medical Program Committee and approved by the relevant Faculty Board at each University based on the applicants stated enrolment location preference.
The Assistant Academic Registrar, Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle (or nominee) shall ensure that sufficient offers of admission are made each year to the first year of the degree to fill the various quotas: Rural / Non-rural, Dean’s Regional List University of Newcastle only, Bonded Medical Places, Medical Rural Bonded Scholarships and Indigenous. The number shall be that agreed to with the Federal Government when determining the University Profile.

3.5. Personal Health Requirements

Prospective students will be provided with a statement about recommended levels of personal health and fitness to undertake the program when they attend for interview. All commencing students will be required to confirm that they have read and understood this statement. Students will also be asked to provide an infectious disease history and immunisation record.

4. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Applicants

Provisions for the selection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Applicants are contained in the Bachelor of Medicine Joint Medical Program - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Selection Procedure - Procedure 000843 - http://www.newcastle.edu.au/policylibrary/000843.html

5. International Applicants

Bachelor of Medicine - JMP: the international quota within the Bachelor of Medicine -JMP will be filled via agreements that the Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle and the University of New England have with specific overseas institutions. A limited number of positions will also be available to students entering via the University of Newcastle Foundation Certificate Program.