Admission Criteria

Applying for admission

To be eligible for admission to the DMD in 2023, applicants must meet the following requirements:

1. Satisfactory performance* in an eligible bachelor’s degree at the time of application, as indicated by Grade Point Average (GPA); and
2. Satisfactory performance* in an admissions test – Domestic applicants must submit valid Graduate Australian Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT) results with their application. International applicants must submit valid GAMSAT, United States Dental Admission Test (DAT), or Canadian Dental Aptitude Test (CDAT) results with their application. 

The University reserves the right to ask some applicants to participate in further assessment using another selection tool. The University will give these candidates due notice of any additional requirements. 

*Satisfactory performance is defined in the relevant Admissions Guide.

Please click on the links below for the Admissions Guide:

• MD and DMD Domestic Admissions Guide (pdf, 1.4MB)
• MD and DMD International Admissions Guide (pdf, 669KB)

Important dates for the 2023 intake are available below:

Timeline for the application process (pdf, 67 KB)

You will be ineligible to apply if:

• You have not completed or will not complete an eligible bachelor’s degree by 1 January of the year in which you intend to enrol in the DMD.
• You have previously applied unsuccessfully for admission to the DMD at the University of Sydney and have commenced studies in postgraduate dentistry at another University.

If you have previously accepted an offer of a place in the DMD at the University of Sydney, and have:

(a) failed to submit any outstanding documentation to proceed with an unconditional offer or to enrol; or

(b) enrolled in and subsequently withdrawn from or discontinued the DMD without prior approval from the relevant delegated authority;

you will be ineligible for admission to the DMD for a period of two years from the date of application or enrolment, as relevant.  

Facilitated admission pathways

Facilitated admission pathways are available to the following applicants:

- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people:

• Indigenous Facilitated Admission Pathway (for applicants with a bachelor’s degree and GAMSAT results)
• Indigenous Admission Pathway (for applicants with a recent postgraduate degree)

- Australian rural origin as defined by the Australian government.

Please refer to the MD and DMD Domestic Admissions Guide (pdf, 1.4MB) for definitions and information on facilitated admission pathways.

Inherent Requirements

Inherent requirements are the essential tasks and activities necessary to be able to achieve the core learning outcomes of a course. They are specific to a particular course or discipline. To assist students in making informed choices about their study, we have identified and set out the inherent requirements for coursework award courses in dentistry.

Important information

Disclaimer

Please note the Sydney Dental School regularly reviews the admission criteria and application processes for its courses including the Doctor of Dental Medicine. It reserves the right to change these criteria and processes without notice. Information on this website provides advice about the currently applicable criteria and processes, and may not be correct for future application periods. It is possible that GPA scores will, in the future, be incorporated into the ranking of applicants for entry into the DMD. It is also possible that the GPA requirement will be changed. Applicants are advised to consult this website on a regular basis for any changes to entry criteria or program updates.

Additional costs

Additional costs are involved pre-application and during the application process:

• Admission test fees - GAMSAT/DAT/CDAT
• UAC Qualifications Assessment Service (QAS) - GPA calculation
• International application processing fee (University)

All students will need to purchase specific equipment and supplies as part of their course. Find out more.

You can find information on health cover for international students here and the University provides a guide for living away from home costs here. 

Other requirements prior to commencement of the DMD

Students who are offered and accept a place in the DMD will be required to provide a current approved First Aid Certificate and meet Clinical Compliance requirements

• First Aid qualification (details are outlined in the Admissions Guide)
• NSW Ministry of Health Compliance Checking
• NSW Working with Children Check (WWCC)

Post-degree Registration Requirements: Please refer to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) website and the Dental Board of Australia website for further information.

Deferral

Applicants should be prepared and ready to commence the course in the year for which they have applied. Applications for deferral of enrolment following offer and acceptance of a place in the Doctor of Dental Medicine will only be considered under exceptional circumstances that could not have been foreseen at the time of application, and require the approval of the relevant delegate.

Transfer

Transfer of enrolment between dental schools is not possible, other than in exceptional circumstances. Applications for transfer for 2023 close on 30 September 2022. Please click here (pdf, 91KB) for information.

Change in immigration status

International applicants and students who change from international to domestic status should refer to clause 49 of the University’s Coursework Policy 2021 and the rules below:

1. An international applicant’s status changes before an offer is made:

International applicants who change to domestic status before an offer is made, will have their application assessed as a domestic applicant.

2. An international applicant’s status changes after an offer is made and prior to enrolling in the DMD:

International applicants who change to domestic status after an offer is made and prior to enrolling in the DMD, will have their offer cancelled and their application assessed as a domestic applicant.

3. A student’s status changes after enrolling in the DMD:

International students who change to domestic status after enrolling in the DMD, will be handled in accordance with sub-clauses 49(8), and 49(9) of the Coursework Policy 2021:

3.1 Sub-clause 49(8)

If an international postgraduate student changes from international to domestic status before the census date for their course, the student will be transferred to a domestic fee-paying place.

3.2 Sub-clause 49(9)

If an international postgraduate student changes from international to domestic status after the census date for their course, the student will continue as an international fee-paying student for that semester and transfer to a domestic fee-paying place in the subsequent semester.

4. The assessment referred to in points 1 and 2 above will be conducted by the Sydney Dental School in accordance with the selection criteria for admission by domestic applicants to the DMD in the year of the application. Applicants must therefore submit Graduate Australian Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT) results at the time of application to be eligible for admission to the DMD as a domestic student. Please note that other admissions test results cannot be accepted for admission as a domestic applicant. 

Impermissible conduct

The Sydney Dental School reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to reject an application for admission or to vary or cancel an offer of admission if an applicant’s conduct during the admissions process or prior to enrolment causes the Sydney Dental School to form the view that the applicant is unsuitable for admission to the DMD.

Examples of conduct that might make an applicant unsuitable for admission to the DMD include (but are not limited to):

• Failure by the applicant to treat University of Sydney employees, students, applicants or other members of the University community with respect and courtesy, including failure to use appropriate language and tone in written or verbal communications;
• Failure by the applicant to act honestly and ethically in their dealings with University of Sydney employees, students, applicants or other members of the University community;
• Conduct that results in the applicant being excluded from another higher education institution, or from a course or program offered by another higher education institution;
• Conduct that gives the Sydney Dental School reasonable cause to believe that enrolling the applicant in clinical training may place them, their peers, or members of the public at risk of harm; and
• Conduct that results in the applicant being charged with a criminal offence.