Most people who apply for Medicine from HSFY don't get in. That's not a comment on you. Otago admitted 347 students from 1,141 applications for its 2026 intake, so missing out is the most common result by a long way. If it happens to you this summer, it'll feel like the end of the road. It isn't, and people do get into Medicine through a degree first every year.
This is how the graduate route works, step by step, and what to do in the weeks after a result you didn't want.
First, give yourself some time
You don't need to decide your whole future the week results come out. Enrolment deadlines aren't that week either. Talk to someone you trust, take a proper break, and stay off the results threads for a while. Comparing yourself with strangers on a forum won't tell you anything useful.
When you're ready, the next decision is a degree, and it's a better decision when you're not making it in a panic.
Why the graduate route is the main way back in
Otago's HSFY category is a once-only route, and so is Auckland's first-year entry, as we explain in our post on Waikato's new medical school. So for most people who miss out, the realistic next door is graduate entry: finish a degree, then apply as a graduate.
There are now three graduate options in New Zealand, each with different rules.
| Otago Medicine | Auckland Medicine (2028 entry onward) | Waikato Medicine | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Admissions test | UCAT ANZ in the year you apply, used as a screen | Casper, no UCAT | GAMSAT (indicated) |
| Interview | None | MMI | An interview (indicated) |
| How you're ranked | Weighted GPA alone | MMI 50%, Casper 50%, after a GPA of 6.0 (B+) minimum | Not yet published |
| Notes | Degree completed within three years of applying | Graduates are eligible as well as first-year students | Graduate only, first intake of 120 in 2028 |
Sources: our Postgrad page summarises Otago's admissions guidelines and Auckland's May 2026 announcement, and Waikato's details are from its own medical school page. Waikato's requirements are still subject to accreditation, so check them closer to the time.
If Dentistry is your goal, Otago also has a graduate category for the BDS, with no UCAT and an interview. Our post on graduate entry Dentistry at Otago covers it.
The route, step by step
1. Choose a degree you'll do well in
Otago ranks graduates on a weighted GPA from their degree. So the best degree is one where you'll get high grades and stay interested for three years. A degree that sounds medical isn't automatically the right one. Before you enrol, look at the 300 level papers each option leads to, because those will count the most.
2. Understand the weighted GPA
Otago picks your best 120 points at 300 level and your best 240 points from 100 and 200 level, and weights them 1.5, 1.0 and 0.5 by level, with a ceiling of 9.00. That means your third year matters most, and weak first-year grades matter least. We work through a full example in how Otago's weighted GPA works.
3. Build your grades, year by year
In second year, aim for strong 200 level grades and choose papers that lead to 300 level papers you'll do well in. In third year, protect your 300 level grades above everything else.
4. Prepare for the tests in your final year
For Otago Medicine, you sit the UCAT ANZ in the year you apply. Plan a light start the year before and a proper push in the weeks before the test. For Auckland from 2028 entry, you prepare for the MMI and Casper instead.
5. Apply
Applications go in during your final year. For the 2026 round, Otago's window ran from 1 July to 13 August.
A realistic timeline
Say you finish HSFY in 2026 and miss out. If your HSFY papers count toward a three-year degree like a BSc, you might finish it at the end of 2028, applying during 2028 for a 2029 start. If you change to a degree where fewer of your papers count, it'll take longer. Check with AskOtago or a course adviser how your HSFY papers credit to each degree you're considering.
How narrow is it?
Otago's admissions statistics show that for the 2025 intake, Otago made 32 graduate category offers for Medicine in the general pathway, and the lowest weighted GPA that got a first-round offer was 8.66 (8.15 including waitlist offers). Those were under the old calculation, which Otago says isn't comparable with the new one, but they show the door is narrow and grades need to be mostly in the A range.
That's a reason to plan carefully and to keep a second path open, like a degree you'd be glad to have anyway, while you give the graduate route a proper go.
FAQ
Can I do HSFY again if I don't get into Medicine?
Otago's HSFY category is once only, so repeating HSFY doesn't give you another go through that category. Check with AskOtago about your own situation before you decide anything.
Does my HSFY average count for graduate entry?
Your HSFY papers are 100 level, so if they're part of your degree they go into the pool at the lowest weight, 0.5. They can be pushed out of the pool by stronger 100 and 200 level papers.
What's the fastest way into Medicine after missing out?
For most people it's a degree that credits as many HSFY papers as possible, done well, with the application in the final year. Check how your papers credit before choosing.
Not sure where to start? Get your free roadmap. It takes about a minute and shows you where you are and what to fix first.
Cutline is not affiliated with or endorsed by the University of Otago, the University of Auckland or the University of Waikato. Figures are from Otago's Admissions Statistics 2026 report and from the universities' published pages, checked October 2026. Admission rules change every year, so check the official pages for the year you're applying.
