Rural medicine UCAT pathways in Australia can change who you compete against, the interview screen, your ATAR adjustment or your final rank, and each university sets its own rules. For 2027 entry, with UCAT sat in 2026, UNSW published a 40th percentile Rural Entry minimum and Monash published a 2120 Dean's Rural List December interview score. UQ's rural figure of 1960 is from 2026 entry, with the test sat in 2025. UCAT ANZ 2027 is the sitting for 2028 entry, and no 2028 rural cut-offs are out yet.
Which rural medicine UCAT figures are official?
Only a handful of rural numbers are published, and they measure different things. UNSW's percentile is an eligibility minimum. Monash's 2120 is the lowest December interview invitation for its Dean's Rural List. UQ's 1960 is the lowest score invited to interview in its Rural Background Sub-quota. None of them guarantees an offer, and each one only applies if you meet that university's own residence and evidence rules.
This table keeps each figure with its entry year, test year and selection stage. All four come from tests sat in 2025 or 2026, so they're on the current scale out of 2700.
| Pathway | Entry, test sat | Published UCAT figure | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNSW Rural Entry | 2027, 2026 | 40th percentile | Eligibility minimum |
| Monash Dean's Rural List | 2027, 2026 | 2120 | December interview |
| UQ Rural Background Sub-quota | 2026, 2025 | 1960 | Interview invitation |
| Griffith Dental Health Science, rural | 2026, 2025 | 1860 | Interview invitation |
Sources: UNSW, Monash, UQ and Griffith Dental 2026 FAQ, checked 14 October 2026.
Griffith's figure is for dentistry, and it's here because a lot of rural applicants list health courses side by side. It isn't a Medicine cut-off, and the dentistry guide covers it properly. If you go looking at older rural numbers, the Monash series shows why anything from a test sat before 2025 won't line up: those totals were out of 3600.
How does rural eligibility differ across universities?
UNSW Rural Entry has its own eligibility check, a lower academic minimum and regional interviews. For 2027 entry the ATAR minimum was 91.00, against 96.00 for General entry, and the UCAT minimum was the 40th percentile, against the 50th. Our UNSW guide explains what happens once you're past the minimum.
Monash's Dean's Rural List needs a rural residence history (MM2 to MM7, for 5 consecutive or 10 total years) and a separate application. For 2027 entry, at least 27 percent of domestic places went to eligible applicants. The 2120 line belongs to people on that list, and having gone to a regional school once doesn't put you on it. Read the Monash eligibility page before you count yourself in.
UQ set aside 28 percent of new domestic Medicine places for rural-background applicants under its 2027 entry rules, and eligible rural applicants got a 2 point ATAR adjustment. UQ shortlists the rural sub-quota first, then ranks offers on ATAR 25 percent, UCAT 25 percent and MMI 50 percent. Its 1960 figure is from 2026 entry and can't tell you the 2028 line.
Which other rural pathways deserve a closer look?
The Newcastle and UNE Joint Medical Program runs a Rural and Remote Admission Scheme and aimed for 30 percent rural students for 2027 entry. It said rural and non-rural UCAT selection levels were different, set after applications closed, and it didn't publish either number. You also needed a direct JMP application on top of UAC. The JMP guide covers its cognitive ranking and rural route.
UTAS set aside half of its domestic Medicine places for rural students (MM2 to MM7) for 2027 entry and adds 4 or 5 ATAR points for eligible rural backgrounds. It then ranks on ATAR and uses cognitive UCAT only to break ties, with no published domestic UCAT minimum. Curtin offered up to 25 percent of its 2027 places to rural applicants from WA, the NT and SA (MM2 to MM7), with up to 5 ATAR adjustment points. Its selection still ran through Casper, UCAT and an interview. A quota on its own won't tell you what UCAT score you need.
Adelaide University listed about 41 rural Medicine places for 2027 entry. UWA's rural formula gave rurality 25 percent of the final rank, next to ATAR, interview and UCAT. Neither published a rural UCAT cut-off. Western Sydney's Rural Entry Admission Scheme had its own residence rule and a 91.5 ATAR threshold, and its UCAT threshold isn't made public. The weighting comparison lays these formulas side by side.
Can a New Zealand applicant use an Australian rural route?
Citizenship and rural residence are two separate tests. Several Australian universities treat New Zealand citizens as domestic for general entry and then rule them out of rural or bonded routes. Western Sydney says NZ citizens aren't eligible for its Rural Entry Admission Scheme, and the JMP says the same about its rural and remote scheme. Other schools word it their own way. I'm an Otago med student and Cutline is NZ-based, so I'd read the exact Australian pathway page before gathering any evidence or assuming domestic status opens a rural door.
The Australia guide lists each consortium university and its application route. UCAT ANZ's university page says some pathways don't need UCAT and tells you to check with universities, and it won't tell you whether your address history fits a rural scheme.
What should a 2028 rural applicant do now?
Start collecting the residence, schooling and citizenship evidence each university asks for, because some rural routes have their own forms and deadlines. For 2027 entry, Monash's Dean's Rural List application closed on 9 October 2026 and Curtin's rural form on 13 October 2026. Then practise the test with the free official resources and, if you want more timed sets, the Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning pages. The score calculator is for tracking your current cognitive total. It can't predict a 2028 rural invitation. Check each university page again when it posts 2028 entry instructions.
What else do applicants ask?
Is there one rural UCAT cut-off for Australia?
No. Universities define rural groups differently and use UCAT at different stages, and most publish no number.
Does the Monash rural 2120 guarantee an offer?
No. It was the lowest Dean's Rural List December interview invitation for 2027 entry, from the test sat in 2026. The final rank also took in ATAR and the MMI.
Is UQ's 1960 a 2028 target?
No. It was the lowest rural interview invitation for 2026 entry, from UCAT sat in 2025. The 2028 figure hasn't been published.
For timed practice by section while you sort out your rural evidence, see how Cutline UCAT practice works.
Cutline is NZ-based and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the UCAT ANZ Consortium, UNSW, Monash, UQ, Griffith, Newcastle, UNE, UTAS, Curtin, Adelaide University, UWA or Western Sydney. UCAT is used here only to describe the test. University information checked 14 October 2026. Check official pages for 2028 entry rules when published.
