If you're a New Zealand Year 12 student, you can't sit UCAT ANZ under the published eligibility rule. The earliest school year you can sit it is Year 13, your final year of secondary school. UCAT ANZ 2027 means a sitting in July 2027 for 2028 entry, so working out the right year matters as much as being allowed to sit.
Which year can you sit the UCAT in New Zealand?
UCAT ANZ says you must be doing, or have finished, the final year of secondary school or higher. Its 2026 guidance names New Zealand Year 13 as the earliest eligible school year and says New Zealand Year 12 students are ineligible. The page lists no exception for NZ Year 12 students, whatever subjects you take. The 2027 eligibility page hasn't been updated yet, so check its wording when registration opens.
| Your stage | 2026 eligibility | How to use the result |
|---|---|---|
| NZ Year 12 | Not eligible | Wait until Year 13 |
| NZ Year 13 | Eligible | For next entry cycle |
| HSFY or degree student | Eligible | Check programme route |
| Graduate | Eligible | Check programme route |
Sources: ucat.edu.au, checked 14 October 2026.
Being allowed to sit the test is a separate question from being eligible for a university course. UCAT ANZ gives you a test result, and each university sets its own admission categories and decides how it uses that result. Our university list gives the published 2027 entry requirements and the known changes for 2028.
Should I sit UCAT in Year 13 or HSFY?
Sitting in Year 13 in 2027 could help with a course that takes school leavers for 2028 entry. Otago Medicine is different. It takes domestic applicants through the Health Sciences First Year, Graduate or Alternative categories, and for 2027 entry its HSFY and Graduate categories required a UCAT result from the year you applied.
Say you're in Year 13 in 2027 and start HSFY in 2028. You'd apply to Otago Medicine during that HSFY year, from 1 July 2028, for 2029 entry. Your 2027 UCAT result couldn't be carried into the 2028 application cycle, and UCAT ANZ also says a result is valid for one admissions cycle only. This is the expensive mistake to avoid. You may be allowed to sit in Year 13, but it won't bank you a score for a later Otago HSFY application.
If you're in Year 13 now and heading into HSFY in 2027, your timeline looks different. You'd sit UCAT ANZ 2027 during HSFY and apply for 2028 entry. The application-year rules are published for 2027 entry, and Otago's 2028 thresholds and dates are still pending. Our prep plan around HSFY shows where a light study load can fit in.
Can a graduate sit the UCAT?
Yes. UCAT ANZ eligibility includes people who have started or finished an undergraduate degree. For 2027 entry, Otago's Graduate Medicine category required a UCAT result from the year of application and used threshold scores before ranking eligible applicants on weighted academic results. Some graduate pathways don't use UCAT, so check the course page before you pay for a test.
Otago's Alternative Medicine category didn't require a UCAT result for 2027 entry and didn't consider one. Otago Dentistry didn't require UCAT either. Auckland Medicine has announced that its 2028 entry process uses Casper and an MMI instead of UCAT. If you're a graduate aiming only at Auckland for that entry year, Auckland gives you no reason to sit UCAT.
Can you sit UCAT more than once?
You can sit UCAT ANZ once in a test cycle. The official rules let you have another go in a later year, but your earlier result expires for university admissions. Sitting twice in one cycle counts as candidate misconduct, and the Consortium can cancel all your results. You also can't sit UCAT ANZ and UCAT UK in the same year.
If you have a 2026 result and you're applying for 2028 entry, assume you need a new test anywhere UCAT is still required. Read what your 2026 score can still do and the UCAT ANZ 2027 guide to get the difference between sitting year and entry year straight.
A simple way to decide is to write two years down: the year you'll apply and the year you hope to start the course. Your UCAT year has to match the admissions cycle for the course that asks for it. If you're a Year 13 interested in a direct-entry Australian programme, you may have a reason to sit earlier than someone whose only target is Otago Medicine after HSFY. The Consortium list tells you which courses use the test, but it doesn't settle each school's rules for NZ applicants, so check the course page for your route before you book.
You're allowed to retake in a later cycle, but it's a new booking and a new fee. Having seen the interface before helps, though your old score doesn't transfer. Keep the Pearson account you used last time, because returning candidates are told to reuse one account and not create another.
FAQ
Can a Year 12 student sit UCAT ANZ?
The published rule says no for New Zealand Year 12. Year 13 is the earliest eligible secondary year.
Does a Year 13 UCAT score carry into Otago HSFY selection?
No. Otago required an application-year result for the published 2027 entry process, and UCAT ANZ results last one admissions cycle.
Can I retake UCAT next year?
Yes. You can sit again in a later cycle, but you only get one attempt per cycle.
Once you reach the year you're eligible and want to start practising, see how Cutline UCAT practice works.
Cutline is not affiliated with or endorsed by the UCAT ANZ Consortium or the University of Otago. UCAT is used here only to describe the test. Official information checked 14 October 2026. Check ucat.edu.au for the 2027 cycle when it is published.
