Year 13 to HSFY 2027

Big first year plans.Start before day one.

A Year 13 head start on Health Sciences First Year: learn the CHEM, CELS, HUBS and PHSI foundations before you reach Otago.

Limited first intake

Apply early.For Year 13 students starting HSFY in 2027.
Apply for Cutline Summer

Not ready to apply? Start with the free HSFY 2027 guide and a three-minute look at the year

Built by Otago med and dent students.

A clay miniature of the University of Otago clocktower and the Leith
800+

HSFY students helped in 2026

Start before semester one begins.

What we will help you with

Pick a subject.

Four papers and the study system to carry them. See exactly how we teach each one, in three steps.

HUBS 191

Learn how the body works.

An early run at the body systems, taught the way our med and dent tutors wished they had learned them first time.
  1. See it firstDiagram-first teaching: watch each system drawn up from scratch.
  2. Link itTie every structure to its function, the way HSFY asks it.
  3. Prove itFinish on HSFY-style questions with worked answers.

Searching for a head start?

Getting ready for HSFY, answered.

What is HSFY at Otago?

Health Sciences First Year is the University of Otago’s common first year for medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physiotherapy and medical laboratory science. Most students sit CHEM 191, CELS 191, HUBS 191 and PHSI 191, and results in those papers matter for professional programme entry.

How do Year 13 students prepare for HSFY before it starts?

Finish NCEA well, take a real break, then build your science foundations before February. Cutline Summer packages that head start: the core ideas of each paper, taught over the summer holidays by Otago med and dent students, before your first lecture.

Do I need Level 3 Chemistry or Physics first?

If you missed Level 2 or 3 Chemistry or Physics at school, Cutline Summer’s beginner routes start from zero, so your first lectures are not the first time you meet the ideas.

When does Cutline Summer 2027 run?

Over the summer break before HSFY begins in 2027. The first intake is limited and application comes first: apply below and you will hear from us by email.

Read Otago’s own preparation advice

Application

Tell us about yourself.

Complete the form below. Places are limited.
  • For Year 13 school leavers
  • Limited places
  • Application required

Not ready to apply? Start with the free HSFY 2027 guide and a three-minute look at the year

Apply for Cutline Summer

Complete each question. A few clear sentences is enough.

Start typing and pick it from the list. If it is not there, type it in yourself.

A few sentences in your own words is plenty.

School, sport, work, anything you are proud of. It does not have to be academic.

Clubs, jobs, family responsibilities, whatever your week actually holds.

Tie Education Ltd (Cutline, New Zealand) collects this. We use it only to decide who is offered a place, and to email you the answer. We do not ask for your date of birth or your ethnicity, because neither has anything to do with that decision. Email [email protected] to see or delete it. Privacy policy

Cutline operates independently and is not affiliated with, employed by, or endorsed by the University of Otago.

Every application starts with an email confirmation.Privacy policy