Dentistry vs Medicine: Which is Harder to Get Into?

The Backup Plan Myth

Every year, thousands of students put Medicine as their first UAC/VTAC preference, and Dentistry as their second preference. They assume that if they miss the cutoff for Medicine, they will easily slide into a dental school.

This is a massive misconception. Statistically, in Australia, Dentistry is often harder to get into than Medicine.

The Supply and Demand Problem

It comes down to pure mathematics and available seats.

There are over 20 Medical Schools across Australia, offering thousands of Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) every year.

There are only 9 Dental Schools in Australia. Of those, only a handful offer direct undergraduate entry (like the University of Queensland, Adelaide University, and La Trobe).

Because there are so few spots, the ATAR and UCAT cutoffs for Dentistry are astronomically high.

The UCAT Bloodbath for Dentistry

If you apply for Undergraduate Medicine, a UCAT score in the 90th percentile (e.g., 2950) might secure you an interview at a less competitive or regional university.

If you apply for Undergraduate Dentistry (for example, at the University of Adelaide), the applicant pool is so tight that the UCAT cutoff frequently pushes into the 95th+ percentile.

The Manual Dexterity Test

Furthermore, some dental schools require additional hurdles that medical schools do not. Because dentistry is essentially micro-surgery in a tiny, wet, dark environment, you need extreme hand-eye coordination.

During dentistry interviews, universities have been known to test manual dexterity (e.g., making you carve a specific shape out of a block of wax, or thread needles with tweezers under a time limit). If you have brilliant grades but shaky hands, you will be rejected.

The Private School Backup

Because public dentistry spots are so rare, desperate students often turn to full-fee paying places (like Griffith University or Bond University). Be warned: A full-fee medical or dental degree in Australia will cost you over $300,000 out of pocket, and you cannot put the majority of it on HECS-HELP.

Stop treating Dentistry as a safety net. Use our UCAT Score Calculator to see if you have the elite cognitive percentiles required for the hardest courses in the country.