8 July 2020
By email:
[FYI request #12094 email]
Dear Albert
I apologise for the delay in replying to your Official Information Act request regarding 2020
admissions to Dentistry and Medicine at the University of Otago through the Health Sciences First
Year course. Please find below, responses to your questions.
1. Number of first year general applicants to the BDS and MB ChB course in 2020
Applicants
Medicine (MB ChB)
323
Dentistry (BDS)
223
2. Lowest average for successful first year applicants for Dentistry and Medicine (and their UCAT
score if allowed)
3. Highest average for unsuccessful first year applicants for Medicine and Dentistry (and their
UCAT score if allowed)
Lowest
Highest
successful unsuccessful
GPA
GPA
Medicine (MB ChB)
66
72.71
Dentistry (BDS)
69.29
88
In considering these figures it should be recognised that the University operates a Mirror on Society
Policy for certain subcategories of students – hence a successful GPA in one sub-category may be
lower than an unsuccessful GPA in another sub-category or the general group. UCAT scores are
withheld on privacy grounds pursuant to section 9(2)(a) of the Official Information Act. I advise of
your right to seek review of this decision via complaint to an Ombudsman.
4. Interview UCAT cut-off for HSFY applicants for Dentistry
Verbal Reasoning 20th Percentile, Situational Judgement 10th percentile, Decision Making 57th
percentile.
Yours sincerely,
Claire Gallop
Manager, Policy and Compliance, Office of the Registrar