Kia ora Bernard

We acknowledge receipt of your Official Information Act request.

If we have any questions or need to seek clarification on any points we will be in touch soon. Otherwise, we will seek to respond to your request as soon as practicable and no later than 20 working days after the date your request was received (by 16 May 2021). If we are unable to respond to your requests by then, we will notify you of an extension of this timeframe.

Vanessa Vidallon
Information Advisor

Corporate Records Services | Ngā Ratonga Kōrero Rangatōpū
University of Otago | Te Whare Wānanga o Otāgo
Tel/Waea +64 3 479 7409

224 Hanover Street, Dunedin | Ōtepoti
PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054
New Zealand | Aotearoa

Email/Īmera [email address]
Website/Pae tukutuku www.otago.ac.nz/records

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Kia ora Bernard

 

We refer to your information request dated 20 April 2021 made under the
Official Information Act 1982 (Act) in relation to the University's BDS
programme via the alternative admission category.

 

We respond below to each part of your request.

 

Your request is for information "in recent years".  We have provided you
the information for the last two years.

 

1. Is GPA a major factor considered when accepting a student into the BDS
course?

 

Yes, the GPA is a major factor considered and is applied as per our
Regulations.

 

The Regulations provide:

 

“to be considered for admission under the Alternative category, an
applicant must have provided a statement of interest and current
curriculum vitae and:

                    i. hold a degree from a New Zealand university, and
no longer be eligible under the Graduate category;
or
have completed a degree at an overseas university at a standard of at
least NZQF Level 7;
or
hold a master’s or doctoral degree;

                  ii. have passed the equivalent of the papers prescribed
for the [1]Health Sciences First Year course, and have achieved a minimum
academic standard to be determined by the Dental Admissions Committee in
any papers undertaken at university level (usually a minimum of a B (GPA
of 5) (Otago equivalent)) (but see 1(d));

                 iii. meet any other requirements as determined by the
Dental Admissions Committee. See Guidelines for Admission for current
requirements.

Selection of applicants who have met these criteria will be based on
academic merit and an interview.”

An applicant must have a current [2]UCAT result and have achieved a score
in all five of the UCAT sections at a threshold level determined annually
by the Dental Admissions Committee, to proceed to interview.

 

2. If so, what was the lowest GPA that was accepted into the course in
recent years?

 

A GPA below 5 will not be accepted

 

3. Is work experience essential when considering an applicant for entry
into the course?

 

Work experience is considered as part of the assessment but is not a major
contributing factor.

 

4. It was stated on the website that a minimum GPA of 5 is required to be
considered for entry, however, how does it make this pathway different to
the graduate pathway for example? Is GPA more variable when considering an
applicant for alternative? 

 

The Graduate admission category requires applicants to have completed a
bachelor’s qualification by a New Zealand university within three years of
submitting their application. The Alternative admission category requires
applicants to hold a degree from an overseas university or hold a master’s
or doctoral degree or a degree from a NZ university.  In the latter
situation the applicant should no longer be eligible under the Graduation
category (eg if they obtained their bachelor qualification more than 3
years ago).

 

5. Is the interview process similar to what health science/graduate entry
students go through? Or, is the interview more personal to understand the
background of the applicant? 

 

The interview process is similar for all admission categories. Under the
alternative category, the applicant is required to provide a personal
statement and a CV -this provides details of the applicant’s background.

 

6. Of the successful applicants in recent years, how many were masters/PhD
students of the University of Otago?

 

One applicant in the last 2 years.

 

7. Does the Dentistry admissions look at cumulative GPA scores for
alternative entry, or is GPA weighted in the same fashion as graduate GPA
scores?

 

For the Alternative admission category, we consider the grade point
average taken across any papers undertaken at University level.  Unlike
the Graduate admission category,  it is not weighted.

 

Please refer #1 above for the requirements set out in the Regulations.

 

For the Graduate admission category, the final determining factor for
selection for an applicant that has met all three admission criteria will
be the weighted academic score.

Refer this [3]link for further details.

 

We trust that this information is helpful.

 

Ngâ mihi

Mayhaka

 

Mayhaka Mendis • Manager, Policy and Compliance, Office of the Registrar •
Deputy Privacy Officer • Te Whare Wânanga o Ôtâkou, University of Otago •
P.O Box 56, Dunedin • Tel +64 3 479 8993

 

 

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