the logo

Best universities in Australia for medicine degrees 2024

Find the best universities for medical degrees in Australia with Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings data

  • Study abroad
November 28 2023
best universities in australia for medical degrees

Share

Top 8 universities for medicine in Australia 2024

Scroll down for the full list of best universities for medicine in the Australia

Australia medicine rank 2024  Medicine rank 2024  University City 
1  20  University of Melbourne Melbourne
2  29  Monash University Melbourne
3  =38  University of Sydney Sydney
4  54  The University of Queensland Brisbane
5  71  University of Adelaide Adelaide
6  =74  UNSW Sydney Sydney
=7  101–125  Australian National University Canberra
=7  101–125  The University of Western Australia Perth

Medical degrees in Australia can be taken at undergraduate or postgraduate level. 

aecc-wide
AECC logo
Get free support to study in Australia and New Zealand

While a few universities offer undergraduate medical degrees, most offer a master’s in medicine that students must complete in order to continue on to a career in medicine. 

Most universities also offer health-related undergraduate degrees (in such fields as public health, biomedicine and science). 

As with medicine courses across the world, medical degrees in Australia take longer than most other degrees, usually between four and six years. Given the time and dedication required, it’s worth taking care to choose the right one.

Most universities in Australia require a prospective student to take a UCAT test (for undergraduate admissions) or the GAMSAT (for postgraduate students). It is important to check with your chosen university if it demands either of these tests as well as the pass marks for acceptance. 

These are the best universities for medicine degrees in Australia, according to the World University Rankings 2024.


Best universities for medicine in the world
Best universities in the United States for medicine degrees
Best universities for medicine degrees in Canada
Best universities in the UK for medicine degrees


5. University of Adelaide

The faculty of health and medical sciences at the University of Adelaide is the largest school at the institution.

Within the school, students can study undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in allied health, dentistry and oral health, health and medical sciences, medicine, mental health and wellbeing, nursing, public health or psychology.

The Adelaide health and medical sciences building hosts 1,700 students, 600 researchers and provides students with varying technique in health care using the Adelaide Health Simulation teaching facility.

Students will learn observation, communication, fine and gross motor skills, intellectual-conceptual, integrative and quantitative abilities, and behavioural and social skills.

4. The University of Queensland

The University of Queensland has two research-intensive schools, three clinical medical schools and five hospital-based institutes and centres. 

The first year focuses on theory, patient contact and clinical research skills. The latter two years develop these skills and feature clinical placements that offer students a chance to experience both metropolitan and rural Queensland. 

From 2022, the university will introduce a multiple-mini-interview as part of the application process for the MD as well as requiring all applicants to have completed certain prerequisite courses.

The university also offers undergraduate programmes in a range of science and health-related subjects, which can be taken as a prerequisite to the MD programme. 


What can you do with a medical degree?
What can you do with a dentistry degree?
What can you do with a nursing degree?


3. University of Sydney

The doctor of medicine at the University of Sydney is a four-year course aimed at graduates who have already completed a bachelor’s degree.

It’s worth noting that exceptions are made for high school leavers who have achieved exceptional results. In such cases, these students can undertake the seven-year double-degree pathway, which combines the MD with an undergraduate degree.

The programme is centred on eight themes, including indigenous health and inter-professional teamwork. In the first year, students spend one day a week at one of the university’s clinical schools, and by year two placements account for 50 per cent of their time.

The university offers a number of science and health-related undergraduate programmes (such as diagnostic radiography), which can lead on to further study.  

2. Monash University

Monash University’s school of medicine offers a master’s medicine programme for students looking to pursue a career in medicine.

Students will spend one year studying, followed by three years spent in clinical environments in both metropolitan Melbourne and rural Victoria.

The Monash undergraduate medical course is a five-year programme of study with direct entry from school. Undergraduate students can also take the bachelor of medical science (honours), a one-year course that provides a pathway to further study in medicine. 

The research faculty at the medical school has contributed to developments in areas such as IVF, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and infectious diseases. 

The Monash Medical Centre is a 640-bed teaching and research hospital that offers specialist surgical, medical and mental health services to the wider community. 

Students from more than 170 countries are represented within the student body. 

1. University of Melbourne

The oldest medical school in Australia, the Melbourne Medical School is part of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne.

It is known for its health research and its inclusion of all major fields of medicine, as well its emphasis on rural health.

The Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences is Australia’s largest biomedical research faculty; there are some 1,500 academic staff, 4,000 honorary staff and 1,500 graduate researchers. 

The University of Melbourne offers the first Australian professional entry master’s level programme. The four-year course has been created for those with an undergraduate degree in any discipline. Students will complete a year of clinical learning through a case-based teaching approach, two clinical training years and an MD research project focused on a single medical discipline.

There is no undergraduate degree in medicine available at the university; however, students can choose a bachelor in biomedicine or science. 


Top universities in Australia for medicine 2024

Click each institution to view its full World University Rankings 2024 results 

Australia medicine rank 2024  Medicine rank 2024  University City 
1  20  University of Melbourne Melbourne
2  29  Monash University Melbourne
3  =38  University of Sydney Sydney
4  54  The University of Queensland Brisbane
5  71  University of Adelaide Adelaide
6  =74  UNSW Sydney Sydney
=7  101–125  Australian National University Canberra
=7  101–125  The University of Western Australia Perth
=9  151–175  La Trobe University Melbourne
=9  151–175  Macquarie University Sydney
=9  151–175  University of Technology Sydney Sydney
=12  176–200  University of Newcastle Callaghan
=12  176–200  Queensland University of Technology Brisbane
=14  201–250  Curtin University Perth
=14  201–250  Deakin University Geelong
=14  201–250  Flinders University Adelaide
=14  201–250  University of South Australia Adelaide
=14  201–250  Western Sydney University Sydney
=19  251–300  Australian Catholic University Canberra
=19  251–300  Bond University Gold Coast
=19  251–300  Griffith University Brisbane, Gold Coast, Logan
=19  251–300  Murdoch University Murdoch
=19  251–300  University of Wollongong Wollongong
=24  301–400  University of Canberra Canberra
=24  301–400  Edith Cowan University Cairns, Townsville
=24  301–400  Federation University Australia Ballarat
=24  301–400  RMIT University Melbourne
=24  301–400  Swinburne University of Technology Hawthorn
=24  301–400  University of Tasmania Hobart
=24  301–400  Victoria University Melbourne
=31  401–500  Central Queensland University Rockhampton
=31  401–500  James Cook University Townsville
=31  401–500  University of Southern Queensland Toowoomba
=31  401–500  University of the Sunshine Coast Sunshine Coast
35  501–600  Charles Darwin University Casuarina
=36  601–800  Charles Sturt University Bathurst
=36  601–800  Southern Cross University Lismore

You may also like

The University of Melbourne - the top ranked institution in Australia

Best universities in Australia 2024

Find the best universities in Australia with Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings 2024 data

September 27 2023
sticky sign up

Register free and enjoy extra benefits