How to become a general practitioner (GP) in Australia
General Practitioners diagnose, treat and prevent human physical and mental disorders and injuries.
This group combines senior GPs with resident medical officers, who are junior hospital doctors, so a qualified GP may earn differently. Pay and growth are for the wider general practitioners and resident medical officers group, which is as fine as the data goes. Pay covers all ages and experience, not a starting salary. The all-jobs median is $96,000 a year. Jobs in the general practitioners and resident medical officers group are projected to grow 33.0% between May 2025 and May 2035, faster than the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Conducts examinations and questions patients to determine the nature of disorders and illnesses, and records patients' medical information.
- Orders laboratory tests, x-rays and other diagnostic procedures, and interprets findings to assist in diagnosis.
- Provides overall care for patients, and prescribes and administers treatments, medications and other remedial measures.
- Monitors patients' progress and response to treatment.
- Advises on diet, exercise and other habits which aid prevention and treatment of disease and disorders.
- Refers patients to, and exchanges medical information with, specialist medical practitioners.
How to get there
What it usually takes. A bachelor degree or higher. That's the level Jobs and Skills Australia sets for the general practitioners and resident medical officers group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 96% a degree or higher, 1% a diploma, 0% a Certificate III or IV.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
How entry works
Every doctor starts with a medical degree, then specialises afterwards. Each route below leads to that first degree. Direct entry means straight from Year 12 with your ATAR, the UCAT ANZ test and usually an interview. Graduate entry means a bachelor degree first, then usually the GAMSAT test, a GPA and an interview. A provisional or assured place starts you in a bachelor degree with a place held for you if you keep your marks up. Many of these courses have no single cutoff, because the test and interview count too.
Victoria4 routes
Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine at Clayton, for school leavers. ATAR of at least 90, though the real number is usually much higher. ATAR, UCAT ANZ and a multiple mini interview count equally. You can only sit the interview once.
Official pageA separate graduate entry course for students completing a specific Monash degree, not graduates in general.
Official pageDoctor of Medicine after a bachelor degree in any discipline. GAMSAT of at least 50 in each section, then a multiple mini interview. Final rank is 50% interview, 25% GPA and 25% GAMSAT. There are also guaranteed entry, rural, North Western and Indigenous pathways.
Official pageDoctor of Medicine after a bachelor degree in any discipline, with no preferred degree. GAMSAT and GPA, applied through GEMSAS. Rural Training and Indigenous Entry streams are available.
Official pageNSW and ACT8 routes
Bachelor of Medical Studies and Doctor of Medicine. Year 12 ATAR, the UCAT ANZ, then an interview if you are ranked highly enough. Rural and other entry schemes are available.
Official pageThe Joint Medical Program, based in Newcastle, on the Central Coast or in Armidale. You must sit the UCAT ANZ. The GAMSAT isn't accepted.
Official pageBachelor of Clinical Science (Medicine) and Doctor of Medicine, a joint program. UCAT ANZ, an interview and your ATAR. Western Sydney's rural scheme weights the interview 75% and UCAT 25%, above an academic threshold.
Official pageMostly graduate entry with a bachelor degree and the GAMSAT. School leavers with exceptional results can apply for a seven-year double degree with arts or science, which has 30 domestic places.
Official pageDoctor of Medicine for people who already have a higher education qualification, with general and rural entry pathways.
Official pageGeneral entry after a degree in any discipline, on GAMSAT, GPA and interview. There is also an assured pathway for top school leavers through the Bachelor of Biomedical Science.
Official pageDoctor of Medicine and Surgery, a four-year graduate award.
Official pageQueensland5 routes
For school leavers: adjusted ATAR of at least 95, a competitive UCAT ANZ and a multiple mini interview. You do a first degree at UQ, then start the Doctor of Medicine with a GPA of at least 5.0.
Official pageA two-year Bachelor of Medical Science aimed at students with an ATAR of 99 or more, with guaranteed entry to the Doctor of Medicine at a GPA of 5.5. Graduates of other degrees apply through GEMSAS with the GAMSAT.
Official pageBachelor of Medical Studies and Doctor of Medicine, in four years and eight months. Bond is a private university, with its own admissions and fees.
Official pageBachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, in Townsville. No set ATAR. Selection combines your results with an application and interview. You need English, Mathematical Methods and Chemistry.
Official pageBachelor of Medical Science (Pathway to Medicine), for Year 12 school leavers only, with a minimum ATAR of 95 and an interview stage. It has a dedicated provisional entry pathway on to medicine.
Official pageWestern Australia3 routes
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, five years and the only undergraduate medical degree in WA. Minimum ATAR of 95, bonus points included, plus the UCAT ANZ and Casper. You also need the Chemistry prerequisite. Apply through TISC.
Official pageSchool leavers enter through the Bachelor of Biomedicine (Specialised), with an assured place in the Doctor of Medicine. Minimum ATAR of 98 for the High Academic Achiever, Rural and Broadway quotas, and 90 for the Indigenous pathway. Generally ranked 30% ATAR, 50% interview and 20% UCAT ANZ. Apply through TISC.
Official pageGeneral entry after a degree in any discipline, on GAMSAT, GPA and interview. There is also an assured pathway for top school leavers through the Bachelor of Biomedical Science.
Official pageSA and NT3 routes
Bachelor of Medical Studies, followed by the Doctor of Medicine. You need Year 12 results, the prerequisites, the UCAT ANZ and an interview if invited. Ranking combines UCAT ANZ, interview and academic score.
Official pageBachelor of Clinical Sciences and Doctor of Medicine, for school leavers, with a minimum Year 12 ATAR of 95. There is also graduate entry.
Official pageBachelor of Clinical Science Medicine and Doctor of Medicine. Recent school leavers need an ATAR of 85 or above, and shortlisted applicants are interviewed.
Official pageTasmania1 route
Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine. School leavers need an ATAR of at least 95, including any rural adjustment, and a valid UCAT ANZ. Those with the same ATAR are ranked by UCAT. At least 75% of domestic places go to Tasmanians, which includes school leavers who finished the TCE or IB in Tasmania within five years.
Official pageWritten by us from each university's own admissions page, checked 2 November 2026. Rules and numbers change every year, so confirm on the official page before you apply.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
Victoria25 matches
VTAC lowest selection ranks, December 2025 offer round.
Biomedical Science - Scholars program Pathway · Monash, Clayton98.10 Biomedical Science Pathway · Monash, Clayton91.05 Biomedicine Pathway · Melbourne, Parkville90.00 Biomedical Science (Honours) Pathway · RMIT, Bundoora83.45 Biomedicine (Degree) Pathway · VU, Footscray Park80.55 Biomedical Science Pathway · Deakin, Melbourne Burwood80.25 Biomedical Science Pathway · RMIT, Bundoora70.30 Biomedical Science Pathway · Swinburne, Hawthorn65.10Showing 8 of 25 matches. Search every course.
NSW and ACT39 matches
UAC lowest selection ranks, December Round 2, 2025-26 admissions.
Bachelor of Science (Medical Science) · Sydney90.00 Bachelor of Health and Medical Science · Charles Sturt65.85Showing 8 of 39 matches. Search every course.
Queensland37 matches
QTAC course pages, ATAR/Selection Rank profile for semester 1, 2026.
Showing 8 of 37 matches. Search every course.
Western Australia16 matches
TISC Course Search: lowest ATAR offered for 2026 entry and guaranteed offer ATARs.
Showing 8 of 16 matches. Search every course.
SA and NT5 matches
Adelaide University, Flinders University and Charles Darwin University course pages. SATAC's own list wasn't used.
Matched on course names, 122 across 5 admissions centres. Pathway means the degree is a first step, and you need further entry or study to reach this job. A lowest selection rank includes adjustment points and moves every year. Check prerequisites and whether the course is accredited for this job.
Graduate outcomes, national
Undergraduates surveyed about four to six months after finishing, in 2025, across all providers. Full-time work is among those available for it. All graduates: 75.4% and $77,000. These are national figures for the study area, not for this course or uni, and a first-year salary says little about later pay. Source: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Social, Investigative, Conventional.
From O*NET ratings for "Family Medicine Physicians", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a good match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
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Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
Graduate outcomes: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025, National Report Tables (Social Research Centre, for the Australian Government).
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.