Undergraduate Medicine Guide to QTAC (Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre)

What Does QTAC Stand For?

QTAC stands for Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre and is an intermediary platform that facilitates the transition of students from high school education into tertiary courses in Queensland.

QTAC Key Responsibilities

QTAC's role is to provide a one-stop platform for tertiary institutions located in Queensland and Northern New South Wales. Undergraduate applications submitted by students are collected, processed, and assessed by QTAC, who then calculate an ATAR score in accordance with approved rules, policies, and procedures. QTAC also oversees the selection and offer process. Once a student's chosen institution has made a decision, QTAC releases offer letters to these successful applicants.

QTAC University Entry Requirements

To be eligible to apply for QTAC consideration, applicants must be:

1. An Australian citizen
2. Australian permanent resident
3. New Zealand citizen
4. A temporary resident or someone with a student visa currently in Year 12 (Australia or overseas equivalent)

In general, most students in their final year of study in secondary education are eligible to apply through QTAC.

Eligibility to apply for QTAC Undergraduate Medicine offers is based on three main criteria:

1. Assessments (admissions tests, interviews, ATAR, etc.)
2. Meeting the requirements of subject prerequisites
3. The medical school's decision

Each institution under the QTAC jurisdiction has different weighting on individual entry criteria. While some may prioritise the ATAR, UCAT, and interview evenly, others may value one of these selection criteria more than the others. For 2027 entry, the University of Queensland requires the UCAT ANZ, while Bond University and James Cook University (JCU) do not use the UCAT. See our pages on Bond and JCU for more information, or refer to the table below to see how each university assesses student suitability for undergraduate medicine.

Entry criteria and weightings can change from one admissions cycle to the next, so please check the latest information with QTAC and with each university before you apply.

How Is ATAR Calculated By QTAC?

Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) is a rank that is derived solely based on your academic merit. QTAC holds the responsibility of calculating your ATAR in order to rank you amongst other students in your graduating year, including those eligible for a medical place.

Additionally, students must also satisfactorily complete an equivalent English subject, including English, English as an Additional Language, English and Literature Extension, Literature, or Essential English.

While the ATAR is a common measure of educational ranking and scoring in Australia, it is calculated differently throughout the country. For instance, in Queensland, only your unit 3/4 raw results are accounted for in your ATAR by QCAA (QCAA is an authority which does not operate under any educational institutions, instead seeks to create and amend subject syllabuses).

A final rank is eventually generated after a complex process of subject scaling. Here, ATAR eligibility and the rules of the Tertiary Entrance Aggregate (TEA) are applied, and then it is finally possible to place students in an appropriate ranking based upon their overall assessment success. This is done by adding the top five highest-scaled subject results to generate a Subject Aggregate.

From here, students will then receive their appropriate ATAR which will be used in consideration for university course offers, along with any other external factors such as admission exams like the UCAT. In 2026, QTAC releases the Queensland ATAR at 9:00am on Friday 18 December 2026.

Note that QCE is then a certificate students receive which demonstrates the individual's overall achievement in reaching a specific standard of education at senior schooling level.

QTAC And The UCAT ANZ

The UCAT exam is a highly time-strenuous exam which seeks to assess your mental faculties. It is a computer-based test of just under two hours, divided into four separately timed subtests:

1. UCAT Verbal Reasoning
2. UCAT Decision Making
3. UCAT Quantitative Reasoning
4. UCAT Situational Judgement

Please note that Abstract Reasoning was removed from the UCAT from 2025 onwards, so it is not part of the 2026 test.

Ultimately, the UCAT exam is identified by many undergraduate medical schools as crucial to understanding a student's potential in the fields of medicine and dentistry. For 2027 entry, you must sit the UCAT ANZ in the 2026 testing window, which runs from 1 July to 5 August 2026, and your results are delivered directly to universities in early September 2026. Notably, the exam can only be sat once per year, per cycle, so it is crucial that you optimise your performance. Fraser's also offers an abundance of free blog articles, preparation materials, practice exams, and highly-skilled tutors who understand this exam and the medical application process inside and out.

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QTAC University Application Process

The application process for QTAC Undergrad Medicine can sometimes get a bit overwhelming. There is a fair amount of key information that you must look out for when applying. So let us get right into discussing the step-by-step process to apply for undergraduate medicine:

QTAC Applications

1. Register to receive ATAR. You must provide your full name, date of birth, LUI number (which is a unique 10-digit Learner Unique Identifier), and a personal email address. QTAC applications for 2027 study opened on 4 August 2026.
2. For applications for tertiary study in 2027, you must also complete a QTAC Application. At the conclusion of this step, you may change preferences, upload documentation, review offers, check qualifications, pay fees, change personal details, among others.

Here is an application checklist for the essential information you do need to provide.

QTAC Application Checklist

• LUI (Learner Unique Identifier)
• Personal email address (use a personal email rather than your school email so you do not get locked out of your account)
• Additional qualification details
• A guardian to authorise

Note that some medical programs also involve steps outside your QTAC application. JCU requires a separate JCU Online Application, and Bond selected applicants are invited to complete the Bond psychometric test and an interview after applying through QTAC.

Next is to look for the courses you are looking to apply for.

QTAC Applications Continued

1. Using QTAC Course Search, locate the undergraduate medicine programs you are interested in. From here, there is a number of course specific information you must take note of. This would include admissions criteria such as subject prerequisites, assumed knowledge, and recommended study.
2. The next step is to preference your courses, of which there are 6 courses you may preference. At Fraser's, we recommend that you utilise your top two spots for absolute desired courses, leaving the 3rd and 4th options for back-up courses. Your 5th and 6th options should be pathway courses into your top two preferences.
3. Finally, once you have preferences set, you must pay the QTAC fee. For current Year 12 students, this is $75 if you apply between 4 August and 30 September 2026, and $159 if you apply between 1 October 2026 and 28 February 2027. It must be paid prior to the due date for your offer round (7 December 2026 for the 23 December and 14 January offer rounds), or else your application may not be eligible for those offers. You can change your preferences three times for free, and each change after that costs $75.

Bond University: Admission Timeline

Entry into Bond University's medical program operates slightly differently to other undergrad medical schools. That is, Bond does not use the UCAT and instead conducts its own separate psychometric assessment. Nonetheless, applications to Bond University are still facilitated by QTAC, but unlike other medical courses, Bond's assessment takes place in the same year as the desired study, alongside application due dates and offer releases.

The dates provided below are for the 2027 intake (May and September 2027 commencement), as published by Bond University. Dates may change, so please confirm them on the Bond University website.

Bond University Application Timeline

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Key Dates For QTAC Applications

Where To Next?

Applying to undergrad medicine is not always limited to your home state! For guidance on undergraduate medicine applications to other medicine schools around Australia, see our other step-by-step, comprehensive guides!

VTAC
UAC
SATAC
TISC

Alternatively, the Fraser’s family offers a wide range of Free Resources and Tools, each looking at various themes relating to medical school applications, UCAT prep and the medical interview tips.