Printed from https://fyi.org.nz/request/12042-contradictory-oia-responses-mbchb-rras-entry on November 04, 2025 14:51

Contradictory OIA responses (MBChB RRAS entry)

Katie McCormack made this Official Information request to University of Auckland

The request was successful.

From: Katie McCormack

Dear University of Auckland,

Please explain why the information provided in your response to publicly available OIA request of February 13, 2018 (https://fyi.org.nz/request/7268-rural-re...) contradicts the information provided in your response to publicly available OIA request of June 4, 2019 (https://fyi.org.nz/request/10521-fy-admi...):

1. You stated in the first request that the core GPA interview cut-off for FY RRAS applicants for 2015 entry was 6.0, whereas in the second request you stated the core GPA interview cut-off for FY RRAS applicants for 2015 entry was 7.0? Please explain.
2. You stated in the first request that the core GPA interview cut-off for FY RRAS applicants for 2017 entry was 6.0, whereas in the second request you stated the core GPA interview cut-off for FY RRAS applicants for 2017 entry was 7.25? Please explain.
3. You stated in the first request that the core GPA interview cut-off for FY RRAS applicants for 2018 entry was 6.5, whereas in the second request you stated the core GPA interview cut-off for FY RRAS applicants for 2018 entry was 7.0? Please explain.
4. You stated in the first request that the lowest successful GPA for FY RRAS applicants for 2015 entry was 6.0, whereas in the second request you stated the lowest successful GPA for FY RRAS applicants for 2015 entry was 6.25? Please explain.
5. You stated in the first request that the lowest successful GPA for FY RRAS applicants for 2018 entry was 6.5, whereas in the second request you stated the lowest successful GPA for FY RRAS applicants for 2018 entry was 6.75? Please explain.
6. You stated in the first request that the highest unsuccessful GPA for FY RRAS applicants for 2017 entry was 6.25, whereas in the second request you stated “NA”? Please explain.
7. You stated in the first request that the highest unsuccessful GPA for FY RRAS applicants for 2018 entry was 6.75, whereas in the later request you stated the highest unsuccessful GPA for FY RRAS applicants for 2018 entry was 7.0? Please explain.

I declare that I am a New Zealand citizen AND currently located in New Zealand.

I declare that I did not make this request on the instruction of any other individual/s, nor in conjunction with any other individual/s.

Yours faithfully,

Katie McCormack

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From: Rebecca Ewert
University of Auckland

Dear Katie,

 

I refer to your email of 16 January 2020. It would appear that the reason
for the identified differences is that ambiguities contained in some of
the questions asked led the staff member who produced the requested
statistics in 2019 to adopt a different methodology than the staff member
who produced the statistics in 2018 (who is no longer at the University).
More specifically:

Questions 1-3: These questions refer to “interview GPA cut-off”. The 2019
response used “Core Optimal GPA” as the basis for the statistics provided.
As stated in that response, “Core Optimal GPA = CHEM 110 grade + BIOSCI
107 grade + POPLHTLTH 111 grade + 9.0)/4. The MEDSCI 142 grade is not used
for interview selection because this grade is not available at that time.”
Statistics provided using Core GPA, which take into account the student’s
actual grade for MEDSCI 142, will tend to be lower than statistics for
Core Optimal GPA.

Question 4: The 2019 response provided data from applicants who received
initial offers; the 2018 response also included data relating to offers to
waitlisted applicants.

Question 5: The 2018 request for 2018 admissions data, and the
University’s response to that request, were made in early February on the
basis of information available at that time, when the 2018 medical
admissions had not been finalised. The 2019 response provided the final
data.

Question 6: The 2019 response was based on interviewed applicants only
(all interviewed FY RRAS applicants were successful in 2017).

Question 7: As for question 5, the 2019 response was based on final 2018
admissions data, whereas the 2018 response was provided on the basis of
information available at the time of the response, while that year’s
medical admissions were still being finalised.

 

Yours sincerely,

Rebecca Ewert

General Counsel

University of Auckland

 

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