23 March 2023
Huthaifa Ibrahim
By email:
[FYI request #21877 email]
Dear Huthaifa
I refer to your information request dated 18 February 2023 made under the Official Information Act
1982 (the Act). You requested:
“1.
Number of Refugee category seats available each year (for both HSFY and graduate)
2.
Number of Refugee category seats filled each year (for both HSFY and graduate)
3.
Number of Refugee category applicants each year (for both HSFY and graduate)
4.
Lowest weighted GPA for successful Refugee category applicants (for both HSFY and
graduate)”
and clarified on 24 February 2023 as follows:
“I am interested in receiving information regarding entry information for the last four cohorts
accepted into MBChB —meaning 2019-2022 applications for 2020-2023 entry into MBChB.”
Subject to the following comments, please see our response below.
•
The data provided is correct as at 22 February 2023.
•
The year is the entry year for the programme.
1.
Number of Refugee category seats available each year (for both HSFY and graduate)
There is no set number of, or limit on, places allocated to students applying for entry to any
of the Health Sciences Professional Programmes via the Refugee sub-category (or any of the
other sub-categories).
2.
Number of Refugee category seats filled each year (for both HSFY and graduate)
We interpret your request in relation to “category seats filled” to mean number of students
admitted to the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MB ChB) programme under
the Refugee sub-category from 2020-2023. Subject to the following comment, this
information is provided in the table below.
For privacy reasons, it is the University’s standard practice to not report on numbers where
those numbers are below 5. Where the numbers are very low, there is a risk that the identity
of those individuals can be determined/inferred, and that their personal information could
be revealed. We therefore withhold this information pursuant to section 9(2)(a) of the Act.
Accordingly, numbers with fewer than 5 individuals are reported as “<5” (fewer than 5).
Admissions from the Refugee Sub-Category
Category
2020
2021
2022
2023
HSFY
<5
8
6
7
Graduate
<5
5
5
6
3.
Number of Refugee category applicants each year (for both HSFY and graduate)
Please see below Refugee sub-category applicant numbers for the Bachelor of Medicine and
Bachelor of Surgery (MB ChB) programme for 2020-2023.
Applicants from the Refugee Sub-Category
Category
2020
2021
2022
2023
HSFY
5
13
14
14
Graduate
6
8
12
12
4.
Lowest weighted GPA for successful Refugee category applicants (for both HSFY and
graduate)
We decline your request to provide the lowest weighted GPA score for successful Refugee
sub-category applicants due to the low numbers of applicants. We consider withholding this
information is necessary to protect the privacy and wellbeing of the students enrolled. We
therefore withhold this information pursuant to section 9(2)(a) of the Act.
Dr Jo Oranje, the Division of Health Sciences International Advisor, would be happy to meet with you
to discuss the Refugee sub-category entry into the Health Sciences Professional Programmes. Please
feel free to contact her either by email at
[email address] or phone (03) 479 3935.
I trust that this information will be helpful.
We consider that good reasons exist for withholding information, and this is not outweighed by
other considerations which would make it desirable, in the public interest, to make the information
available.
If you are not satisfied with our response to your information request, section 28(3) of the Act
provides you with the right to ask an Ombudsman to investigate and review this response. However,
we would welcome the opportunity to discuss any concerns with you first.
Yours sincerely
Jenny Shaw
Official Information and Compliance Coordinator
Office of the Registrar