Dear University of Otago,

Kia ora,

I am a student seeking clarification regarding the Graduate category entry requirements for both the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) and the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) programmes at the University of Otago.

Your website states that, to be eligible for Graduate category admission, an applicant must have completed — as their first degree, within three years and in the minimum academic time — one of the following qualifications from a New Zealand university:

a bachelor’s degree; or

an undergraduate bachelor’s honours degree; or

a bachelor’s degree followed, without a break in study, by a postgraduate diploma or postgraduate honours year.

It also states that the qualifying programme must meet a minimum weighted GPA of 5.

I would appreciate clarification on the following points as they apply to both Dentistry and Medicine:

If a student completes a Bachelor’s degree followed immediately by an Honours year (resulting in a Bachelor’s Honours degree), can the Honours degree alone be used as the qualifying programme for Graduate category selection?
That is, can the weighted GPA be calculated solely from the Honours year papers, or must the entire Bachelor + Honours programme be included?

If the Honours degree is able to be assessed on its own, how are grades within the Honours programme weighted?
For example, do all Honours papers carry equal weight, or are certain components (such as a dissertation or research project) weighted differently in the calculation?

Is the University able to provide general information about the typical weighted GPA range of past successful applicants in the Graduate category for both Dentistry and Medicine who used their honours degree for entrance?
I understand exact numbers vary each year, but even broad indicators—such as approximate GPA bands, historical medians, or competitive thresholds—would be very helpful for understanding the level of competitiveness.

I would be grateful for any clarification you are able to provide on these questions.
Ngā mihi nui,
Student