ISAT
5 min read

Can International Students Get Into Medical School in Australia?

Published on
May 12, 2025
Share

Can International Students Get Into Medical School in Australia?

Are you an international student looking for a pathway to get into medical school in Australia? Confused by postgraduate vs direct medicine and exams like GAMSAT, UCAT, and ISAT?

Here is your answer: Most universities in Australia only has postgraduate courses for medicine, however there is a small group that has (highly competitive) direct courses for medicine!

Differences between Direct and Postgraduate Medicine

Direct Entry for International Students Graduate Entry
Duration of Course 5-6 years 4 years
Requirement Year 12, ISAT Bachelor’s Degree, GAMSAT
Interview Required? Yes Yes
Advantages Faster career progression Prior knowledge of the subject

Direct entry medicine can be an initial shock for international students due to the shift in learning format and the demanding workload. However, for ambitious students, it offers a fast-paced and intellectually stimulating environment that can be highly rewarding!

Note this, Fraser’s Medical has a 100% acceptance rate consecutively in 2023 and 2024 for their ISAT course. Read more about our programs here.

What is the ISAT?

The International Student Admissions Test (ISAT) is a 3-hour, computer-based exam, targeted for international student who wants to apply to medicine, dentistry, veterinary science or most health-related fields in Australia, Estonia, Spain, and Ireland.

What Does the ISAT Look Like?

ISAT mainly scores reasoning skills, meaning they are not testing for academic knowledge, but instead the ability to understand and analyse materials you are given. Questions will require test takers:

  • to read and understand passages of writing,
  • to interpret informatic graphs,
  • to use mathematical relationships and,
  • to describe tables of data.

The exam typically has 100 multiple choice questions within a time limit of 180 minutes. Questions fall under two categories of reasoning; critical and quantitative.

Reasoning Description
Critical Reasoning (CR) Includes humanities and social science materials, requires students to comprehend and analyse information as well as evaluating arguments.
Quantitative Reasoning (QR) Stems from mathematical and scientific materials, students are required to analyse and apply information, make decisions, as well as solve problems.

How to Register for the ISAT?

  1. Read the pre-registration requirements and information.
  2. Create an ACER account.
  3. Register for ISAT via your ACER account.
  4. Register for a ProctorU account.
  5. Receive your invitation from the ISAT Office to book with ProctorU. This includes your ISAT ID.
  6. Book your test session with ProctorU.
  7. Access preparation materials.
  8. Read and understand the test day requirements.

Fees and Payments

The registration fee for ISAT is A$430. Payments are made to ACER at the time of registration.

Deferral requests will incur a deferral fee of A$70.

Retakes

Tests can only be sat once every 12-months.

2025 ISAT Key Dates

Test Window 3 Test Window 4
Test Window 28 July - 8 August 2025 27 October - 7 November 2025
Resits 7 & 8 August 2025 6 & 7 November 2025
Registration close 14 July 2025 (9 PM AEST) 13 October 2025 (9 PM AEST)
Changes to registration deadline 14 July 2025 (9 PM AEST) 13 October 2025 (9 PM AEST)
Refund requests close 14 July 2025 (9 PM AEST) 13 October 2025 (9 PM AEST)
Deferral request close 14 July 2025 (9 PM AEST) 13 October 2025 (9 PM AEST)
Results 22 July 2025 21 November 2025

Which Universities Accept ISAT?

ISAT results typically are released two weeks after the final sitting. Results are valid for two years, meaning if you are interested in starting your bachelor’s at 2026 your accepted results are from;

  • 2025 Test Window 2
  • 2025 Test Window 1
  • 2024 Test Results
  • 2023 Test Results

Australian Universities that Accept ISAT

University Requirement 2026 Application Close Interview Date
University of Monash Overall ISAT score of 174, with a CR score of 168 30 June 2025 09 & 10 July 2025
University of New South Wales Minimum score of 165 N/A, now available 25 May 2025
University of Western Australia Above the 25th percentile 30 June 2025 Late July 2025
Western Sydney University Minimum score of 160 with a minimum of 50% each section N/A, now available N/A
University of Tasmania 170 with minimum of 165 each section. N/A N/A

Non-Australian Universities

Other universities include;

  • Monash University, Malaysia.
  • University of Limerick, Ireland.
  • Eesti Maaülikool — Estonian University of Life Sciences (Veterinary Medicine), Estonia.
  • Universidad de Navarra, Spain.

Fraser’s Medical — ISAT Program

Fraser’s Medical ISAT program is tailored perfectly for each and every international student. Proven by our 100% success rate — our 2023 and 2024 cohort got into their first preference medical schools!

Why do ISAT Preparation with Fraser’s Medical?

Fraser’s Medical focuses on supporting and recognising each unique challenge faced by international students. On top of our vast resources, students are provided with 1-on-1 tutoring with personal mentors, as well as personally curated Mock Exams.

Our ISAT program helps international students:

  • Improve speaking and writing English, as well as gaining confidence and growing comfortable to English.
  • Familiarise with Australian educational system and the different pathways to medicine/dentistry in Australia.
  • Develop skills like time management, reasoning, and decision making.
  • Adjust to the teaching styles, assessment methods, and expectations in Australian institutions.

Where to Next

  1. Fraser’s FREE ISAT Sample Exam
  2. Is the ISAT Hard?
  3. How to Prepare for the ISAT Exam?