Bachelor of Dental Science

The Charles Sturt dentistry course aims to graduate students who are registrable with the Dental Board of Australia as general dental practitioners. As such Charles Sturt dental graduates will have knowledge, skills and application attributes that align with AQF, Charles Sturt Graduate Learning Outcomes and Australian Dental Council defined attributes and competencies. Collectively these attributes and required outcomes broadly cover the domains of Ethics and Professionalism, Communication Skills and Social Skills, Global Citizenship, Scientific Knowledge and Competency in Patient Care with a focus on rural -regional Australian contexts.

Rural Entry Pathway (domestic students)

Selection for interview: To be considered for interview selection, rural domestic applicants must:

• Submit a Rural and Indigenous Pathway form (available on Charles Sturt website) and uploaded with the UAC application
• Complete the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT). Applicants should consult the UCAT website for information about registration, fees and test dates.

General Admission Pathway (domestic non-First Nations and non-rural students)

Selection for interview: To be considered for interview selection, domestic applicants who do not have a significant rural background and are not First Nations must:

• Complete the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT). Applicants should consult the UCAT website for information about registration, fees and test dates.

First Nations Pathway (domestic students)

This pathway is only available to First Nations applicants. There is a separate process for admission.

Selection for interview: First Nations applicants do not need to complete UCAT. To be considered for interview selection, First Nations applicants must:

• Submit a Rural and Indigenous Pathway form. The form is located on the Charles Sturt Bachelor of Dental Science Course brochure and is to be uploaded with the UAC application.

First Nations applicants will be interviewed using a culturally appropriate panel interview format. The panel will be composed of First Nations and non-First Nations members and will:

• Assess the academic abilities and the motivation of the applicant
• Assess the support necessary (if at all) to ensure a successful learning experience
• Assess the suitability of the applicant to practice as a dentist

International Pathway

International applicants, including those living or working in Australia, seeking entry to the course should apply direct to the University or via an agent and will be selected for an offer of a place in the course based on previous academic performance. While there is no predetermined grade point average (GPA) cut-off the approximate minimum GPA for consideration based on previous intakes is 6.0 on a 7-point scale. The actual cut-off may be higher depending on the pool of applicants in a given year.

International applicants studying their final year of school, including those studying in Australia, are required to provide school reports for the two final years of schooling.

The closing date for international applications is 30th June.

Domestic students: Applicants who are current Charles Sturt students

This pathway is only available for current Charles Sturt University students.

The information below is for students studying in another course at Charles Sturt in 2024 intending to apply for entry into the Bachelor of Dental Science for the 2025 intake.

Selection for interview: Eligibility for interview is based on GPA in the year of application. Interviews may be granted to current Charles Sturt students who meet the following criteria:

• Enrolled in any Charles Sturt course at the time of application
• Have completed a minimum of 4 standard subjects (32 credit points) at Charles Sturt with a GPA of 5.5 or better at the time of application

As entry into this course is competitive, meeting these criteria does not guarantee you an interview. After assessment of your application, if selected, you will be invited to attend an interview.

Final offers into the course will be conditional on obtaining a GPA of 5.5 or better at the end of the academic year of application, across a minimum of 6 standard subjects (48 credit points or more) in that year. No final offer will be made, irrespective of performance during interviews, to students who did not achieve a GPA of 5.5 or better at the end of the academic year, across all subjects attempted in the academic year.

Current Charles Sturt students who do not meet the above criteria can apply through the Domestic Students, First Nations or Rural Entry pathways as applicable.

All domestic applicants must apply for entry to the Bachelor of Dental Science using UAC. There are a number of different pathways and detailed entry requirements for each pathway are listed below. Each year at least 50% of places will be set aside for applicants who have a significant rural background or who are First Nations applicants.

All domestic applicants will be notified if they have been selected for an interview in the last week of October. Interviews are held in late November at the Orange campus of Charles Sturt, with applicants required to attend the interview in person. Alternatively, in certain circumstances the University may decide to use online interviews.

The interview will be a panel interview and provides applicants the opportunity to demonstrate their communication skills and to further explore their motivation for undertaking a career in dentistry and their commitment to rural and regional dental practice. Applicants’ problem solving, decision making and spatial awareness skills will also be assessed.

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