How do I apply for the Health Sciences Professional Programmes?
Applications for the Health Sciences Undergraduate Professional Programmes are made at certain times of the year.
Medicine in the Alternative category: open from 1 April to 1 May each year.
All other Health Sciences Undergraduate Professional Programmes: applications open from 1 August to 15 September each year.
If you are applying for the Health Sciences programmes (1 August to 15 September) then apply under the Health Sciences Undergraduate Professional Programmes. You will see the options to select the health science programmes you wish to apply for during the application process.
You can find everything you need to know about the application process and eligibility requirements (as these differ for each programme) in our Guidelines for Admission.
Guidelines for admission to Health Sciences professional programmes
Which category do I apply under?
The category you are eligible to apply under can be affected by a variety of factors. Read carefully through the Guidelines for Admission pages for the programmes you wish to apply for and check the eligibility requirements for each category:
Guidelines for admission to Health Sciences professional programmes
If you are still not sure which category to apply in, then choose the one you think is correct. If you apply in the wrong category, we will notify you of this and work with you to put you in the correct category. Keep checking your eVision portal for any requests for further information, even after you have submitted your application.
If you have studied outside NZ note that to be eligible for the Graduate category you must have completed your first degree at a NZ university within the last 3 years.
What if I don’t have all of my documents?
If you do not have all of your documents available by the application deadline, you can submit your application without them. We will send requests through your eVision portal so you can upload your documents later within a given deadline.
If you are a current university student with results to be released at the end of the year, we can accept an unofficial transcript initially but will need your official transcript as soon as it becomes available.
If your unofficial transcript does not show the papers you are currently enrolled in, you should also upload evidence advising us of the papers you are enrolled in.
If your studies are at Otago University we may have access to your academic records. We will contact you if we require any further information.
Requests and notifications will usually be sent via eVision or to your student email address – make sure you check these regularly.
How do I know if I have successfully submitted my application?
It is very important to submit your application in eVision before the deadline, as we cannot accept late applications.
A confirmation email is sent overnight after submission. If you have not received an email confirmation of your application for that programme by the following day, your application has not been fully submitted.
If you experience issues with your application in eVision seek help as early as possible through AskOtago.
What do I do if I am having technical issues and cannot submit my application?
It is very important to submit your application in eVision before the deadline, as we cannot accept late applications.
If you are having technical problems submitting your application, then please contact us before the deadline. If there are technical issues that have prevented you from submitting on time, we may be able to accept your late application but only if we have been notified well before the deadline and in exceptional circumstances. You will be required to provide evidence.
Contact AskOtago:
Tel 0800 80 80 99
Online form
Health and Conduct declaration: Do I need to declare minor conduct offences?
We recommend applicants declare everything, even if it is something minor.
All applicants for Health Science undergraduate Professional Programmes are sent for police vetting by the NZ Police. This means that if a result comes back from the NZ Police it will be reviewed by the Health and Conduct committee without a matching declaration from you.
Health and Conduct declaration: Do I need to declare all health conditions?
Health professionals are expected to declare any health concerns with the potential to impact on patient safety, the ability to work in a clinical setting, and to manage such health concerns appropriately.
We request that students declare all conditions which may be present.
Please note in the vast majority of cases, this information will be used to determine if any resources are required to support course completion. Only for a very small number of applicants, this process may preclude selection for entry into the programme. We are unable to comment on the possible outcome of any declaration.
Student Safety Check: I live overseas and do not have a New Zealand address
If you do not have a New Zealand address yet, in most cases we won't be able to complete the police vetting process until you arrive in NZ and are able to provide both primary and secondary ID documents. You will need to indicate on the police vetting form that you are not currently in New Zealand, and when you expect to arrive in New Zealand. If your application is successful, a completed police vetting form and identity documentation will be required before you are issued a full offer.
Identification requirements for Children's Act and Police vetting
Student Safety Check: I live overseas and do not have the required forms of identity for the police vetting process
Every year we have a number of applicants who are based overseas and are unable to complete the police vetting process until they arrive. Many will not arrive until January, near the start of their programme. We recognise that people based overseas are unlikely to have any of the secondary forms of identity documents that can be used for the police vetting process. Once you are in Dunedin and complete enrolment, then you will be issued an Otago University student identity card – this can be used as a form of secondary ID. AskOtago can also make copies of your identity documents in order to verify them for you.
Identification requirements for Children's Act and Police vetting
Where do I send certified identity documents if I haven’t uploaded them during the application process?
If we have sent a request to your eVision portal asking for identity documents, then you can upload your documents to your portal from the upload link.
If you have not received a request, send your certified ID documents to confidential.se@otago.ac.nz
Or you can take ID documents to a University of Otago AskOtago hub at the Dunedin, Christchurch or Wellington campus.
Ensure you have read the ID requirements before providing your documentation.
Identification requirements for Children's Act and Police vetting
Rural subcategory
Assessment of rural category can be complex. If you think you are eligible to apply under this category we suggest you apply under the category and supply all supporting documentation. We will only assess rural category eligibility once your application has been submitted and are not able to give an indication beforehand.
If, on checking your application, you are not eligible to apply under the rural category, we will notify you of this and work with you to put you in the correct category.
Requests for further information and notifications will usually be sent via eVision or to your student email address – make sure you check these regularly.
Single programme preference
Single Programme Preference is for applicants who are certain what they want to study and therefore only apply for one programme. Single Programme Preference is only available for Pharmacy, Physiotherapy and Medical Laboratory Science.
The Admissions Committees first select applicants applying under Single Programme Preference before considering general category applicants.
There is no guarantee that programmes will only offer places to applicants with Single Programme Preference.
Can I use pre-Christmas Summer School papers in my application?
If a pre-Christmas Summer School paper(s) makes up part of the degree, then we would include the paper(s) in the scoring.
As pre-Christmas Summer School paper results do not come out until January, we would not be able to make an offer to you in the first round of offers (around 18 December). You would not be disadvantaged by this. We ‘hold’ a place for applicants who are waiting for final results. Once we have your results your application will be fully reviewed by the admissions committee.
If you are thinking of doing a pre-Christmas Summer School paper, we recommend you contact our Student Development team for advice about whether a pre-Summer School paper can be added so it is part of your degree. You can make an appointment with one of the Student Development course advisers.
Make an appointment with a Student Development course adviser
Can I use January-February Summer School papers in my application?
No. Summer School in January and February is in a different academic year from your application. Additionally results are released too late to be taken into account for entry into for the health sciences professional programmes.
When will I hear a decision?
Our intention is to issue decisions on admission to each programme on the following dates, however this is not always possible if we are waiting for further information e.g. final results or official transcripts.
Medicine Alternative category only: 31 August
All other health sciences professional programmes: 18 December
You are given a deadline to accept or decline your offer. After this your offer will be lapsed.
If you have decided not to accept an offer, make sure you decline in eVision so the place can be offered to someone on the waitlist.
Please note: the admissions committees do not give feedback on individual applications.
You may only accept one full offer for a health sciences professional programme. If you receive a later offer into another programme you wish to accept, then you must cancel the first programme in eVision so you can accept the new offer.
If you have any problems cancelling the first offer so you can accept an offer from a different programme, then contact us at health-sciences@otago.ac.nz
How do the waitlists work?
You are given the option to accept or decline being on a waitlist.
You can accept as many waitlist offers as you like. Waitlists operate until the third week of first semester (early March).
You can accept a full offer and remain on the waitlists for other programmes. Accepting a full offer will not affect your chances of later gaining an offer into another programme(s) you may be waitlisted for.
There is no guarantee that applicants will be offered a full place in their programme from the waitlist. Therefore, you should continue with applying for any alternative courses of study you are considering. This can later be managed via the change of course process.
You may only accept one full offer for a health sciences professional programme. If you receive a later offer into another programme you wish to accept, then you must cancel the first programme so you can accept the new offer.
If you have any problems cancelling the first offer so you can accept an offer from a different programme, then contact us at health-sciences@otago.ac.nz
How long do waitlists stay open for?
Waitlists usually remain open and active until the third week of first semester (early March).
If you are on a waitlist and an offer is made to you this will be through your eVision portal. Make sure you check this regularly.
There is no guarantee that you will be offered a full place in a programme from the waitlist. Therefore, you should continue with applying for any alternative courses of study you are considering. This can later be managed via the change of course process.
What is a conditional or limited offer?
You may be issued a limited or conditional offer when we are waiting for information e.g. NCEA results or Police vetting.
This means you will not have full access to university systems until a full offer has been issued and accepted.
Do I need to do the HSFY papers or will I go directly into second year classes? What is a prescribed course?
Seven Health Sciences First Year (HSFY) papers form the first year of study for Medicine, Dentistry, Medical Laboratory Science, Pharmacy, and Physiotherapy.
Find out more about Health Sciences First Year (HSFY)
You do not necessarily need to have completed these papers or their equivalents to be eligible to apply for these programmes depending on the category you are applying under (excluding HSFY category).
If you are missing any of the HSFY papers, or approved equivalents from other universities, then you may be required to complete the missing papers before entering the programme. In this case your offer of place into the professional programme will be deferred for a year so you can complete the prescribed course of missing first year papers.
The conditions for prescribed course papers are explained in the prescribed course offer. You must pass all papers at first attempt and meet the stated minimum grade and overall grade point average.
I have received a prescribed course, but I think I have done equivalent papers?
We check all transcripts for known approved equivalents for the seven Health Sciences First Year papers. However, there will be papers we do not hold current information for. If you think you have completed papers equivalent to any of the papers in your prescribed course, you can request to have your previous study assessed further. Your prescribed course offer will include information about how to request an assessment of your previous study. Please provide all the information requested as soon as possible as the process can take some time.
What happens if I do not pass all my prescribed course papers, or I have a paper or overall Grade Point Average that is lower than my prescribed course requirements?
This may mean that you are no longer eligible to receive an offer for your programme. After the release of results for your prescribed course papers, your results will be reviewed. Following this review, we will let you know if this means that you are no longer eligible to receive an offer into second year classes. We will also be able to advise you on possible options for reapplying for the programme.
Can I do the HSFY papers or equivalent papers now?
We strongly recommend you seek advice from the University of Otago before enrolling in HSFY papers or equivalent papers.
Can I study by distance?
No. This option is not available for the Health Sciences Undergraduate Professional Programmes.
When will I hear if I have an interview?
If the programme you applied for holds interviews, information about the timing of these can be found on the Guidelines for Admission webpage for that programme.
Guidelines for admission to Health Sciences professional programmes