Newcastle and New England Joint Medical Program: the MSA

Checked 19 October 2026 against the sources listed at the end.

Who runs it and what it leads to

The Joint Medical Program (JMP) is a partnership between the University of Newcastle and the University of New England. UAC describes a Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine↗ (external link) offered jointly, and applicants choose which institution they would prefer to complete it at when they submit their direct application. Its interview has its own name: Newcastle explains that the Multiple Skills Assessment, or MSA↗ (external link), was previously called the Multi-Mini Interview. In an MSA an applicant rotates through a circuit of stations, discussing scenarios with an interviewer and/or taking part in activities. The word "skills" is a useful hint that some stations may be tasks rather than questions.

How you get to the interview

UAC states that UCAT ANZ is required↗ (external link) and that "your performance in UCAT ANZ will determine whether you're invited" to the assessment. There are also minimum academic requirements: UAC lists an ATAR of 94.30, or 85.00 for students from a rural or remote high school, and tertiary results averaging close to credit level for applicants who have studied at university. UAC also notes that a Personal Qualities Assessment is conducted during the MSA, so the day includes more than the station circuit.

Newcastle's help pages set out who is invited when. Applicants who score at the required level are invited to the MSA, and eligible applicants from NSW, ACT and Queensland, and all eligible rural applicants, are interviewed in November or December↗ (external link). Eligible non-rural interstate applicants from Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Western Australia are invited to the January session. On timing, the pages are not perfectly aligned. One says invitations are sent by mid-November and that applicants "not contacted by early November" should assume they were not successful↗ (external link), while the dates page says applicants will be advised by mid-November whether they progress. UAC lists early November for invitations. The practical advice is to watch your email and your UAC account through November and treat your own notice as the answer.

Dates for 2027 entry

UAC lists these dates, which the universities supplied and which may change:

• Direct application to the JMP: 30 September 2026.
• UAC preference deadline: 1 December 2026 for most applicants, and 30 September 2026 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants.
• Invitations to interview or assessment: early November 2026.
• Multiple Skills Assessment: UAC puts it between 23 November and 4 December 2026 for NSW, ACT and Queensland applicants and all rural applicants, and in the middle of January 2027 for non-rural applicants from other states. Its separate interview table lists interviews or assessments from 30 November to 11 December 2026 for most applicants, 30 November to 4 December for the Miroma Bunbilla Program, and mid-January 2027 for non-rural applicants who live in other states.
• Offers: most applicants hear in January Round 1, while Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants are in December Round 2.

Those two ranges are not identical in UAC's own tables, so use your invitation as the final word on your date.

If you cannot attend

Newcastle says the MSA is not held outside the set interview periods. An applicant who cannot attend within their allocated period can email the admissions team and ask for a change, explaining the extenuating circumstances. There is no guarantee that such a request is granted, and holiday plans are not accepted as extenuating circumstances.

Entry pathways

UAC lists several JMP entry pathways, among them the Rural Bonus Scheme, the Regional Excellence Pathway, the Regional Health Professionals Pathway, the Rural and Remote Admissions Scheme, the Communities Entry List, the Excellence Through Equity Pathway to Medicine, the Biomedical Science Pathway and the Miroma Bunbilla Program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants. If one may apply to you, read its page early, since eligibility rules differ.

Preparing

The universities do not publish the number or length of stations, so do not rely on a guessed format. Because stations can be conversations or activities, practise both explaining your thinking out loud and working with another person on a task. Our free sample and the MMI practice sets are one place to start.

Not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the UCAT ANZ Consortium. Not affiliated with any university either. Always check the university's own page first.