UCAT ANZ parents' guide: costs, deadlines and how to help

If your child is interested in medicine, dentistry or clinical sciences, the UCAT ANZ is likely to come up. This page explains the practical parts so you can support the process without taking it over. It uses the 2026 cycle's figures, because the 2027 details are not yet announced. The year levels are Australian, and there is a short note for New Zealand families below.

What the test is

The UCAT ANZ is a computer-based, multiple-choice test sat in a Pearson test centre. It has four subtests and takes just under two hours. Universities in the UCAT ANZ Consortium use it, together with other things like school results and interviews, to select applicants. See format and scoring for the detail.

What you need to know and when

• Eligibility: final year of secondary school or later. The year before the final year (Australian Year 11, New Zealand Year 12) is too early.
• One attempt per cycle: sitting twice in one year is treated as misconduct and cancels all results.
• One cycle only: a 2026 result applies to 2027 entry and cannot be carried over.
• Registration is personal: your child must register themselves, under the legal name on their photo ID.
• Deadlines are firm: the Consortium says it does not make exceptions. See the dates page.

A note for New Zealand families

In New Zealand the final school year is Year 13, and the Consortium's eligibility page says New Zealand Year 12 students are not eligible. Auckland and Otago both say the result must come from the year you apply, and both take first-year university applicants (Auckland's First Year category, Otago's Health Sciences First Year). From 2028 Auckland replaces the UCAT ANZ with Casper. See changes for 2027 and 2028 entry and check each university's page for your child's category. New Zealand applicants are ranked differently from the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR): the explorer shows Auckland's grade point average rule and says what Otago's article does not state.

What it costs

The 2026 test fee was $335, or $240 with a concession. Late fees applied after the standard deadline. See fees, concessions and access arrangements for the full list and the cards that qualify. Any preparation spending is optional, and the next section explains why.

About coaching and paid courses

The UCAT ANZ Consortium says it does not work with or endorse commercial coaching companies, and it advises candidates to be sceptical of their claims and to use the free official materials. We are not affiliated with the Consortium or any university, and we are run alongside a tutoring business (see about us), so please weigh our view accordingly: the official free practice is the right starting point for every student, whatever else you decide. Our free versus paid preparation page sets out the options.

How to help without adding pressure

• Help with logistics: put the deadlines in the family calendar, check the concession and access arrangements steps early, and talk through which July date suits. Your child books it themselves, unless they have access arrangements, in which case the booking is made by phone after approval (the approval email gives the instructions).
• Let your child own the study plan. You can offer to be the person who checks the timeline, not the person who marks practice.
• Keep the big picture in view. The score is one input among several, and each university decides how it is used. We do not predict cut-offs, and nobody can honestly guarantee a result.
• If your child receives exam adjustments at school, ask the school early about the letter the Consortium requires. See the fees and access arrangements page.

Choosing universities

Universities use the score in very different ways: some as a threshold, some as part of a ranking, and some not at all. The explorer states each university's own published rule where we could read it, and links the university's page, the Universities Admissions Centre, Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) or the Consortium's list, with the date we checked it. Always check the university's own page before relying on anything here.

ExamExplained is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the UCAT ANZ Consortium or any university.