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Rural Access Scheme

If you've lived in a rural or remote area of Australia, our Rural Access Scheme may help boost your selection rank for entry into many of our programs.

Rural and remote areas often have less access to educational opportunities, resources and health services compared to cities and larger towns.

To help address these challenges, you can receive 2 adjustments to help boost your selection rank for entry into:

  • all undergraduate programs
  • Doctor of Medicine (Provisional Entry).

You still need to meet all entry requirements for each program you apply for.

If you're eligible for adjustments, your entry score will be converted to a QTAC selection rank and any adjustments will be added onto this rank. Each adjustment is equal to 1 rank (for example, if your original rank is 79.50, adding 1 adjustment would increase it to 80.50).

Who is eligible

To be eligible, you must have lived in a designated rural or remote area for at least:

  • 5 years in a row (consecutively)
    or
  • 10 years in total (cumulatively).

It doesn’t matter when you lived there. And you don’t need to have lived at the same address for the whole time.

Any addresses you use to apply for the scheme must have been your primary home at the time. If you attended boarding school, you can use your family’s primary home as your qualifying address. You can’t use holiday homes, secondary residences and investment properties to qualify.

Check your address

  1. Go to the Health Workforce Locator tool (it doesn't matter if you're not applying for a health program).
  2. In the ‘Classification Filter’ list, find Modified Monash Model and select ‘2019’.
  3. Select ‘Find address'.
  4. Enter your full address and select it from the list.
  5. Check the classification that appears under the ‘Modified Monash’ heading.

Your address is eligible if it's classified in any category from MM 2 to MM 7.

How to apply

If you apply for an eligible program through QTAC, they will contact you about applying for the Rural Access Scheme.

You'll then need to submit a cover sheet and supporting documentation to QTAC to provide evidence that you’re eligible for the scheme.

If your application is approved, adjustments will be automatically applied to all eligible programs you’ve applied for.

How to apply for the Rural Access Scheme through QTAC

Doctor of Medicine applicants

If you're applying for the Doctor of Medicine Provisional Entry pathway, you must submit your Rural Access Scheme cover sheet and supporting documentation by 30 September. You will then also be considered for the Rural Background Sub-quota.

Supporting documentation

When you apply, you'll need to provide documents that prove you lived in a rural or remote area for the time required.

Follow QTAC's guide to applying for the scheme to make sure you provide the correct documents.

Each document must clearly display:

  • your name (or your parents' or carers' names for certain types of documents)
  • the date it was issued
  • your home address at the time.

Types of documents you can provide include:

  • signed official letters from a school, university, workplace or healthcare professional (such as a doctor or dentist)
  • bank statements
  • leases or tenancy agreements
  • tax documents
  • phone, internet, electricity, gas or water bills.

International students aren't eligible for the Rural Access Scheme.

If you're studying your senior schooling in Australia, you may be eligible for other admission schemes.

See admission schemes