Categories of places offered to Australian citizens and residents

1. Commonwealth Supported Places - CSP

(VTAC code 28251)

In 2008, 128 CSP places were available and the same number is expected to be offered in 2009.

Medical Rural-Bonded (MRB) Scholarships

Only students offered a CSP or ERC CSP are eligible for this scholarship

In 2008, the Commonwealth Government offered scholarships (Australia - wide) of $23,222 per annum to new medical students for the length of the course, in return for legally-binding commitment to practice in rural areas for a fixed period at the completion of training.

It is expected that Monash University will be allocated approximately nine scholarships places in 2009 (Deferral of an MRB Scholarship is not permitted). An application form explaining the details of application procedures for these scholarship places will be made available to timely VTAC applicants.

MRB scholarships can only be offered to Australian citizens or permanent residents.

For further information contact:

Telephone: 1800 248 720 (freecall)
Email: MRBscholarships@health.gov.au
Web: http://www.health.gov.au/mrbscholarships

2. Extended Rural Cohort - ERC

(VTAC code 28151)

In 2008, 30 CSP places were available under the Extended Rural Cohort stream.

Students enrolled in the MBBS Extended Rural Cohort stream will undertake the majority of their clinical education within hospitals and community-based practices in northern rural and regional Victoria. This extended rural training option is provided for students interested in practicing medicine in a rural or regional location.

Preference will be given to applicants from northern Victoria, as well as applicants from other rural and regional locations.  International students are not eligible to apply for admission to the ERC stream.

The ERC stream of the Monash MBBS course has its own VTAC code (28151) and applicants must nominate this code to be considered for a place in this stream.  All VTAC applicants for the Monash Undergraduate Medicine course will receive a mail out in mid-October. The letter will explain how to access an on-line supplementary form which enables applicants to apply for inclusion on the Dean’s Rural List or the Dean’s Indigenous List. Additional interviews will be offered to a number of applicants who are not originally offered interviews based on their UMAT scores, but who have established their eligibility for the Dean’s Rural or Dean’s Indigenous List. The mailout explains the way in which applicants can express their interest in Medical Rural Bonded Scholarships, which are offered in January to applicants who have qualified for Commonwealth Supported Places.

Eligible applicants: Australian citizens and permanent residents only

Places available: 30 (Commonwealth Supported Places)

Duration of course: Five years full-time

Bursaries: In 2008, a small number of Bursaries will be available to ERC students.

For further information about the Extended Rural Cohort stream please contact Mr Graham Allardice on (03) 5440 9000.

It is expected that seven of these places will be Bonded Medical Places (BMP). See (3) below for more details about the BMP scheme.

Medical Rural-Bonded (MRB) Scholarships

It is expected that three out of the seven scholarship places will be offered to students in the ERC stream. For more details about the MRB scheme see (1) above.

3. Bonded Medical Places - BMP

(VTAC code 28691)

Forty-eight Bonded Medical Places were offered in 2008 and it is expected that the same number will be offered in 2009.

The Federal Government has advised all schools of medicine across Australia that approximately 25% of CSP places must be set aside as bonded places. By indicating a preference for a Bonded Medical Place, upon accepting an offer, the student will be required to sign a contract. Monash advises potential students to seek early legal advice.

Student accepting Bonded Medical Places will be giving permission for the government to require them, at the end of their training, to practice in a designated area of medical need. An area of medical need will be a district of workforce shortage as defined by the Australian Government.

For further information contact:

Telephone: 1800 987 104 (freecall)
Email: BMPscheme@health.gov.au
Web: http://www.health.gov.au/bmpscheme/

VTAC application procedures

The VTAC Guide, containing information about application procedures, is published annually in August by the following:

Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre
40 Park Street
South Melbourne
Victoria 3205

Telephone: 1300 364 133
Web: http://www.vtac.edu.au/

Applications must be submitted to VTAC during September.

If a student has not been offered an interview by Change of Preference in mid December the faculty advises that students remove medicine from the VTAC Preference List at Change of Preference.