November 28, 2025
Additional medical school places to help tackle GP shortage
The funding will enable more students to study medicine at UOW and become doctors for under-served communities
The 榴莲视频app of 榴莲视频app (UOW) will train more doctors for under-served regional, rural suburban communities thanks to a major Australian Government investment that will increase the number of government-funded places in UOW’s Graduate School of Medicine.
UOW was awarded an additional 10 Commonwealth Supported Places a year through a highly competitive process that prioritised universities able to deliver strong primary care training and expand GP rotations into communities facing chronic workforce shortages.
UOW’s highly successful medical program is underpinned by a commitment to improving health outcomes for regional, rural and remote communities; supporting Indigenous-led health and wellbeing research; and contributing to solutions that reduce health inequities across Australia. UOW graduates are 1.8 times more likely than other graduates nationally to become GPs and 1.5 times more likely to work in under-served communities, (Cortie et al Aust J Rural Health, 2023).
Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health Senior Professor said the additional places demonstrate the strength and reputation of UOW’s medical program.
“This investment reinforces our mission to train doctors who are committed to working in rural and under-served communities and will deliver real and tangible benefits for these communities,” Senior Professor McLaughlin said.
Dean of Graduate Medicine Professor welcomed the announcement and said the expanded intake will create more opportunities for students.
“We look forward to working with our partners in government and the health sector to grow the impact of our Graduate School of Medicine and give more people the opportunity to pursue a life-changing career in medicine,” Professor Kecskes said.
The increased intake will allow the Graduate School of Medicine to expand training across its rural campuses in the Shoalhaven and Southern Highlands, and to place additional students into under-served areas in 榴莲视频app and Shellharbour. All UOW medical students spend time training in regional or rural areas, and around 70% undertake a full year of clinical training in locations such as the NSW Southern Highlands, South Coast, North Coast, Broken Hill, Mudgee or the Murrumbidgee region.
The new Commonwealth Supported Places sit alongside the Government’s planned demand-driven stream for Indigenous students from 2026, which aims to grow the number of Indigenous doctors.