The Graduate Entry Medical Programme (GEMP) is a route into medicine for people who already hold a relevant bachelor’s degree, rather than for school leavers. It is best known as the structure of the clinical years of the medical degree at the University of the Witwatersrand.
For graduate applicants it offers a genuine second route into medicine — and one that is extremely competitive, because the number of places is small relative to the number of science graduates who want them.
Entry Requirements at a Glance
Entry is based on your degree rather than on your matric results.
- A completed relevant bachelor’s degree, commonly in health or biological sciences, with the specific content the faculty requires
- A strong academic record across that degree — competitive applicants sit well above any published minimum
- Completion of the required prerequisite subjects, which typically include human anatomy, physiology, biochemistry and related sciences
- The National Benchmark Tests or whatever admissions assessment the faculty requires
- A South African ID, or a passport and study visa for international applicants
- Application by the faculty’s closing date, which falls earlier than for most programmes
Academic and Minimum Admission Requirements
The prerequisite content is the requirement people get wrong. It is not enough to hold any science degree; the degree must contain the specific subjects at the specific levels the faculty requires. A BSc that omitted physiology or biochemistry may not qualify however good the marks.
Check the prerequisite list against your own transcript before assuming you are eligible, and check it early enough to take additional modules if you are short. Confirm the current requirements directly with the faculty, as they are revised.
Selection goes well beyond the minimum. Places are limited and applications numerous. Confirm with the institution what its selection process involves for your intake — academic record, admissions assessment and other criteria are used, and the weighting is set by the faculty.
Universities also apply admissions policies that take a range of factors into account. Ask the faculty how its process works rather than relying on assumptions about what determines an offer.
Subjects, APS and Qualification Requirements
Most South African universities calculate an Admission Point Score (APS) from your best six 20-credit NSC subjects on a seven-point scale, giving a maximum of 42. Life Orientation is excluded at most institutions, and level 1 subjects generally do not count. Each university publishes its own APS table and programme minimums, revised annually, so confirm the figure for your intake year with the institution itself.
APS is largely irrelevant to graduate entry, which assesses your degree rather than your matric. That is precisely what makes it valuable to applicants whose school results closed the direct route.
The other routes into medicine are worth knowing. Direct entry from school after matric is the main route, offered at several South African medical schools. Some universities offer extended or foundation programmes. Studying medicine abroad is a further option, but note that foreign-qualified doctors must satisfy Health Professions Council of South Africa requirements to register and practise in South Africa — confirm those with the HPCSA before committing to a foreign programme.
Whatever the route, the qualification is followed by internship and community service before independent practice, both allocated through national placement processes.
If graduate entry is the plan, structure your undergraduate degree around it deliberately from first year rather than trying to retrofit the prerequisites afterwards.
Documents and Application Requirements
Graduate applications require considerably more documentation than school-leaver applications.
- Certified copy of your South African ID, or passport for international applicants
- Full academic transcripts for every year of your degree
- Your degree certificate, or proof of expected completion
- Proof of the prerequisite subjects completed, at the required levels
- Results of the required admissions assessment
- A curriculum vitae, personal statement or motivation, where required
- Proof of payment of the application fee
- Any additional documentation the faculty specifies
Selection, Intake and Eligibility Considerations
Apply as early as the cycle allows, and apply to every institution offering a graduate route rather than only one.
Have a plan for an unsuccessful application. Many strong candidates are not admitted in a given year, and honours or master’s study, research work or a clinical-adjacent role strengthens a subsequent application while keeping you in the field.
- Check the prerequisite subject list against your transcript early
- Take additional modules if you are short of prerequisites, before applying
- Confirm the current selection process with the faculty for your intake
- Apply to every institution offering a graduate entry route
- Have a plan for a second application cycle
- If considering study abroad, confirm HPCSA registration requirements first
- Budget for the full length of the programme plus internship and community service
Frequently Asked Questions
What is GEMP?
A graduate entry route into medicine for applicants who already hold a relevant bachelor’s degree, best known as the structure of the clinical years of the medical degree at Wits.
Does any degree qualify me?
No. The degree must contain the specific prerequisite subjects at the required levels. Check the list against your transcript before applying.
Does my matric result matter?
Graduate entry assesses your degree rather than your school results, which is what makes it valuable to applicants whose matric closed the direct route.
What if I study medicine abroad?
Foreign-qualified doctors must satisfy HPCSA requirements to register and practise in South Africa. Confirm those requirements before committing to a foreign programme.
Prerequisite subjects, selection processes, admissions assessments and closing dates are set by each faculty and are revised. Confirm current requirements directly with the university, and registration requirements with the HPCSA.