Wits revises health sciences admissions policy
PARKTOWN – Wits University has revised its admissions policy for all programmes offered by the Faculty of Health Sciences. This follows the recommendations of a task team commissioned by the vice-chancellor.
Applicants who are currently applying for entrance in 2015 will not be required to complete a Biographical Questionnaire (BQ). Their matric results will carry a 50% weighting and the results of their National Benchmark Tests (NBTs) will make up the other 50%.
This weighting may change for 2016 entry with the introduction of an online BQ.
Selection will be made according to the following broad categories:
• 40% of the places will be offered to the top performing candidates based on academic merit. The remaining 60% will be offered as follows:
• Approximately 20% of the places will be offered to top performing rural pupils
• Approximately 20% of the places will be offered to top performing pupils from quintile 1 and 2 schools
• Approximately 20% of the places will be allocated to top performing Black and Coloured pupils.
The new admissions policy is based on recommendations by a Wits University task team, consisting of members of the Faculty of Health Sciences, the Student Representative Council, other faculties and the Senior Executive Team, that was commissioned to review the admissions policy for the MBBCh, or medicine degree.
The activities of the task team included a public meeting that was held in April to discuss the current and future admissions criteria and policies for entry into the degree.
