The university's associate professor Brett Gordon, head of the allied health department at the Rural Health School, said the continued success reflected well on how the courses prepared students for work in regional and country settings.

For students studying in 2022, the Bendigo physiotherapy degree with honours required an ATAR of 97.4, just above Melbourne Bundoora's campus lowest selection rank of 96.35.

Students entering the 2022 bachelor of dental science with honours needed an ATAR of 99, with every indication this will remain a highly competitive course again for 2023.

While certain students were eligible for allowances to make up those scores, associate professor Gordon said they would still require a score around the mid to high 80s or above, a ranking that places them in at least the top 15 per cent of the state.

READ MORE:

"People are clearly wanting to come and study here with us in the regions which is a really, really nice thing," associate professor Gorton said.

"The other thing that it also reflects is some of the ways that we are encouraging people to come and study in the regions."

A regional entry course pathway at La Trobe has been made available to individuals who have completed their schooling in a regional location.

"We've done that because the Rural Health School is really saying, to support the health of rural and regional individuals, the best way that we can do that is by preparing the next generation of regional health care providers," he said.

"We know that individuals who grow up in the regions are more likely to then work in the regions and so if we can encourage anyone who's wanting to study (health related courses) who has grown up in regional Victoria, regional Australia to come and study with us by increasing their likelihood of getting accepted, then that's what we're trying to do."

READ MORE:

Associate professor Gordon said the recruitment into all the university's health programs was looking strong, with the pandemic driving even more interest in the health fields.

"Clearly throughout the pandemic health was the focus for everyone," he said.

"It was what everybody was speaking about, and it has continued to be one of those things that gets talked about because there's such a short supply of health providers and that's being stretched even more.

"I think that's what has been driving a lot of the interest that we've been seeing across all of our courses that we offer in the Rural Health School."

Digital subscribers now have the convenience of faster news, right at your fingertips with the Bendigo Advertiser app. Click here to download.