Table 2 Comparison of the Medical Colleges established in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between the academic years 1967–1968 and 2008–2009 in relation to some of the recommendations made by Flexner and other international medical education authorities and accreditation bodies
No. | Name of the medical college, and year it became operational | Province in which the medical college/school is located | Admission criteria | Description of the program | Program duration excluding the Internship Year, and including the Preparatory Year (years) | Total student enrollment (academic year 2008-2009) | Full-time faculty (academic year 2008-2009) | Faculty-to-student ratio | Total number of graduates (academic year 2007-2008) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New students | Existing students | |||||||||
1 | King Saud University College of Medicine (1967) | Al-Riyadh | -Aptitude test (30%). - Achievement test (40%). - High school exam (30%). - Preparatory Year GPA - Interview (Pass/Fail). | -Preparatory Year. -Pre-clinical phase. -Clinical phase. - Integrated. - Hybrid (lectures, PBL). | 6 | 225 | 1621 | 643 | 0.3:1 | 313 |
2 | King Abdulaziz University College of Medicine (1975) | Makkah | -National entrance examination. | -Preparatory Year. -Pre-clinical phase. -Clinical phase. -Partly integrated. -Lecture-based, case-based, and other student-activating learning/teaching methods. | 6 | 16 | 1641 | 536 | 0.3:1 | 312 |
3 | Dammam University College of Medicine (previously King Faisal University-Dammam) (1975) | Eastern Province | -High school GPA. -Aptitude test. - Achievement test. -Preparatory Year GPA ≥ 3. | -Preparatory Year. -Pre-clinical phase. -Clinical phase. -Lecture-based. | 6 | 278 | 1139 | 286 | 0.2:1 | 180 |
4 | King Khalid University College of Medicine (Abha) (1982) | Asir | -High school GPA. -Aptitude test. - Achievement test. -Preparatory Year GPA. | -Preparatory Year. -Pre-clinical phase. -Clinical phase. -Lecture-based. | 6 | 214 | 1075 | 194 | 0.1:1 | 88 |
5 | Umm Al-Qura University College of Medicine (1996) | Makkah | -Aptitude test. - Achievement test. -High school GPA. -Premedical Year GPA. | -Preparatory Year. -Pre-clinical phase. -Clinical phase. -Lecture-based. | 6 | 269 | 1364 | 150 | 0.1:1 | 141 |
6 | Taibah University College of Medicine (2001) | Al-Madinah | -Aptitude test. - Achievement test. -High school GPA ≥ 90%. -Preparatory year ≥ 2.75. -Interview. | -Preparatory Year. -Pre-clinical phase. -Clinical phase. -Lecture-based. | 6 | 301 | 1369 | 249 | 0.1:1 | 52 |
7 | King Faisal University College of Medicine (Al-Hasa) (2001) | Eastern Province | -Aptitude test. - Achievement test. -High school GPA. -Preparatory Year GPA ≥ 3. | -Preparatory Year. -Pre-clinical phase. -Clinical phase. -Lecture-based. | 6 | 222 | 551 | 62 | 0.1:1 | 52 |
8 | Jazan University College of Medicine (2001) | Jizan (or Jazan) | -High school GPA ≥ 90%. -Aptitude test. - Achievement test. | -Preparatory Year. -Pre-clinical phase. -Clinical phase. -Community-oriented. -Integrated body systems. Problem-based. | 6 | 115 | 416 | 151 | 0.3:1 | 53 |
9 | Al-Qassim University College of Medicine (2001) | Al-Qassim | -Preparatory Year. -Pre-clinical phase. -Clinical phase. - Community-oriented. - Integrated. - Hybrid (lectures, PBL). | 6 | 128 | 612 | 106 | 0.1:1 | 114 | |
10 | King Fahd Medical City College of Medicine (2004) | Al-Riyadh | -High school GPA ≥ 90%. -Aptitude test - Achievement test. -GPA ≥3.5 in Phase I. - Interview. | -Phase I (introduction to the sciences relevant to medicine). -Phase II (system-oriented clinically-based learning). -Phase III (clinical clerkship). - Integrated. - Hybrid (lectures, PBL). -Student-centered. -Community-oriented. | 6 | 120 | 200 | 30 | 0.1:1 | 146 |
11 | King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (2004) | Al-Riyadh | - High school direct entry (recent high school degree with both aptitude and achievement exam results). - A semi-structured, objective interview. - Graduate entry BSc (GPA ≥ 3). - Admission exam. | Two tracks: Track I: -Preparatory Year. -Pre-clinical phase. -Clinical phase. Track II: -Pre-clinical phase. -Clinical phase. - Integrated. Both tracks: - Hybrid (lectures, PBL). - Community-oriented, and student-centered. | 4 or 6 | 101 | 469 | 206 | 0.4:1 | 24 |
12 | Ibn Sina National College for Medical Studies (2004) | Makkah | -Results of national entrance examination.-Interview. | -Preparatory Year. -Pre-clinical phase. -Clinical phase. -Fully-integrated. -Emphasis on family medicine. -Problem-based, and other student-activating learning/teaching methods. | 6 | 50 | 80 | 91 | 0.7:1 | N/A |
13 | Ta’if University College of Medicine (2005) | Makkah | -High school GPA ≥ 90%. -Capabilities exam. -Cumulative exam. -Preparatory Year GPA. | -Preparatory Year. -Pre-clinical phase. -Clinical phase. -Spiral. -Fully-integrated. -Problem-based. | 6 | 117 | 329 | 153 | 0.3:1 | N/A |
14 | Al-Bahah University College of Medicine (2006) | Al-Bahah | -National entrance examination. | -Preparatory Year. -Pre-clinical phase. -Clinical phase. -Partly integrated. -Lecture-based, case-based, and other student-activating learning/teaching methods. | 6 | 192 | N/A | 27 | 0.1:1 | N/A |
15 | Batterjee Medical College for Sciences and Technology (2007) | Makkah | -Results of national entrance examination. -Interview. | -Preparatory Year. -Pre-clinical phase. -Clinical phase. -Partly-integrated. -Lecture-based. | 6 | 251 | N/A | 47 | 0.2:1 | N/A |
16 | Northern Border University College of Medicine (Arar) (2007) | Northern Borders | -Preparatory Year GPA. - Other requirements set by the college. | -Preparatory Year. -Pre-clinical phase. -Clinical phase. -Lecture-based. | 6 | 62 | 62 | 28 | 0.2:1 | N/A |
17 | Tabuk University College of Medicine (2007) | Tabuk | -Capabilities exam. -Cumulative exam. -High school GPA. -Premedical Year GPA. | -Preparatory Year. -Pre-clinical phase. -Clinical phase. -Fully integrated. -Community-based. - Lecture-based, problem-based, and other student-activating learning/teaching methods. | 6 | 56 | 89 | 13 | 0.1:1 | N/A |
18 | Najran University College of Medicine (2007) | Najran | -High school GPA ≥ 90%. -Capabilities exam. -Cumulative exam. | -Preparatory Year. -Pre-clinical phase. -Clinical phase. -Lecture-based. | 6 | 30 | N/A | 17 | 0.6:1 | N/A |
19 | Al-Imam Mohammad Bin Saud Islamic University College of Medicine (2008) | Al-Riyadh | - Preparatory Year GPA ≥ 3.5. - IELTS ≥ 5. | -Preparatory Year. - Basic Sciences (foundation of medicine & system-based). - Clerkship. - Curriculum is spiral, outcome-based, community-oriented, integrated, hybrid (lecture, PBL, DSL), following the SPICES model and emphasizing early clinical exposure. | 6 | 73 | N/A | 20 | 0.3:1 | N/A |
20 | Al-Faisal University College of Medicine (2008) | Al-Riyadh | - Entrance exam.- Interview. | -Preparatory Year. -Pre-clinical phase. -Clinical phase. - Integrated lecture-based, problem-based, and other student-activating learning/teaching methods. | 6 | 50 | N/A | 20 | 0.4:1 | N/A |
21 | Al-Maarefa College of Medicine (2008) | Al-Riyadh | -Capabilities exam score ≥ 70%. -Cumulative exam score ≥ 70%. -High school GPA ≥ 90%. IELTS ≥ 4.5. -College admission test. | -Preparatory Year. -Pre-clinical phase. -Clinical phase. -Lecture-based. | 6 | NR | N/A | NR | NR | N/A |
22 | Al-Jawf University College of Medicine (Jouf) (2008) | Al-Jawf (Jouf) | -Capabilities exam. -Cumulative exam. -High school GPA. -Premedical Year GPA. | -Preparatory Year. -Pre-clinical phase. -Clinical phase. -Integrated body systems. - Lecture-based. | 6 | 65 | N/A | 25 | 0.4:1 | N/A |
23 | Ha’il University College of Medicine (2008) | Ha’il | -Capabilities exam. -Cumulative exam. -High school GPA. -Premedical Year GPA. | -Preparatory Year. -Pre-clinical phase. -Clinical phase. -Integrated. -Problem-based. | 6 | 38 | N/A | 77 | 2.1:1 | N/A |
24 | King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (2008) | Makkah | - High school direct entry (recent High school degree with both aptitude and achievement exam results. - A semi-structured, objective interview). - Graduate entry BSc (GPA ≥ 3). - Admission exam. | Two tracks: Track I: -Preparatory Year. -Pre-clinical phase. -Clinical phase. Track II: -Pre-clinical phase. -Clinical phase. - Integrated. Both tracks: - Hybrid (lectures, PBL). - Community-oriented, and student-centered. | 4 or 6 | 64 | N/A | 183 | 2.9:1 | N/A |
25 | Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz University College of Medicine (Al-Kharj). (2009) | Al-Riyadh | -Preparatory Year. -Pre-clinical phase. -Clinical phase. -Partly integrated. -Lecture-based, case-based, and other student-activating learning/teaching methods. | 6 | 29 | 30 | 25 | 0.4:1 | N/A | |
26 | Sulaiman Al-Rajhi College of Medicine (2009) | Al-Qassim | - Preparatory Year at the College (GPA ≥ 3.5; TOEFEL ≥ 500). - Preparatory Year outside the College (GPA ≥ 3.75; TOEFEL ≥ 500; Entrance exam score ≥ 65%; personal interview). | -Preparatory Year. -Pre-clinical phase. -Clinical phase. - Integrated - Hybrid (lectures, PBL). - Community-oriented. - Acquisition of clinical skills by direct patient contact. | 6 | NR | N/A | NR | NR | N/A |