Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences

Before the victory of the Iranian Islamic Revolution in 1979 AD, there was only one center of higher education in the Kurdistan Province of Iran, which was affiliated with the Razi University of Kermanshah. Presently, the number of university units in this province stands at 47 of which Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences is the most important center of higher education in the respected field. According to the latest available data, the total number of students studying in the province stands at about 60 thousand.

History of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences

The foundation of medical education in Kurdistan province was laid down with the establishment of an educational and research complex in the year 1988 when a new center of higher education was founded in this province to train students in nursing at undergraduate and midwifery at associate degree levels respectively. Two years later, the Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences was officially established.

Today, more than 2300 pursue their higher education at different undergraduate, postgraduate, and Ph.D. levels in 38 fields of medical sciences under the supervision of 280 full-time faculty members in the following five faculties of the Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences:

1. Medicine

2. Dentistry

3. Public health

4. Nursing and midwifery

5. Paramedical Science

The Saqqez Institute of Health Education was also established as a branch of this university in 2011; imparting education and training s in the field of nursing.

19 specialized and subspecialized clinics as well as 15 specialized and subspecialized hospitals provide services to the people of the province under the supervision of this university. 53 medical diagnostic laboratories, 45 radiography centers, 618 health centers, 148 urban and rural health centers, 112 urban health centers, and 43 road and urban emergency centers are other centers affiliated with this university and serve a population of more than 1.6 million people.

The Department of Research and Technology of the Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences is the main authority for directing the research activities of this university. The Health Technology Development Center is one of the sub-units of this department that works towards commercializing the outcomes of the efforts of researchers with the aim of indigenizing and promoting technologies in the field of medical sciences. Several research and production companies in various fields of health services have opened their branches in this university. The office of "Relationship with Industry and Standards" of this department has been founded to strengthen the relationship between researchers and active industrialists in the field of healthcare services.

International Position and Activities of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences

In 2023, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences was ranked 351 to 400 in the Times Ranking System and the second-best university in Iran. in this report, this university has been assigned the first rank among the universities of medical sciences in Iran. This rating system takes into consideration 13 performance indicators in four areas of education, research, knowledge transfer, and international perspective. Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences has been ranked 36th in the world.

Similarly, in the Round University Ranking published in 2023, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences was ranked 545th among world universities and 8th among Iranian universities. In this ranking, 20 performance indicators of 1200 universities from 89 countries have been evaluated.

Every year, this university publishes a call for admitting foreign students. The last call made by this university in 2023 was for admitting foreign students in the fields of professional doctorate, specialized doctorate, and clinical specialized doctorate. The process of admitting foreign students to this university is based on the available facilities and the capacity of different fields.