Mashhad University of Medical Sciences

Mashhad being the largest city in eastern Iran and the host to millions of pilgrims to Imam Reza’s shrine every year, besides its own large population has greatly increased the importance of having the best and ample medical facilities. Perhaps this is the reason why Mashhad University of Medical Sciences is one of the oldest centers of medical education in Iran and caters to the required health services of Razavi Khorasan Province.

History of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences

The proposal to establish a modern center of higher education in Mashhad for teaching medical sciences was first proposed in 1934 and it was implemented five years later with the establishment of “The School of Health Services” in this city. Initially, this institute began its activities in the building of a primary school with six classrooms, but with the expansion of its activities, it managed to have a center of its own within a few years. In 1947, the school was transformed into a "Medical College" and in 1949 some sixty-one students were given admission to study medicine. At that time, this college and the Faculty of Literature formed the main structure of "Mashhad University". With the addition of several other faculties, the structure of Mashhad University further expanded. However, in 1986, with the approval of the Law on the separation of universities of medical sciences, the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Dentistry, and the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Nutrition were detached from Mashhad University to form an independent Mashhad University of Medical Sciences.

Presently, more than 9,000 students pursue their higher education in different fields of medical sciences under 900 faculty members in the following faculties:

1. Health

2. Nursing and midwifery

3. Medicine

4. Paramedical sciences and rehabilitation

5. Pharmacy

6. Dentistry

7. Traditional and complementary medicine

8. Veterinary Medicine

Kashmar Faculty of Medical Sciences and Quchan Faculty of Nursing, too, are affiliated with this university.

28 hospitals, seven educational and research centers, 47 research centers, two special clinics, and one comprehensive rehabilitation center, along with 18 health networks in different cities of the province function under the supervision of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. This university provides services to more than five million people, annually, and is considered one of the largest universities in Iran.

International Position and Activities of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences

According to various world ranking systems, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences is one of the best universities in Iran. In the report of the Shanghai ranking system published in 2023, this university was ranked 301 to 400 and the second-best university in Iran in the field of biotechnology. It was also ranked 201 to 300 in the field of public health and one of the top three universities in Iran. The rank of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in the fields of "Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences" and "Clinical Medicine" was 401 to 500, making this university one of the top universities in Iran in these two fields.

Similarly, in the ranking system of Times Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences was ranked 17th among all Iranian universities. According to this report published in 2023, the rank of this university is 7th among universities of medical sciences in Iran. In the ISC ranking report published in 2021, this university was ranked 401 to 450 in the field of medical and health sciences and one of the top five universities in Iran.

Every year, a call is published for admitting foreign students interested in studying at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. The number of foreign students getting admitted to this university is based on their academic qualifications and the existing capacity of the university. The process of granting admission to non-Iranian students is the responsibility of the Office of International Affairs and Relations” of the university. In addition to attracting and providing consular and educational facilities to foreign students, this office is also responsible for communicating with universities and research institutes outside Iran, holding international conferences, and defining study opportunities for Iranian and non-Iranian researchers.

Based on the statistics provided by the university officials, a total of 421 non-Iranian students from 10 countries were pursuing their higher education in the fields of medicine, paramedicine, health, dentistry, and nursing and midwifery at this university in 2022.