Doha: Eighty students were granted admission to Qatar University College of Medicine which opens next month as the country’s first national medical college.
Students comprise 51 Qataris and 29 others, selected from over 700 applicants.
“The level of interest in joining the college has exceeded expectations and we congratulate the students who have been successful and will form the first cohort of QU-trained doctors. They should be proud of the achievement,” said Dr Hassan Al Derham, President, QU.
Dr Egon Toft, Vice-President, Medical Education, QU, and Dean of the college, said: “The college has achieved another milestone with the admission of the first cohort of students trained at the national university. We are pleased with the number of Qataris admitted and pledge our full commitment to support them in their studentship to meet the college’s highly demanding requirements.
“It is also an achievement for QU attesting to its forward-looking leadership and abiding commitment to the people of Qatar and the future of its healthcare sector.”
About 50 students will go directly into the MD programme and the rest who do not meet English and maths entry requirements will go through foundation.
Ghada Al Kuwari, Assistant Dean, Student Affairs at the college, said: “We are happy with the results of the admission process in terms of the number of students, especially Qataris, and the calibre of students, including six with a high-school GPA of 100 percent and several with high school GPAs above 99 percent.
All Qatari applicants who achieved the minimum high school GPA requirement were granted admission — about half already meeting English and maths requirements — and will be admitted directly into the six-year MD programme. They are expected to graduate with the Class of 2021.
The Peninsula
