MBBS in Aswan University Faculty of Medicine

Aswan University Faculty of Medicine is the southernmost medical college in Egypt and among the newest. It cannot be compared with Cairo University's Kasr Al Ainy Faculty of Medicine (founded in 1827) or Ain Shams University Faculty of Medicine (established in 1947). The Faculty of Medicine in Aswan was opened as late as 2013 by Presidential Decree No. 200.

Education commenced in the same academic year, so it can be referred to as a newcomer among medical colleges of Egypt. One should note that there is a considerable difference between this faculty and other more long-established faculties of medicine in Egypt.

While the Faculty of Medicine was established recently, the university's foundation dates back to 1974 when Aswan started operating as a branch of Assiut University. Then it was included into South Valley University in 1995.

Aswan received its status of an independent university in 2012, and its Faculty of Medicine was opened in 2013. This relatively young university greatly influenced the design of this faculty.

Different from the other old institutions that had to modify their system, Aswan's medical college was established according to Egypt's medical education reforms. As a result, many features of this medical college correspond to modern educational methods.

One of the major reforms in the medical education field took place in 2017 and was introduced by the Supreme Council of Egyptian Universities. In particular, the number of academic years was reduced from six to five, while the period of internship was increased from one year to two.

Along with this, the structure of the medical education changed from discipline-oriented to competency-oriented with the introduction of the National Academic Reference Standards for Medicine.

These changes led to some transformations in the educational process.

Students do not study disciplines like anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry separately. Instead, they learn using the body system-based modules. Clinical exposure becomes possible much sooner than in the previous curriculum.

English remains the language of instruction as it is a long-standing tradition in Egypt's medical education and makes the programs accessible to international students.

The major benefit of applying to Aswan University's Faculty of Medicine instead of Cairo, Ain Shams, and Alexandria for most candidates is not the prestige but low costs and a smaller learning environment. At the same time, Aswan is characterized by some specificities in its clinical practice.

The university is located in Upper Egypt near the Nile River in one of the hottest and driest places in the country. Besides, Aswan acts as the touristic entrance gate for traveling to such objects as Abu Simbel and Aswan High Dam.

Thus, this environment influences Aswan University Hospital's patients' peculiarities and students face many cases related to heat illness, gastroenterological and waterborne diseases, as well as injury cases associated with tourism.

If one wants to gain this kind of clinical experience or seeks cheaper options comparing with Cairo, then this information may be useful.

There is another important myth about this university. Nowadays, there is no official NMC approved list of foreign medical colleges.

It means that the former list of approved medical colleges by the Medical Council of India is not used anymore and there is no NMC approval of individual foreign universities. So, students should pay attention to regulatory requirements instead of any lists of approval.

As for the requirements of India, the important factor is that the program corresponds to the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021. Also, the graduates should pass the NEXT examination in India.

The Aswan's MBBCh program is included into the World Directory of Medical Schools. Moreover, the faculty is accredited by NAQAAE that is recognized by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) until April 2029. This accreditation process is much more relevant than any lists that may exist now.

As for the costs, Aswan University Faculty of Medicine is considered to be one of the cheapest medical universities in Egypt. Annual tuition fees for international students in Aswan vary between USD 4,000 and USD 6,000.

It is considerably cheaper than tuition fees in such universities as Cairo University and Ain Shams University where annual fees vary between USD 6,000 and USD 10,000. The university has hostels including hostels for female students. On-campus cafeteria with Indian food is also available in the university considering the large number of Indian students studying in it.

Comparing with Cairo, Aswan is characterized by a quiet and slow pace of life with low costs. Nevertheless, Aswan has less amenities than Cairo, as well as fewer flights to this city.