A Comparison of Academic Achievement between Deprived Regions Quota and non-Quota Students in Bandar Abbas Medical School

Student quota is one the university admission criteria in the medical schools of Iran. In recent years a separate quota named deprived regions quota is allocated to participants who live in deprived regions such as Hormozgan province. This study aimed to compare the educational status of this quota with other students at Banadr Abbas medical school.

In this descriptive-analytic study, all students’ data, entering Bandar Abass medical school during 8 years (2008 to 2015), namely, n=754, including educational and demographic characteristics collected through Student Recording System and personal files and analyzed using SPSS 19.

The evaluation of educational state of deprived regions quota students showed that the mean score of diploma (P<0. 01), first semester(P<0. 0001), basic science and physiopathology courses, comprehensive examination of basic sciences were lower than other quoata. They had the lowest graduation and the highest dropout rate (P<0. 0001). There was a significant difference in the student grades marital status.

Considering policies to increase the number of empowered Physicians in deprived regions and the observed higher academic failure among deprived regions quota students, the educational authorities should make appropriate plans and strategies in order to improve their academic achievements.