Knowledge and attitude towards third generation universities from the perspective of medical science students

The third-generation university is at the core of how higher education focuses on the economic status and competence of students. However, few studies have been conducted on the students’ knowledge and attitude in relation to third-generation universities. Thus, this study was conducted to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of students in medical universities in 2019. This is a cross-sectional study using convenience sampling. Data were collected using a four-part researcher-made questionnaire. Structural validity was calculated with S-CVI index which was 0.746 for awareness, 0.789 for attitude and 0.862 for the total score. Reliability was calculated using Cronbach's alpha and r = 0.801. In this study, 228 individuals participated, of whom 158 reported lack of proper infrastructure (69.29 %), 134 reported lack of proper bedding (58.77%), 134 reported lack of university financial support (58.77%), 94 reported lack of confidence (41.22%), and 76 reported lack of awareness (33.33%). The most important problem mentioned was the achievement of the goals of third-generation universities in medical universities. Also, 168 (73.68%) of the participants had a moderate attitude and 180 (78.98%) had poor knowledge. Since most students of medical universities had moderate attitudes and poor knowledge, educational programs are recommended to enhance the knowledge and attitude of the students of medical sciences towards the goals of third-generation universities and the path to the achievement of these goals.