Vision Colleges
Vision Colleges are institutions that provide educational services in human medicine, dentistry, and nursing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They operate under a limited liability company established in 2009. The colleges have two branches: one in Riyadh City and the other in Jeddah City.
Establishment of Vision Colleges
Vision College of Dentistry and Nursing was established in Riyadh City in 2009 and obtained its license and accreditation from the Ministry of Higher Education (currently the Ministry of Education). The first cohort in the nursing program graduated in 2012, and the first group of dentistry graduates completed their studies in 2015. After that, the Medical College was established in Riyadh City on August 9, 2009, with its first cohort enrolled for the academic year 2014-2015.
Vision Medical College in Jeddah was launched in 2010 to meet the increasing demand for national healthcare practitioners in medicine, surgery, dentistry, and nursing. It received its final license and general accreditation from the Ministry of Higher Education (currently the Ministry of Education). The first cohort of nursing students graduated in the first semester of the 2013–2014 academic year, and the first cohort of dentistry students graduated in the second semester of the 2015–2016 academic year.
Curriculum at Vision Colleges
Vision Colleges follow systematic methodologies for evaluation and development, with all their academic courses regularly updated. They adopt the framework of the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) and standards from various healthcare education quality bodies, while also adhering to national standards issued by the National Center for Academic Accreditation and Education and Training Evaluation Commission. The colleges implement student-centered curricula and rely on modern technologies, including learning management platforms.
Programs at Vision Colleges
Vision College in Riyadh offers three academic programs:Medicine and Surgery Program, which grants a bachelor's degree to students who successfully complete 212 credit hours and the internship training program. Oral and Dental Surgery Program, which grants a bachelor's degree to students who successfully complete two hundred credit hours and the internship training program. General Nursing Program, which grants a Bachelor of Nursing degree to students who successfully complete 132 credit hours and the internship training program. The duration of study is six years for the first two programs and four years for the nursing program, in addition to a mandatory internship year required to graduate from all three programs.
Vision College in Jeddah also offers three academic programs that award bachelor's degrees: the Medicine and Surgery Program, the Dentistry Program, and the Nursing Program.
Accreditations of Vision Colleges
Vision Colleges ranked tenth among Arab universities according to the Webometrics Ranking, which specializes in evaluating higher education institutions. The colleges have obtained accreditation from national advisory bodies such as the King Abdullah Institute for Research and Consulting Studies, and international accreditation from entities like the CenMEDIC Group following a curriculum review. In 2018, Vision College in Jeddah received full institutional accreditation from the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties for the Saudi Board in Dentistry programs. In 2022, the Education and Training Evaluation Commission, represented by the National Center for Academic Accreditation and Evaluation (NCAAA), signed an agreement to implement program accreditation standards for Vision Colleges in Riyadh. The agreement covered three undergraduate academic programs: the Medicine and Surgery Program, the General Nursing Program, and the Oral and Dental Surgery Program