High school versus graduate entry in a Saudi medical school - is there any difference in academic performance and professionalism lapses?

Background: King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS) was the first university in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia offering both high school entry and graduate entry (GE) students into medical school. We compared the academic performance and professionalism lapses of high school entry and GE students who undertook the same curriculum and examinations in the College of Medicine, Riyadh, KSAU-HS.

Methods: Examination scores of 196 high school graduates and 54 GE students over a 4-year period (2010-2014) were used as a measure of academic achievement.