Early years

The colleges were established as a single institution in 1953 by T M A Pai with the pre-clinical section at Manipal and the clinical section in Mangalore at Wenlock District Hospital. Manipal and Mangalore were then a part of the erstwhile Madras state. The government of Madras granted land to establish a college and permitted the use of government hospitals for training medical students. The first batch of students arrived in Mangalore in 1955 for their clinical training. In 1956, the colleges became part of the expanded Mysore state which was then renamed as Karnataka.^[1]

Separation

The clinical program commenced at Manipal in 1969 with the setting up of Kasturba Hospital. The colleges were later separated with the establishment of a pre-clinical section in Mangalore. Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore is attached to three government hospitals and was the first medical institution in India to be established as a public-private partnership.^[2]

Affiliation with public universities

From their establishment in 1953, until 1993, the colleges were affiliated with public universities in Karnataka. The colleges were affiliated to Karnatak University from their establishment until 1964. They were affiliated to Mysore University from 1965 to 1980 and to Mangalore University from 1981 to 1992.^[3]

Deemed university

In 1993, KMC Manipal and KMC Mangalore, along with colleges of dental surgery in Manipal and Mangalore were given deemed university status to form the Manipal Academy of Higher Education. In 2017, KMC Mangalore agreed to build a super specialty hospital at District Wenlock Hospital and extended its public private partnership with the government of Karnataka for another 33 years, i.e., until 2050.^[4]

Manipal

KMC Manipal is located in the university town of Manipal, a suburb in Udupi, Karnataka. It is situated within the campus of Manipal Academy of Higher Education. The campus at Manipal has a large Health Sciences Library and a Museum of Anatomy and Pathology.

Mangalore

KMC Mangalore is located in Mangalore. The campus at Mangalore is split into the Centre for Basic Sciences at Bejai and the main campus at Light House Hill Road. The campus includes six teaching hospitals, the T M A Pai Convention Centre and a large indoor sports complex.^[5]

Connectivity

The colleges are 60 km (37 mi) apart by road.

Courses

Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) is the basic undergraduate medical degree awarded by the Manipal Academy of Higher Education at both the colleges after nine semesters of coursework and one year of internship. Postgraduate Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Master of Surgery (MS) are awarded after three years of residential training. Integrated MD–PhD and PhD Programs to train physician-scientists to take up a research career. Postdoctoral Doctorate of Medicine (DM) and Master of Chirurgiae (MCh) degrees are awarded after three years of postdoctoral super specialty training as a senior resident.

Rankings

• KMC Manipal and KMC Mangalore were ranked 10th and 30th respectively among the medical colleges of India in the NIRF 2023 Rankings.^[6]
• Manipal Academy of Higher Education was ranked 6th among universities in India in the NIRF 2023 Rankings.^[7]
• Manipal Academy of Higher Education was ranked in the 351-400 rank bracket in Medicine in the QS World University Rankings 2021, the third in India after AIIMS, New Delhi and PGIMER, Chandigarh.^[8]

Admission

KMC Manipal and KMC Mangalore admit 250 students each for the undergraduate MBBS course. Admission is based on the 'All India Rank' obtained in NEET (UG) conducted by NTA. 20% of the MBBS seats in KMC Mangalore are retained for candidates from Karnataka as part of the public private partnership. Admissions to postgraduate and super specialty courses are based on the rank obtained in NEET (PG) and NEET (SS) respectively. Admissions to nursing, physiotherapy, psychology and other allied health courses are based on the score obtained in the Manipal Entrance Test.

Examinations

The examinations at KMC Manipal and KMC Mangalore are conducted by the Manipal Academy of Higher Education according to guidelines laid down by the National Medical Commission. All exams are paperless and are written on a biometric secured tablet using a stylus.^[9]

KMC Manipal

• Kasturba Hospital, Manipal^[10]
• Dr. TMA Pai Hospital, Udupi

KMC Mangalore

Unlike most medical colleges in India, KMC Mangalore is attached to both government and private hospitals.

• Wenlock District Hospital^[11]
• Lady Goschen Hospital
• KMC Hospital, Attavar
• KMC Hospital, Ambedkar Circle
• Regional Advanced Pediatric Care Centre
• Dr. TMA Pai Rotary Hospital, Karkala