Supplementary Review Results

Kanazawa Medical University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Ishikawa, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2020
Accreditation Status: accredited （Accreditation Period: April.1.2021 – March.31.2022）

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Supplementary Reviewfor Kanazawa Medical University
Overview
Regarding Kanazawa Medical University, as the “Summary of the Emergency Review toEnsure Fairness in Admissions to Medical Programs” published by Ministry ofEducation, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) on December 14, 2018
uncovered issues in student selection for medical programs, we established aninvestigative subcommittee inside the University Accreditation Committee in 2019 andexamined the validity of results from the 2014 University Accreditation (certifiedevaluation and accreditation). That examination verified major issues in “StudentEnrollment,” “Management,” and “Internal Quality Assurance” and as a result, thedetermination of the 2014 University Accreditation Results stating that the University
conformed to University Standards was overturned and the University was deemed
noncompliant.
Kanazawa Medical University promptly began exploring improvement plans, etc.
after MEXT’s findings and conducted 2019 admissions. They also established a ThirdParty Committee in February 2019 commensurate with Japan Federation of Bar
Associations guidelines based on MEXT’s findings and began investigations and reviews
using three outside investigators. The Third-Party Committee provided their report in
May of that year and the University published it on their homepage. While carrying out
the above, the University established a School of Medicine Admissions System
Investigation Committee with the Vice President of Admissions as Chair, reviewed theircriteria for successful applicants and publishing successful waitlist applicants, createdthirteen points of improvement such as establishing a post-admissions review system, andimplemented these improvements, etc. as it conducted 2020 admissions. By means ofthese various initial improvements, the Association acknowledged the three issues of“ Student Enrollment”, “Management”, and “Internal Quality Assurance” whichcaused the change in accreditation as major issues and the University is working toaddress them. After conducting an evaluation in this Supplementary Review that alignedwith the 2014 University Standards, we comprehensively assessed the state ofimprovements for those three points and determined that University Standards are being
satisfied.
First, with “Student Enrollment,” the Association’s investigation found that, inresponse to the low number of graduates choosing to base themselves in the Hokuriku
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region, etc., obvious score manipulation occurred that favored candidates from certain
regions or those who were the children of alumni in the Department of Medicine’s Special
Recommendation Entrance Exam (AO exam) and the University Transfer Exam and thatapplicants were not informed of such. The report also found that the President and theExam Committee Chair excluded older applicants and those with poor attendance records
when selecting students for the general admissions waitlist. In response to these issues,prior to changes in accreditation based on the Association report, the Medical FacultyCouncil found that no test score manipulation based on applicant traits in the School ofMedicine’s Special Recommendation Entrance Exam (AO exam) and the University
Transfer Exam had taken place since 2019 and that applicants accepted from the generaladmissions waitlist were ranked based on a total score of written exams, interviews,essays, and reports. The University also created a committee after enacting the “Schoolof Medicine Admissions System Investigation Committee Regulations” and implementeda system in 2020 to continuously review the admissions system. Through these actions,the University intends to address the issues indicated by the Association. The University
also established a system aimed at securing physicians for the University in 2020admissions.
For “Management”, the report found that the President and the Exam Committee
Chair carried out inappropriate student selection that violated regulations when adequate
consensus had not been reached within the University and that no system existed to allow
for checks by people other than the President or the Exam Committee Chair. To address
this problem, the University added reviews of acceptance methods, etc. and reorganized
the admissions system in September 2019 from one where the former School of Medicine
Admissions Administration Committee oversaw the entire process to one split between
three committees, the Admissions System Investigation Committee, the Admissions
Administration Committee, and the Admissions Selection Committee. The system wasalso improved so that the committees can work cooperatively and provide checks andbalances. In May 2020, two auditors selected in accordance with the Kanazawa Medical
University Donation Act began an audit of 2020 admissions. In addition to those actions,because the University recognizes the need to clarify (answer questions about) the duties
and authority of the President, Vice President, Faculty Chairs, and Graduate School
Directors in regulations such as the school rules, etc. and articulate the vague
responsibilities and authority of the President’s Assistant, we hope that they will
implement improvements in those areas and enhance University administration.
For “Internal Quality Assurance,” the University should take no measures thatwould make checks and reviews simple bureaucratic acts and must examine the efficacy
2Kanazawa Medical Universityof the internal quality assurance system. To address this issue, in May 2020, theUniversity established the Kanazawa Medical University Evaluation and Management
Committee based on the “Regulations for Checks and Reviews,” formed the Admissions
Evaluation Subcommittee as a departmental review committee, and conducted checks andreviews of 2020 admissions. Since this internal quality assurance system is expected to
be stipulated in the “Student Selection Regulations” by the end of April 2021, it is hopedthat the internal quality assurance system will work under the new system as it isintroduced. Also, systems and mechanisms should be developed that enable objective
verification of the efficacy of internal quality assurance.
In this way, there are general signs of improvement for the major issues of“Student Enrollment”, “Management”, and “Internal Quality Assurance” involving
student selection that caused the change in accreditation.
Moving forward, we expect to see the University continue to progress bystrengthening initiatives geared towards internal quality assurance and steadily
implementing initiatives toward each improvement.

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