Neurosurgery residency in Saudi Arabia
Surgery on the brain, spine and nerves.
Lowest accepted score 2026 (median): 81.2%. Training length: 6 years.
Rotations during residency
- General surgery (3 months)
- Critical care (3 months)
- Neurology (3 months)
- Neuroradiology (3 months)
- Neuropathology (3 months)
- Elective (3 months: plastic, ENT, neurophysiology, radiosurgery, neuro-ophthalmology, neuroanatomy)
- Neurosurgery (rest of the program, with spine, vascular, tumor, pediatric and functional blocks)
Schedule overview
- Rotations (18 months): General surgery, critical care, neurology, neuroradiology, neuropathology, elective (3 months each)
- Remaining years: Neurosurgery: spine, vascular, tumor, pediatric and functional blocks with graded responsibility
Most common encounters
- Head injury
- Brain tumors
- Hydrocephalus
- Spinal degenerative disease and disc prolapse
- Spine trauma
- Subarachnoid hemorrhage and aneurysms
- Intracerebral hemorrhage
- Pediatric neurosurgery
- Peripheral nerve problems
- Brain abscess
Most common procedures
- Craniotomy
- Burr holes and shunts
- Spinal decompression and fusion
- External ventricular drain
- Aneurysm clipping or coiling (supervised)
- Endoscopic third ventriculostomy
- Intracranial pressure monitoring
Fellowships after residency
- Spine (2 to 3 years)
- Vascular and skull base (2 to 3 years)
- Neuro-oncology (3 years)
- Pediatric neurosurgery (3 years)
- Functional and epilepsy surgery (1 year)
- Peripheral nerve (1 year)
Lowest accepted score by city
- Alahsa: 2026 77.2%, 2025 80.3%
- Abha: 2026 80.7%, 2025 80.3%
- Taif: 2026 80.8%, 2025 79.8%
- Mecca: 2026 80.9%, 2025 82.7%
- Dammam: 2026 81.2%, 2025 81.4%
- Jeddah: 2026 81.8%, 2025 84.4%
- Khobar: 2026 82.2%, 2025 82.7%
- Riyadh: 2026 83.1%, 2025 85.0%
- Medina: 2026 86.0%, 2025 81.3%
- Najran: 2026 -, 2025 78.0%
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