Islamabad: Around 1,100 vacant MBBS and BDS seats in private medical and dental colleges across Pakistan have forced the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to lower the minimum merit for admissions, highlighting a growing lack of interest among students despite a reduction in annual tuition fees to Rs1.89 million.
PMDC officials said the scale of vacancies is equivalent to nearly 11 medical colleges with 100 seats each failing to enroll students, an unusual situation in a country where medical education has traditionally remained highly sought after.
In a notification issued on April 8, the PMDC allowed a one-time relaxation in MDCAT passing marks, reducing the minimum requirement to 52 percent for MBBS and 47 percent for BDS for the 2025-26 academic session. The decision came after repeated requests from admitting universities, particularly in Sindh and Punjab, which reported that seats remained unfilled despite fee rationalisation.
Under the revised policy, institutions have been directed to first fill seats from among eligible candidates already present in their admission pool under previous criteria. Only if seats remain vacant can the relaxed merit be applied. The council has emphasised that the measure is temporary and must be implemented with full transparency and accountability.
Senior PMDC officials said the decision was taken not only to fill vacant seats but also to discourage students from going abroad for medical education, which results in significant outflow of foreign exchange. However, they acknowledged that the problem runs deeper than affordability alone.
“Even after lowering the fees and now the merit, students are not opting for private medical colleges. This shows that the medical profession is gradually losing its charm among young people,” a senior official said.
The council had earlier capped annual tuition fees at Rs1.89 million, down from previous levels of Rs2.3 million to Rs2.5 million or more, in an effort to make private medical education more accessible. Despite this, parents and students remain reluctant, citing the overall financial burden, including hostel accommodation, transport, examination fees and other institutional charges.
Pakistan currently has around 22,000 MBBS and BDS seats across public and private sector institutions combined. However, the distribution reflects a widening gap. Public sector colleges continue to attract intense competition with thousands of applicants for limited seats, while a significant number of seats in private institutions remain vacant.
Officials said the recent trend indicates a shift in student preferences, with many opting for alternative fields or considering education abroad. Education experts attribute this to a combination of high costs, long duration of medical training and uncertain returns in the job market.
The PMDC has also encouraged private institutions to consider further reducing tuition fees beyond the current cap to improve affordability and attract students. It has warned that no unauthorised charges will be allowed and that all admissions must strictly follow the notified fee structure.
All admissions already completed under the Admissions Regulations 2025 will remain valid, ensuring continuity for enrolled students. The last date for admissions has been fixed as April 15, with provincial health departments and admitting universities directed to ensure compliance.
While private colleges are expected to benefit from the partial relaxation in merit, stakeholders say the move is unlikely to resolve the underlying issues facing the sector.
“The problem is structural. Lowering merit may fill some seats temporarily, but it does not address why students are moving away from private medical education,” an education expert said.
With the admission deadline approaching, officials admit that even the lowered merit threshold may not be enough to fill all vacancies, raising fresh concerns about the sustainability of private medical colleges and the future pipeline of healthcare professionals in the country.
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