Islamabad: The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council has warned private medical and dental colleges against charging tuition fees beyond officially approved limits and has strongly advised parents and students not to pay more than Rs1.89 million per year for the 2025–26 academic session, saying any demand above the notified fee would be illegal.
In fresh directives issued by Pakistan Medical and Dental Council and published in national newspapers, the regulator said the annual tuition fee for private medical and dental colleges for the academic session 2024–25 remains capped at Rs1.8 million, inclusive of all ancillary charges, and no institution is allowed to charge any additional amount under any head.
For the upcoming academic session 2025–26, the PMDC has approved only a five percent increase, fixing the maximum tuition fee at Rs1.89 million per year, inclusive of all charges.
The revised fee will be applicable from October 6, 2025, and colleges have been strictly barred from collecting anything beyond this amount.
The council has explicitly warned private institutions that charging extra fees under any pretext, including admission, registration, laboratory, library, examination or miscellaneous charges, would be treated as a violation of PMDC regulations.
The directives were issued on the recommendations of the Medical Education Committee constituted by the Prime Minister and subsequently approved by the PMDC Council, amid growing concern over the rising cost of medical education and repeated complaints of overcharging by private colleges.
In a clear message to families, the PMDC has advised parents and students not to comply with illegal fee demands and to report any violations through the council’s official complaints portal. The regulator has indicated that complaints will be formally processed and action initiated against institutions found charging more than the approved fee.
The issue of tuition fees in private medical and dental colleges has remained a long standing and contentious matter, frequently triggering protests, litigation and parliamentary scrutiny. Over the years, parents have complained that despite official fee caps, some institutions continued to extract higher amounts through indirect charges or upfront payments.
Health journalists have repeatedly highlighted how weak enforcement allowed fee regulations to be bypassed, leaving parents with little practical recourse despite existing caps on paper.
Health policy experts say the PMDC’s latest warning is significant because it places responsibility not only on colleges but also on parents, urging them not to legitimise illegal demands by paying extra amounts during admissions.
Private medical colleges have consistently argued that rising operational costs, faculty salaries and imported equipment make fee caps difficult to sustain. Regulators, however, maintain that any revision in fees must follow approved procedures and cannot be imposed unilaterally on students.
With admissions for the next academic cycle approaching, the PMDC’s directive is expected to shape fee practices across private medical and dental colleges. Whether it brings lasting relief to parents will depend on how effectively the council enforces its warning in the months ahead.
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