PMDC allows one-time 3% MDCAT marks relaxation for 2025-26 admissions

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has approved a one-time relaxation of up to 3% in the passing marks for the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) for the 2025-26 academic session, according to an official notification issued on April 8.

The decision was taken to help medical and dental colleges fill vacant seats in MBBS and BDS programmes. The notification said the move followed detailed deliberations at the national level, including consultations with health standing committees, to address the continuing issue of unfilled seats in public and private sector institutions.

Under the revised arrangement, admissions already completed under the previous Admission Regulations 2025 will remain valid. The PMDC has directed admitting universities and colleges to first give preference to candidates who had already applied under the earlier criteria and are available in the existing pool of eligible students, particularly for private medical and dental colleges.

The notification said that if seats remain vacant even after the existing pool has been exhausted, universities may lower the MDCAT passing percentage by up to 3% strictly for the purpose of filling those seats.

Following the relaxation, the minimum passing marks for MBBS admissions have been reduced from 52% to 49%. For BDS programmes, the passing threshold has been brought down from 47% to 44%.

The PMDC said the concession is a one-time measure and will apply only to the current academic session. It also made clear that the relaxation cannot be extended beyond the filling of genuine vacant seats.

Conditions for admissions process

The council said the reduction in passing marks will apply only to unfilled seats and stressed that the admissions process must continue to be conducted on merit. It said the process should remain fair and properly documented, while universities have been instructed to closely oversee admissions to prevent irregularities.

According to the notification, the council has also urged private medical and dental institutions to consider reducing tuition fees within the existing capped structure in order to improve affordability for deserving students.

The latest decision comes as the regulator seeks to address persistent vacancies in medical and dental colleges while maintaining the validity of admissions already made under the earlier rules for the 2025-26 session.