PMDC closes admissions for 2025-26 academic session

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) said on Thursday that admissions for the 2025-2026 academic session have been closed, warning that students admitted after April 15 will not be registered.

In a notification, the council directed all recognised medical and dental colleges not to offer admissions beyond the closing date. Any admission granted after the deadline would amount to a breach of the PMDC Act, 2022, as well as the regulations governing undergraduate medical and dental education.

The council stated that students admitted after the stipulated date would not be issued registration numbers, which would make such admissions invalid. The directive had been issued with the approval of the competent authority and was binding on all institutions and admitting universities across the country.

PMDC also called on all stakeholders to ensure full compliance with the regulations in order to preserve transparency, merit and standardisation in medical and dental education.

Earlier relaxation for vacant seats

Earlier, on April 8, PMDC had said universities could allow a one-time relaxation of up to three per cent in the MDCAT passing requirement for admissions to medical and dental colleges for the 2025-26 academic session.

According to the notification issued at the time, the measure was intended only to fill vacant seats. The council had said the decision was aimed at ensuring strict merit-based transparency and institutional accountability by the admitting universities, with the admission process for these vacant seats to be monitored accordingly.

The earlier move drew criticism from the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), which voiced strong disappointment over the council’s decision and demanded that the notification be withdrawn immediately.

The association said vacant seats were not the result of a lack of eligible candidates, but were instead linked to prohibitively high fee structures.

The latest PMDC directive now makes clear that no admissions made after April 15 for the 2025-2026 session will be recognised for registration purposes, and that all recognised colleges and admitting universities are required to comply with the deadline.