Khyber Medical University asked the council to retain the previous year’s seat allocation while admissions were in progress, after PMDC moved seats between colleges. The province’s total rose by 15 admissions; the per-college award shifted by up to 50.
The seat numbers moved mid-cycle
Khyber Medical University asked PM&DC, in a letter reported by Dawn on 1 November 2026, to keep last year's seat allocation for the public medical and dental colleges of the province while the 2026-27 admission process was still running.
PM&DC raised the intake at three colleges:
| College | Previous intake | New intake |
|---|---|---|
| Saidu Medical College, Swat | 115 | 150 |
| Bacha Khan Medical College, Mardan | 100 | 150 |
| Gomal Medical College, D. I. Khan | 115 | 150 |
Officials told Dawn the province's total was 1,580 MBBS and BDS seats, that 1,435 students were admitted in 2025-26 and 1,450 in 2026-27, so the net rise was 15 admissions, and that 200 additional seats approved this year are permanent.
How the same total ends up as a different list
A seat that moves from one college to another does not change how many students are admitted. It changes where the last admitted student in each college sits.
A candidate whose first preference was a college that lost 35 seats moves down one college's list and can land below the closing aggregate of their own first choice, while a candidate with a lower aggregate takes the seat that opened elsewhere. That is why the complaint at the centre of the letter is about order, not about totals.
What to do with this
- The order of preference on your application is the only control you have over which college offers you a seat. A college you did not list cannot be offered to you.
- Compare your aggregate with this year's first selection list, not last year's final one. If the award changed, last year's closing aggregate describes a different college.
- Read the final list. Later lists close lower as declined seats cascade.
The wider point
The same thing can happen in any province: a court order, a new recognition or a raised intake moves seats after students have applied. The admitting body's own list is the one that counts, and the merit list tracker records what each body has published.