The 2026 regulations, notified 12 October, keep merit at 50% MDCAT, 40% HSSC and 10% Matric. They add final admission deadlines for each class of college, a rule that separates medical and dental applications, and penalties for colleges that over-admit.
What was notified
The Pakistan Medical & Dental Council approved a new set of admission regulations on 7 October 2026 and notified them on 12 October 2026 as the Medical and Dental (Admissions, Curriculum and Conduct) Policy and Regulations 2026. They apply from the 2026-27 session and repeal the 2025 regulations.
The release was reported by APP and by Margalla News on 27 October. The document itself is on the council's Laws and Regulations page.
The merit formula is unchanged
Merit remains MDCAT 50%, HSSC 40%, Matric 10% in public and private colleges. Eligibility for open merit requires a passed MDCAT, 60% or more in HSSC or an equivalent, and Biology and Chemistry with either Physics or Mathematics.
That matters because several commentary pieces framed the notification as a change to merit. It is not. A candidate planning on the 50/40/10 split is planning on the right number.
The deadline for the year is now fixed
The regulations close the admission year themselves:
| College class | Final admission deadline |
|---|---|
| Public medical colleges | 31 December 2026 |
| Private medical colleges | 31 January 2027 |
| Public dental colleges | 15 February 2027 |
| Private dental colleges | 28 February 2027 |
Public medical colleges must publish merit lists by 15 December, and special-category admissions must be complete by 10 January.
Dental is now a separate application
Each candidate must apply separately to a medical and to a dental programme. A student who applied only to MBBS is not entitled to a BDS seat. Public dental seats carry a 20% quota on top of the approved intake.
What a college faces for over-admitting
A college that admits past its approved seats pays 100% of the actual annual fee charged for every year of the programme for each excess student, and loses twice that number of seats in the next session. Late publication of a merit or admission list costs Rs 500,000 plus Rs 50,000 for every further day.
What this means for a candidate
- Watch the admitting university, not just PM&DC. The university sets the dates inside these outer limits.
- Apply to MBBS and BDS separately if you want either.
- Read the current prospectus. A 2025 prospectus describes the 2025 rules.
- Keep every date in writing: the fee is only returned on the university's own terms.