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Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU), NUMS, NUST

Medical and dental colleges in ICT

Islamabad has two federal medical universities, SZABMU and NUMS. The Pakistan Army runs Army Medical College in Rawalpindi. The city also has the densest private medical cluster in the country. Most private ICT colleges also admit Punjab students through UHS.

Public medical
3
Private medical
11
MBBS seats
1,654
BDS seats
783

How admission works in ICT

In Islamabad Capital Territory, SZABMU conducts the MDCAT under the PMDC's national schedule and admits students to its public-sector colleges. NUMS is the admitting university for Armed-Forces-administered medical and dental colleges. National eligibility is 60% in HSSC or equivalent with Biology and Chemistry plus Physics or Mathematics. At least 55% in MDCAT is needed for MBBS or 50% for BDS. Merit is MDCAT 50% + HSSC 40% + SSC 10%. Candidates apply to SZABMU against its public-sector admission notice for the session and separately to NUMS for the armed-forces colleges.

  1. 1Pass HSSC or an IBCC-equivalent 12th-grade qualification with at least 60% and with Biology and Chemistry plus Physics or Mathematics.
  2. 2Sit the MDCAT conducted for ICT by SZABMU Islamabad. For 2025 the national test was on 5 Oct 2025 with registration from 8-25 Aug 2025.
  3. 3For SZABMU colleges, apply against the admission notice for public-sector medical and dental colleges of the session published on szabmu.edu.pk.
  4. 4Upload each document as a JPEG or JPG scan of at most 512 KB: photograph, CNIC or NICOP, SSC certificate or IBCC equivalence. Also upload HSSC certificate and transcript or IBCC equivalence, domicile certificate, MDCAT result certificate and the paid fee challan.
  5. 5Pay a separate application processing fee challan for MBBS and for BDS.
  6. 6Declare every quota you claim, such as domicile-based reserved seats, disabled quota, federal government employee quota or Ex-FATA, and attach the matching certificate.
  7. 7For armed-forces colleges, apply separately on numspak.edu.pk inside the NUMS window. For 2025-26 the window ran from 10 Nov 2025 to 3 Dec 2025 with a regular fee of PKR 7,500 on open merit.
  8. 8Take NUMS MDCAT-2025, held on 28 Sep 2025, if you want NUMS and armed-forces colleges, since that test is mandatory for them.
  9. 9Follow merit lists and reporting dates. NUMS published its provisional merit list on 24 Dec 2025 and first selection list on 1 Jan 2026 for MBBS. Classes start 16 Feb 2026 for MBBS and 16 Mar 2026 for BDS.

Quota system

SZABMU allows all Pakistani citizens, including AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan, to compete on open merit and under their respective domicile quotas. Its published allocations for Federal Medical College Islamabad run by domicile heading. The headings are open merit, ICT, Punjab, Sindh reserved, Sindh unreserved, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, FATA, AJK, federal government employee and disabled. Quota applicants must upload a certificate from the concerned authority. Domicile claimants must also give proof of residence, property or education in the region of domicile. Disabled seats need a certificate from a Federal or Provincial Government Disability Board and examination by the Medical Examination Board of SZABMU. A practitioner's certificate is not accepted. Ex-FATA applicants need domicile verification from the Deputy or Assistant Commissioner, and federal employee seats need a parent's federal institution certificate. Foreign quota seats are for permanent foreign nationals, overseas Pakistanis, Green Card, Iqama or Maple Card holders with an IBCC equivalence. NUMS runs its own split of open merit and foreign seats. The PMDC regulations set a combined self-finance, overseas and dual-national quota of 15% of approved seats with a separate foreigners quota.

Facts with sources

Public sector

5 public colleges, 3 MBBS programs and 4 BDS programs.

5 colleges

Private sector

14 private colleges. Annual fees range from approximately PKR 13 lakh to PKR 17 lakh per year.

14 colleges

Medical education in ICT

ICT carries a mix of federal, armed-forces and private medical education. SZABMU runs Federal Medical College Islamabad, Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan Medical and Dental College Lahore and the School of Dentistry. It publishes merit lists for them session by session. The armed-forces cluster in and around the capital sits under NUMS. It includes Bahria, Fazaia and Foundation University colleges in Islamabad and the NUST School of Health Sciences. NUMS itself is headquartered at Rawalpindi Cantt with its secretariat at the Military Hospital. PMDC's registers also list private medical colleges in the Islamabad region, and UHS Lahore admits many private-sector applicants from other provinces through its own portals.

Frequently asked questions

Which MDCAT is accepted in Islamabad?

The PMDC MDCAT, with SZABMU Islamabad as the conducting body for ICT. NUMS colleges additionally require their own NUMS MDCAT, which counts only for NUMS and armed-forces administered colleges.

PMDC Public Notice Regarding MDCAT-2025, 7 October 2026
What is the aggregate formula for ICT admissions?

MDCAT 50%, HSSC or FSc 40% and SSC 10%, as published by SZABMU and by NUMS. Eligibility needs 60% in HSSC and 55% in MDCAT for MBBS or 50% for BDS.

SZABMU MBBS admission page, 7 October 2026
Do ICT applicants need an Islamabad domicile?

Not for open merit, since SZABMU lets all Pakistani citizens, including AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan, compete on open merit. Reserved seats need the domicile of the relevant region plus proof of residence, property or education there.

SZABMU MBBS admission page, 7 October 2026
How do I apply to NUMS and armed-forces colleges?

Apply online at numspak.edu.pk inside the NUMS window. For 2025-26 registration opened on 10 Nov 2025 and closed on 3 Dec 2025 with a regular fee of PKR 7,500 on open merit. NUMS MDCAT-2025 on 28 Sep 2025 was mandatory.

NUMS combined advertisement for centralized admissions MBBS/BDS 2025-26, 7 October 2026
What documents does SZABMU need?

A photograph, CNIC or NICOP, SSC and HSSC certificates or IBCC equivalences with transcripts. Also upload the domicile certificate, MDCAT result certificate and the paid fee challan, each scanned in JPEG or JPG of at most 512 KB. Quota claims need the matching certificate.

SZABMU MBBS admission page, 7 October 2026

Official links and contacts

  • SZABMU MBBS admissions

    Eligibility, merit formula, document list and quota rules for federal public-sector colleges.

  • SZABMU admission updates

    Session admission notices, MDCAT notices and merit lists.

  • NUMS

    Centralized admissions for NUMS and armed-forces colleges. The UAN is 051-111-686-711 extension 107, with [email protected].

  • SZABMU contact

    5th Floor, School of Dentistry, Sector G-8/3, Ravi Road, Islamabad. Phone +92-51-9107687.

  • PMDC

    MDCAT schedule, admission regulations and college registers.

Last checked 7 October 2026. Every fact on this page links to its source.