Aga Khan University Medical College

Aga Khan University Medical College (AKUMC) stands on Stadium Road in Karachi. The college runs a five-year MBBS course. ¹ Applications for the 2026-2027 session opened on 8 March 2026. ²

His Highness the Aga Khan founded the university in 1983 as Pakistan’s first private university. ⁵ The Medical College opened with the university in the same year. ²

The PMDC private medical colleges register lists the college with 100 seats. ⁴ The official fee structure lists an annual tuition fee of PKR 1,704,000 for the 2027 academic year. ³ Our dataset records a 750-bed teaching hospital.

The university states that admission rests entirely on merit. ⁶ AKU is an independent university and its own admitting authority. ⁵ Candidates apply only to AKU and write the AKU Admission Test. ² It keeps no quotas, reserved seats or donations. ¹ Selection looks at English fluency, academic performance, reasoning skills and leadership potential. ⁶

The university works as a not-for-profit institution and an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network. ⁵ Its chancellor is His Highness the Aga Khan IV. ⁵

In the early 2000s the university expanded to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Afghanistan and the United Kingdom. ² Today it recruits through regional admissions offices in five countries. ⁶

As of February 2025 the university counts 3,986 students, 12,697 staff and 854 faculty members. ⁵ It awarded 21,237 degrees by that date. ⁵

The MBBS course emphasises problem-based learning and early clinical contact. ² Students work in clinical teams at Aga Khan University Hospital. ² Candidates attend two independent interviews after shortlisting. ²

Academic partnerships link the college with the University of Washington, the University of California San Francisco, the University of Michigan and Johns Hopkins University. ² Other partners include the universities of Alberta and Calgary and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. ²

AKU publishes no closing-merit list for the MBBS course. ¹² We found no official aggregate table on the pages we checked. ¹²

Admission rests on the AKU Admission Test, the academic record and two interviews. ² The AKU Admission Test follows the HSSC curriculum and covers science achievement and reasoning. ² Final selection needs a valid PMDC MDCAT score for every candidate. ²

Eligibility needs at least 70% in the premedical HSSC. ² O-Level applicants need six subjects including English, biology, chemistry and physics. ² A-Level applicants need a grade B in biology, chemistry and physics or mathematics. ²

AKU test scores count only for the year they are written. ² SAT II and the international MCAT do not replace the MDCAT. ² PMDC set the 2025 MDCAT at 180 MCQs with no negative marking. ⁷

Clinical training runs at Aga Khan University Hospital on Stadium Road. ² Students work in clinical teams there during the course. ² Our dataset records 750 beds at the teaching hospital.

The university states that it is among the largest private health-care providers in Pakistan and East Africa. ⁵ The medical curriculum builds clinical competence in community settings and hospitals. ² It also trains students in health assessment and the prevention of disease. ²

Students learn in AKU-monitored primary health care programmes in urban settlements. ² Our dataset records the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi as the attached hospital.

The campus stands at Stadium Road, Karachi 74800. ² Our dataset records a research complex, a simulation centre and a sports centre with a swimming pool.

The university manages hostels for students who lack residential accommodation in Karachi. ² Rooms are single or shared and fully furnished. ² The fee structure lists a monthly hostel fee of PKR 45,000 for Pakistani students. ³ Foreign students pay US$380 a month. ³ An extra Rs. 19,000 covers air conditioning in on-campus rooms. ³

The fee structure separates an annual tuition fee from an annual university fee. ³ For Pakistani students these lines cost PKR 1,704,000 and PKR 1,872,000 a year. ³ Foreign students pay US$38,120 and US$8,800 for the same lines. ³ The sheet states that fees other than tuition and university fees are tentative. ³

Hostel residence depends on proper care of the property and periodic review of need. ² Students living in hostels follow residence rules. ²

The PMDC private medical colleges register lists Aga Khan University Medical College, Karachi with 100 seats. ⁴ Our dataset records PMDC recognition, a WHO directory listing, ECFMG eligibility, JCI accreditation and CPSP accreditation.

The university states that its hospitals were the first in Pakistan and East Africa to receive Joint Commission International accreditation. ⁵

AKU admits students on its own authority. ⁵ PMDC conducts the MDCAT through admitting universities. ⁷ Sukkur IBA University conducts the test for Sindh. ⁷ AKU requires an MDCAT score for final selection. ² The university rejects SAT II and the international MCAT as substitutes. ²

The university offers at least five full entrance scholarships to MBBS students. ² The awards rest on merit and need. ² The scholarship renews each year. ² The committee reviews eligibility rules every year and decides the awards. ² Students need no separate form for them. ²

Two-thirds of the students and half of the faculty members are women. ² The university opens admission to all, regardless of race, religion, gender or geographic origin. ² The admissions page states that the university does not discriminate on faith, gender or national origin. ⁶

The university charges a fee for hostel accommodation and offers meals from its cafeteria. ² Meals cost extra and students pay for them separately. ² Our dataset records a sports centre and a swimming pool on campus.