MDCAT 2026 to Be Held on August 16; Annual Fees Recommended Between Rs. 1.8 Million and Rs. 2.5 Million with Third-Party Audit of Expenses

Islamabad (Izhar Khan Niazi): A meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination was held at the Parliament House under the chairmanship of Dr. Mahesh Kumar Malani, MNA, where preparations for MDCAT 2026, private medical college fees, and reforms in the pharmacy sector were reviewed.

The committee unanimously supported maintaining the existing MDCAT passing marks and made it clear that any reduction in the passing criteria would be opposed.

The committee was informed that MDCAT 2026 will be conducted on August 16, 2026. The question bank for the examination has been increased from 6,000 to 8,000 questions, while three separate question papers will be prepared for each province, out of which one paper will be selected for the examination.

The committee was informed that the admission criteria will include 10 percent marks from Matriculation, 40 percent from Intermediate, and 50 percent from MDCAT. So far, approximately 135,000 students have registered for the examination.

The test will consist of 180 multiple-choice questions, with no negative marking. The duration of the examination will be three hours. A minimum of 55 percent marks for MBBS and 50 percent marks for BDS will be required for admission.

The committee recommended limiting the annual tuition fees of private medical colleges between Rs. 1.8 million and Rs. 2.5 million and directed private institutions to provide justification for their fee structures. A third-party audit will also be conducted to determine the educational cost per student.

The meeting was informed that 188 medical colleges are registered with the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), including 60 private institutions. Private medical colleges are producing approximately 22,000 graduates annually, while public sector medical colleges are producing around 14,000 graduates each year.

The committee expressed dissatisfaction with the briefing provided by the Pharmacy Council of Pakistan and directed that amendments to the Pharmacy Council Rules 1967 be prepared according to current requirements and presented before the committee in October 2026.

The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Health Syed Mustafa Kamal, committee members, and senior officials of the Ministry of Health.