Punjab Raises Serious Objections Over PMDC Decision to Lower MDCAT Threshold
The Punjab Department of Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education has formally objected to the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council’s (PMDC) recent decision to reduce the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) passing threshold by 3 percent for MBBS and BDS admissions, warning that the move could compromise academic standards in medical education.
In an official letter addressed to the PMDC president, the department referred to the council’s notification issued on April 8, 2026, which announced the reduction in minimum merit requirements for medical and dental admissions across the country.
The issue was reviewed by the Provincial Admissions Committee (PAC) during its meeting held on April 13, where members expressed strong reservations over the decision. According to the committee, the reduction appears to have been introduced primarily to address vacant seats in private medical and dental colleges for the academic year 2025–26.
The committee further highlighted that a similar proposal to reduce the MDCAT threshold by 5 percent in 2025 had already been rejected earlier, with formal concerns communicated to the council at that time.
Admission Data Raises Questions
Data presented by the admitting university revealed that 47,721 candidates appeared in the MDCAT in Punjab this year. Out of these, 39,648 candidates successfully met the 55 percent requirement for MBBS admissions, while 42,048 candidates met the 50 percent threshold required for BDS programs.
Despite these high qualifying numbers, only 7,987 candidates applied for MBBS admissions, indicating a significant gap between eligible candidates and actual applications.
The PAC noted that this data clearly shows a sufficient pool of qualified candidates, arguing that there is no justification for lowering the merit threshold. The committee also pointed out that high tuition fees in private medical and dental colleges remain a major barrier discouraging students from applying.
Procedural Concerns and Final Stance
In addition to academic concerns, the committee raised procedural objections, stating that the matter should have been reviewed by the Academic Board before being presented to the full council, which reportedly did not happen.
After detailed deliberation, the Provincial Admissions Committee unanimously opposed the decision, stating that reducing MDCAT requirements would negatively impact the quality and standards of medical education in Pakistan.
The debate now places PMDC’s policy under scrutiny as stakeholders continue to weigh the balance between seat availability and maintaining academic excellence in the country’s medical institutions.
