PMDC relaxes minimum marks limit for MBBS, BDS admissions

The merit of the entrance test has been reduced in the academic session 2024-25 to fill the vacant seats of MBBS and BDS in private medical and dental colleges across the country.

The candidates for MBBS will now be eligible for admission with 50 per cent marks instead of 55 per cent, while for BDS, they will be eligible for admission with 45 per cent marks instead of 50 per cent.

Pakistan Medical and Dental Council Registrar Dr Shaista has issued a formal notification for the reduction in required marks. The heads of private medical colleges and universities have been told that an application received on April 16, 2025 from the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, stated that due to the high least marks limit, a large number of seats had remained vacant in various private medical and dental colleges.

To address this concern and ensure that eligible and deserving candidates were not deprived of their right to higher education in medicine and dentistry, the PMDC on May 13 approved a one-time relaxation in the minimum eligibility criteria. Accordingly, private colleges have been permitted to admit candidates with a minimum of 50 per cent marks to their MBBS programme and 45 per cent marks for their BDS programme to fill the vacant seats.

The notification stated that this dispensation was granted solely for the 2024-25 academic session, in the interest of public good and to prevent the wastage of available seats. It is a one- time measure and shall not be treated as a precedent for any future admission cycle.