A total of 743 seats remained vacant in medical and dental colleges across Pakistan for the 2025-26 academic session, despite a reduction in minimum admission requirements and a 45-day extension of the admissions process. This development has raised concerns about the affordability and attractiveness of medical education in the country.
Vacancy Breakdown by Province and Program
Official figures show that Pakistan's 187 medical and dental colleges offer more than 22,300 seats. Of the unfilled positions, 608 were in Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) programs, while 135 were in MBBS programs. Punjab recorded the highest number of vacant seats with 381, followed by Sindh with 295, Islamabad with 50, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 17.
Efforts to Increase Enrolment
The vacancies persisted despite efforts to boost enrolment. The minimum merit threshold was lowered from 55 percent to 52 percent for MBBS admissions and from 50 percent to 47 percent for BDS admissions. More than 140,000 candidates registered for the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT), while approximately 90,000 qualified. However, a significant number of seats remained unfilled, particularly in dental colleges.
Concerns in the Medical Education Sector
The development has renewed concerns within the medical education sector regarding rising tuition fees, educational standards, and long-term career prospects for graduates. The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has previously recommended a ban on the establishment of new medical and dental colleges and opposed further increases in seat capacity, citing quality assurance and resource constraints.
Faculty Shortage and Student Exodus
According to PMDC data, the country faces a shortage of 3,872 medical teachers, with 22,146 faculty members available against a requirement of 26,018. At the same time, an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 Pakistani students are pursuing medical and dental education abroad, reflecting a growing trend of seeking professional education outside the country.
Education experts believe that the combination of escalating educational costs, concerns over training quality, limited postgraduate opportunities, and uncertainty about future employment prospects is discouraging many students from pursuing medical and dental studies in Pakistan. The unusually high number of vacant seats, despite a large pool of MDCAT qualifiers and relaxed admission criteria, has intensified debate over the sustainability and future direction of medical education in the country.
