PMDC Drops the MDCAT Requirement for Admission to Foreign Medical Colleges

On 5 October 2026 the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC) published a public notice (reference Exam-59/2026) announcing that Pakistani students no longer need to have passed the MDCAT before seeking admission to foreign medical and dental institutions. The notice records a decision taken at the council's meeting of 14 September 2026 and describes the MDCAT as a "mandatory requirement" that has now been exempted for this purpose.

What the notice says, and what it does not

The notice is short. It names the decision, the meeting date and the group it applies to: Pakistani students seeking admission to foreign medical and dental institutions. It sets no conditions and it mentions no other requirement. Three things it does not say are worth spelling out, because social media has already filled the gaps with guesses:

• It does not say anything about the National Registration Examination (NRE). Under the PM&DC Act 2022, foreign graduates still have to pass the NRE to be registered in Pakistan, and nothing in this notice changes that.
• It does not say that any foreign college is now acceptable. Recognition of foreign qualifications remains a separate matter, governed by the council's lists and verification processes.
• It does not touch admission to Pakistani colleges, public or private, where MDCAT remains the entry test.

Why the change matters

For several years the MDCAT pass was treated as a gate for students leaving the country to study medicine, which meant a student who missed the test date, or scored below the threshold, lost a year even if a foreign university had admitted them. Removing the gate shifts the decision to the admitting institution abroad and to the student's own judgement. It also removes an awkward mismatch: foreign universities run their own admission cycles, many of which do not align with a September MDCAT.

The timing is notable. The decision was taken a week before MDCAT 2026 was held on 20 September and announced two weeks after the results, during a period when the Sindh results are under inquiry. The council has not connected the two, and there is no evidence that they are connected; it is simply the calendar.

The part that has not changed: coming home

Any student weighing a foreign degree should plan the return journey before the outbound one. The registration route for a foreign graduate runs through the NRE's two steps, then provisional registration and a house job in a recognised hospital, before full registration. NRE Step-I for the current cycle is on 8 November 2026 after a postponement from 11 October. The council has also been reminding doctors, through alerts on its website, about unrecognised postgraduate programmes; the same caution applies to undergraduate ones.

What this means for students and families

1. Check the institution before the exemption. The exemption makes leaving easier; it does not make every destination a good one. Look at the council's lists of recognised foreign qualifications and ask the university how its graduates have fared in the NRE.
2. Keep the MDCAT in view anyway. A student who sits MDCAT keeps the option of a Pakistani seat open. The exemption removes an obligation, not an opportunity.
3. Budget for the NRE from day one. It is the exam that decides whether the foreign degree becomes a Pakistani licence.

For colleges and counsellors

Admission consultants should stop asking for MDCAT results as a council requirement for foreign applications; some foreign universities may still request a national test score in their own right. Pakistani colleges are unaffected.

The decision is final unless the council revisits it, but how it will be applied by embassies, equivalence desks and foreign universities will only become clear over the coming admission cycle. FAME will update this article if the council issues guidance.

Sources and references

• PM&DC public notice Exam-59/2026: exemption of MDCAT for admission in foreign institutions (5 October 2026)
• PM&DC public announcements and doctor alerts
• Pakistan Medical and Dental Council Act 2022
• Dawn, 7 October 2026: NRE Step-1 rescheduled to 8 November