Check if a Medical or Dental College Is PMDC Recognised, and Its Fee Cap
Check if a medical or dental college is PMDC recognised on pmdc.pk, with seat numbers. Also see PMDC's March 2026 private fee caps and how to claim a refund.
To check if a medical or dental college is recognised, open pmdc.pk, go to Institutions and Qualifications, and pick Public or Private Medical Colleges, or Public or Private Dental Colleges. Each list gives the college, its city and the seats PMDC has allocated. If a college is not on these lists, do not pay it. For private colleges, also check PMDC's tuition fee cap of 11 March 2026.
We read all four lists on pmdc.pk on 2 October 2026. Together they named 179 colleges with 21,555 MBBS and BDS seats. Private colleges held more medical seats than public ones, 9,000 against 8,950.
PMDC publishes four college lists with seat numbers
The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) keeps separate lists for public medical, private medical, public dental and private dental colleges. Each row shows the province, the college name, the city and the seat allocation. These lists are the place to start.
| PMDC list | Colleges | Seats |
|---|---|---|
| Public medical colleges | 50 | 8,950 |
| Private medical colleges | 71 | 9,000 |
| Public dental colleges | 18 | 1,055 |
| Private dental colleges | 40 | 2,490 |
| Total | 179 | 21,555 |
We counted these ourselves from the PMDC pages. Some colleges run a medical and a dental section, so one campus can appear on two lists. Punjab dominates the private medical list, with 46 of the 71 colleges.
How to check a college on pmdc.pk
Use the exact college name and city, find it on the right PMDC list, and then check its teaching hospital on PMDC's hospital list. A college that appears on neither list should not get your fee, however good its advert looks.
- Open pmdc.pk and click Institutions and Qualifications. The college lists sit under Pakistan Undergraduate Colleges.
- Pick the right list. Public or private, medical or dental. A private college will not appear on the public list.
- Match name and city. Many colleges have similar names. Check that the city on the list matches the campus you will attend.
- Check the seat allocation. The figure is the number of seats PMDC has allocated to that college.
- Check the teaching hospital. PMDC's list of recognised institutes with attached hospitals, dated 7 November 2025, names each college's own and affiliated hospitals.
- Save the page. Take a screenshot with the date showing before you pay anything.
Once you are a doctor, the same council keeps your licence. Patients use PMDC registration checks for doctors to confirm who is treating them.
PMDC capped private college tuition fees in March 2026
PMDC's notification of 11 March 2026 sets a capped tuition fee for each of 72 private medical and dental institutions. The caps we read on its first page run from Rs 1,720,000 to Rs 2,147,483. Anything charged above the cap must be refunded.
The notification is numbered PF.1-A(B&A)(Tuition Fee)-2026/60. It was issued under Section 20(8) of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council Act, 2022. Its main terms, in plain words:
- Start date. The approved fee applies from session 2024-25, to every professional year from first to final.
- One time only. PMDC calls the increase strictly one time. No further increase is allowed while current MBBS and BDS students finish.
- No extra 5 percent. Colleges that got this increase cannot also charge the 5 percent rise for session 2025-26.
- Refunds. Any amount charged above the cap for 2024-25 and 2025-26 must be refunded or adjusted within one month.
- Display. Colleges must show the notification on their websites and notice boards.
- Penalty. PMDC may fine a college up to Rs 2,000,000 for each violation reported by a student or parent.
Any change for inflation from session 2026-27 will be notified separately by PMDC, the notification says. We have not seen that notice yet.
What to do if a college charges more than the cap
Ask the college in writing for a refund or adjustment, quoting the 11 March 2026 notification. If it refuses, file a complaint on PMDC's online complaint portal. The notification itself names that portal as the route for anyone affected.
Keep your fee vouchers and bank receipts. Note the exact amount charged for each year, and the cap shown against your college in the notification. That difference is your claim.
The notification also says any fee structure above the cap "shall be deemed unlawful". Colleges were told to take such information off their websites within seven working days of the notice.
MDCAT comes first, then the college list
Admission to any of these colleges starts with MDCAT, the national entry test. PMDC moved the 2026 test from 16 August to 20 September 2026 on the Prime Minister's direction. Results then feed provincial merit lists.
The MDCAT 2026 registration window is closed. If you sat the test, the next step is your score, and the MDCAT result and aggregate decide which colleges you can reach. Check the PMDC list for every college you put on your preference form.
Students thinking of MBBS abroad should open PMDC's separate list of recognised foreign undergraduate colleges first. It sits on the same Institutions and Qualifications page.
Common questions
How many medical colleges does PMDC recognise?
On 2 October 2026 PMDC's lists showed 50 public and 71 private medical colleges, plus 18 public and 40 private dental colleges.
What is the maximum fee for a private medical college?
It depends on the college. PMDC's 11 March 2026 notification sets a cap for each one; the first page ranges from Rs 1.72 million to Rs 2.15 million.
Can a private college raise fees every year?
Not under this notification. PMDC calls the increase one time only, and any later inflation change will be notified by PMDC separately.
Where do I complain about extra fees?
On PMDC's online complaint portal at pmdc.pk. Attach vouchers and receipts.
Is a college safe if it says "PMDC approval in process"?
No. Only the colleges named on PMDC's lists are shown as recognised. Wait until the college appears there.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 2 October 2026. We read PMDC's four college lists on its Institutions and Qualifications page and counted colleges and seats ourselves. We read the list of recognised institutes with attached hospitals dated 7 November 2025, the press release moving MDCAT to 20 September 2026, and the scanned five-page tuition fee notification of 11 March 2026. We quote fee caps only from lines we could read clearly. We could not find PMDC's separate inflation notice for 2026-27.
About the author
Public Services and Education Journalist
Fajr Riaz is a journalist and content writer at Pakistan Era, based in Lahore. She covers the questions people meet in everyday life in Pakistan: how a public service works, what a change in the rules means, and where to find a reliable answer.
