BDS Admission in Punjab Public Dental Colleges 2026-27: UHS Portal Opens 15 December

BDS admission in Punjab's public dental colleges for 2026-27 opens on Tuesday 15 December 2026 at 9:00 am on publicbds.uhs.edu.pk and closes on Wednesday 30 December 2026 at 5:00 pm. You need at least 50% in MDCAT 2026, 2025 or 2024, 60% in FSc pre-medical, a Punjab domicile and a Rs 2,000 application fee. Classes start on 1 March 2027. We read the University of Health Sciences advertisement and the admission policy on uhs.edu.pk on 19 October 2026.

The BDS portal is separate from the MBBS one and opens seven weeks later. A student who wants both must apply twice and pay twice. Five public dental colleges are on the list, two of them subject to PMDC approval.

BDS applications open on 15 December, after the MBBS lists are out

UHS has split the two programmes in time. MBBS applications close on 30 October and the third MBBS selection list comes on 1 December. Only then, on 15 December, does the BDS portal open. The gap lets a student who misses MBBS apply for BDS knowing where they stand.

The whole BDS cycle takes eleven weeks from the first day of applications to the first day of class. UHS notes the dates can move on directions from PMDC or the Punjab government. The MBBS side of the same advertisement, with its 30 October deadline, is covered in how to apply for MBBS in Punjab public colleges.

The BDS pass mark in MDCAT is 50%, five points below MBBS

PMDC sets 55% as the MDCAT pass for MBBS and 50% for BDS, and UHS applies both. Everything else is the same: HSSC pre-medical or an IBCC recognised equivalent with at least 60% including Biology, Chemistry and Physics or Mathematics, and a domicile certificate from any Punjab district unless you apply on the overseas Pakistani quota.

Merit is 10% matric, 40% FSc and 50% MDCAT, with no Hafiz-e-Quran marks. A student with an MDCAT score between 50% and 55% is therefore eligible for BDS but not for MBBS. Overseas Pakistanis and dual nationals may use SAT-II with 550 in each of Biology, Chemistry and Physics or Mathematics, or international MCAT or UCAT with 50%, instead of MDCAT. Our guide to checking your MDCAT result and aggregate has the arithmetic.

Five public dental colleges, three confirmed and two awaiting PMDC

The confirmed colleges are de'Montmorency College of Dentistry in Lahore, Nishtar Institute of Dentistry in Multan and the Dental Institute at Punjab Medical College, Faisalabad. Fatima Jinnah Institute of Dental Sciences in Lahore and Quaid-e-Azam Medical and Dental College in Bahawalpur are listed subject to PMDC approval.

The Punjab policy of 14 October 2026 puts public BDS seats at 340, subject to PMDC approval, against 4,051 for MBBS. That is one dental seat for every twelve medical seats, which is why BDS closing merit at de'Montmorency usually sits close to the MBBS cut-off at the lower public medical colleges. Select every dental college you would accept, since the preference list is locked at the deadline and you cannot be placed at a college you did not list.

The application takes the same thirteen steps as MBBS

Register on publicbds.uhs.edu.pk with your name, email, CNIC or passport and phone number. Fill the profile, choose seat categories, enter matric, FSc and MDCAT marks, upload documents in PNG or JPG under 500 KB, order the colleges, pay Rs 2,000 at Bank of Punjab or National Bank, upload the receipt and submit before 5:00 pm on 30 December.

1. Read the 2026-27 prospectus and admission policy on uhs.edu.pk.
2. Register on the BDS portal when it opens on 15 December.
3. Complete the profile and pick every seat category you qualify for.
4. Enter your SSC, HSSC and MDCAT details exactly as on the certificates.
5. Upload the documents, each under 500 KB.
6. Order the dental colleges by preference and accept the undertaking.
7. Pay the Rs 2,000 challan by branch or 1Bill invoice, never the 1Bill top-up option, and upload the paid receipt.
8. Review and submit. Edits are allowed until 30 December; the college order is final after that.

Documents are the same as for MBBS: attested matric and HSSC certificates or result cards, domicile, CNIC or B-Form, a parent's CNIC, a photograph, and the quota papers where relevant. Students with disabilities attend a medical board at UHS City Campus from 3 to 5 January 2027. A levels and foreign certificates need IBCC equivalence first, as explained in our IBCC equivalence guide.

Fees, upgradation and the private college route

Public BDS tuition is Rs 50,000 a year under the Punjab policy, the same as MBBS. After a selection list, you pay the college fee at BOP or NBP within the stated period and join in writing, or the seat is cancelled. Upgradation to a higher preference is automatic and mandatory, and the upgraded student must report to the new college in time.

Private dental colleges in Punjab admit through a separate UHS process with their own portal and a Rs 600,000 initial deposit. PMDC caps what a private college may charge, and the PMDC tuition fee cap for private colleges sets out the limits. Confirm any dental college on the PMDC register before you list it.

Common questions

When do BDS admissions open in Punjab public colleges for 2026-27?

Tuesday 15 December 2026 at 9:00 am on publicbds.uhs.edu.pk. The portal closes on Wednesday 30 December 2026 at 5:00 pm.

What MDCAT score do I need for BDS?

At least 50% in MDCAT 2026, 2025 or 2024, against 55% for MBBS. You also need 60% in HSSC pre-medical.

Can I apply for MBBS and BDS with one form?

No. UHS runs separate portals and charges Rs 2,000 for each application.

Which public dental colleges are on the list?

de'Montmorency Lahore, Nishtar Institute of Dentistry Multan and the Dental Institute at PMC Faisalabad, plus Fatima Jinnah Institute of Dental Sciences Lahore and Quaid-e-Azam Bahawalpur subject to PMDC approval.

When do BDS classes start?

Monday 1 March 2027, four weeks after MBBS classes begin on 1 February.

Is the BDS schedule final?

UHS says the schedule remains subject to directions from PMDC and the Punjab government, including the number of selection lists.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked 19 October 2026. We read the UHS advertisement for MBBS and BDS admissions in public sector medical and dental colleges of Punjab, session 2026-27, linked from the public notices on uhs.edu.pk, for the BDS portal address, dates, eligibility, documents and procedure. The seat count of 340 and the Rs 50,000 tuition come from the Punjab government's admission policy notification of 14 October 2026 on the UHS site, where both are marked subject to PMDC approval. The BDS portal had not opened when we checked, so we could not test it. College-wise seat numbers are in the prospectus, which we did not read.