Punjab admissions committee rejects PMDC move to lower MDCAT criteria

The provincial admissions committee has rejected the decision of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to lower the eligibility criteria for admissions to vacant seats in private medical and dental colleges.

In official correspondence, the committee urged the PMDC to reconsider its decision to reduce the passing marks of the MDCAT examination by 3 percent, warning that such a move could compromise educational standards.

According to the data shared, a total of 47,721 candidates appeared in the MDCAT examination in Punjab this year. Of these, 39,648 candidates achieved the 55 percent threshold required for admission to MBBS programmes, while 42,048 candidates met the 50 percent requirement for BDS programmes.

Despite this, only 7,987 candidates applied for admissions to MBBS, indicating that a sufficient number of eligible candidates already exists.

The committee maintained that there is no justification for further reducing the passing marks to fill vacant seats. It emphasized that lowering the minimum MDCAT marks would effectively lead to a decline in medical education standards.

The development highlights growing differences between provincial authorities and the PMDC over admission policies in medical and dental institutions.