Skip to content

Pakistan: PM&DC's conditions for students going abroad to study medicine, one by one

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

The conditions on this page are rules of the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PM&DC), and they apply to Pakistani students who seek admission to foreign medical or dental institutions for undergraduate study. The 2024 policy sets out its conditions as a numbered list in the order printed. Later documents repeat some of them, one notice clarifies recognition of foreign institutions, and another exempts the MDCAT pre-requisite.

This page is an unofficial summary of those documents. For this register's general pages, see this register's section page.

The policy of 29 July 2024: conditions in the order printed

The document is the Policy for Students seeking Admissions in Undergraduate Medical / Dental Foreign Institutes, dated 29 July 2024 and published by the PM&DC (Examination Department). It states that the policy is effective from Session 2024-2025. It says the following mandatory conditions are to be fulfilled before admission to foreign medical or dental undergraduate institutions:

  1. Either the student has passed FSC (Pre-Medical) with a minimum 60% marks and completed intermediate education within Pakistan, or the student has qualified SAT-II with a minimum score of 550 in each subject, or a foreign MCAT / UCAT examination with 50% marks in mandatory subjects of Biology, Chemistry and either Mathematics or Physics in a Higher Secondary School Certificate or equivalent.
  2. The student must have obtained 50 % marks in MDCAT conducted in Pakistan. The subject result shall be valid for three (3) years, applicable for students who complete their intermediate education within Pakistan. The public notice of 5 October 2026, described below, exempts this requirement.
  3. The student must verify that the institution is present in the list of such institutions available in the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council Islamabad.
  4. The qualification must be in allopathic medicine, awarded by an institution recognized by a regulatory body of the country concerned for full registration, which in turn is accredited by the WFME or World Directory of Medical Schools.
  5. The student must obtain a PM&DC Student Registration Certificate before accepting studies at such institution.
  6. The medical qualification must comprise at least 6200 hours (with a minimum of 80% attendance) over 5 years.
  7. For those countries where the medium of education is not English, a minimum of 06 months must be spent to learn the local language before proceeding.
  8. The student must pass the National Registration Examination of the PM&DC to obtain full registration by PM&DC post qualification.
  9. The student must provide the details of residence as well as contact numbers in the country of studies before proceeding.
  10. The student must provide Multiple Entry Visa for the duration of study before proceeding.

PM&DC's Students Alert for admission abroad

The Students Alert for admission abroad is a separate PM&DC (Registrar) document. It states that it is effective from the Session 2024-2025. It lists these formalities for candidates seeking admission to foreign undergraduate medical or dental institutions:

  • Passing FSC (Pre-Medical) or equivalent with minimum 60% marks.
  • Qualifying with SAT-II with a minimum score of 550 in each subject, or a foreign MCAT / UCAT examination with 50% marks in mandatory subjects Biology, Chemistry and either Mathematics or Physics in a Higher Secondary School Certificates or equivalent.
  • Obtaining 50% marks in MDCAT, applicable for students who complete their intermediate education within Pakistan.
  • Registration with PM&DC to pursue education at a foreign institution.

The alert says that the list of accredited foreign institutions is available on the PM&DC website. It advises candidates seeking admission in foreign institutions to strictly follow the PM&DC criteria, including mandatory online registration, to become eligible for issuance of Provisional Registration and National Registration Examination under the PM&DC Act, 2022. The online registration link printed in the alert is srf.pmdc.pk.

The MDCAT point in three documents

The MDCAT condition appears in three documents of different dates. Each is given with its own date below.

  • Policy of 29 July 2024, condition 2: 50 % marks in MDCAT conducted in Pakistan, with the subject result valid for three (3) years, applicable for students who complete their intermediate education within Pakistan.
  • Students Alert for admission abroad (cited by its title): 50% marks in MDCAT, applicable for students who complete their intermediate education within Pakistan.
  • Public notice of 5 October 2026: exempts the mandatory requirement of having passed the MDCAT as a pre-requisite for Pakistani students seeking admission into foreign medical and dental institutions.

Public notice of 5 October 2026

The public notice is No. Exam-59/2026, dated 5 October 2026, and issued by the PM&DC (Head of Examinations). It is one sentence. It says that the PM&DC Council, at its meeting held on 14 September 2026, decided to exempt the mandatory requirement of having passed the MDCAT as a pre-requisite for Pakistani students seeking admission into foreign medical and dental institutions.

Public notice of 22 October 2025 on recognition of foreign institutions

The public notice is No. Exam-59/2025, dated 22 October 2025, and issued by the PM&DC (Registrar). It contains three clarifications.

  • The PM&DC Council has initiated the process of recognition of foreign medical and dental institutions awarding undergraduate degrees to Pakistan nationals.
  • Graduates of foreign institutions not recognized by the PM&DC shall not be issued provisional registration unless they have qualified from a PM&DC recognized institution.
  • For foreign graduates seeking eligibility to appear in the National Registration Examination of the PM&DC, the recognition of respective foreign regulatory authorities, along with accreditation of the institution by the Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), shall be the standard criteria.

The notice also says that the PM&DC website is being updated from time to time, and it refers candidates to the ECFMG website, ecfmg.org, to review the recognition status of a foreign institution.

The accreditation point appears in two documents of different dates. Condition 4 of the policy of 29 July 2024 names accreditation by the WFME or World Directory of Medical Schools. The notice of 22 October 2025 names accreditation by the ECFMG. This page does not reconcile the two.

What this page does not decide

This page does not say whether any school on this register is recognised by PM&DC or accredited by ECFMG. Readers should check the list of institutions on the PM&DC website and the recognition status on the ECFMG website. Register pages are under /schools/.

Questions people ask

What does the 22 October 2025 notice say about provisional registration?

The notice says that graduates of foreign institutions not recognized by the PM&DC shall not be issued provisional registration unless they have qualified from a PM&DC recognized institution.

What does the public notice of 5 October 2026 exempt?

The notice exempts the mandatory requirement of having passed the MDCAT as a pre-requisite for Pakistani students seeking admission into foreign medical and dental institutions. The PM&DC Council made this decision at its meeting held on 14 September 2026. The policy of 29 July 2024 still prints its own MDCAT condition, which is given above with its date.

Does the 2024 policy set a period for learning a local language?

Yes. Condition 7 of the policy of 29 July 2024 says that for those countries where the medium of education is not English, a minimum of 06 months must be spent to learn the local language before proceeding.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026.

This page is an unofficial summary, is not legal, medical or professional-licensing advice, is not published by the bodies named, promises no admission, examination or registration outcome, and the official text and the regulator's own instructions prevail if they differ.

MBBS Register Desk