Medical Colleges in Pakistan 2026: Public & Private List

Medical Colleges and Universities in Pakistan 2026: Public, Private and Armed-Forces List

Picking a medical college in Pakistan is confusing because the same names appear under different labels. A college may be public, private or armed-forces-run, and its admissions may go through a different university than its degree does. This page sorts them out by sector and province and tells you where to verify the details.

How to read this list

• Public colleges are government-run. Fees are low and merit cut-offs are the highest.

• Private colleges charge much higher fees, under PMDC's cap.

• Armed-forces colleges (Army Medical College, Fazaia, Bahria and others) are run through NUMS and use the NUMS MDCAT. This year's NUMS MDCAT was held on 13 September 2026, and only that test is valid for those colleges.

• Admitting university vs degree-awarding university. Applications go to the province's admitting university, and a college may be affiliated with a different university for its exams.

Public medical colleges

Punjab (admitting university: UHS Lahore)

UHS reports 16 public medical colleges with about 3,376 MBBS seats, and about 32 private colleges. Some of the public colleges:

Sindh (admitting university: DUHS)

Dow Medical College and Dow International Medical College (Karachi), Sindh Medical College (JSMU), Karachi Medical & Dental College, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical College (Lyari), Bilawal Medical College (Jamshoro), Khairpur Medical College, Chandka Medical College (Larkana) and Gambat Medical College.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (admitting university: KMU)

KMU admits to public colleges such as Gomal Medical College (Dera Ismail Khan), Nowshera Medical College and Saidu Medical College (Swat). KMU's merit-list page also shows separate lists for its own institutes.

Balochistan (BUMHS)

Bolan Medical College in Quetta (320 seats), plus Loralai, Makran (Turbat) and Jhalawan (Khuzdar) medical colleges (50 each), per a public reference list.

Islamabad and Azad Kashmir

Federal Medical & Dental College in Islamabad. In AJK, Azad Jammu Kashmir Medical College (Muzaffarabad), Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Medical College (Mirpur) and Poonch Medical College (Rawalakot), around 110 seats each per a public reference list.

Private medical colleges

Private colleges follow PMDC rules and charge much higher fees. For the fee cap, see our MBBS guide.

Aga Khan University runs its own admission process, and its 2026 applications closed on 8 May.

Armed-forces colleges (NUMS)

NUMS-administered institutions include Army Medical College (Rawalpindi), CMH Lahore, CMH Kharian, HITEC Institute (Taxila), Karachi Institute of Medical Sciences (Malir), Wah Medical College (Wah Cantt), Fazaia Medical College (Islamabad), Fazaia Ruth Pfau Medical College (Karachi), Foundation University Medical College and Bahria University Medical and Dental College (Karachi). These colleges use the NUMS MDCAT, so a normal MDCAT alone is not enough.

The colleges people search for most

• King Edward Medical University (Lahore): a public university and one of the most competitive first choices in Punjab.

• Shahida Islam Medical College (Lodhran): private, on UHS's private-college list.

• Rashid Latif Medical College (Lahore): private, allocated 150 seats on PMDC's list.

• Baqai Medical University (Karachi): private, with Baqai Medical College as its MBBS college.

• Wah Medical College: NUMS-administered, in Wah Cantt.

• Fazaia Medical College: NUMS-administered, in Islamabad.

• Bahria University (Karachi): its medical and dental college is armed-forces administered and listed among the NUMS colleges.

• KMU: Khyber Medical University is KP's admitting university, and it also runs its own institutes.

Merit lists: where they stand

No MBBS merit list for the 2026-27 session had been published as of this update. Punjab's application portal wasn't open yet as of 25 September, and the KMU merit-list page still shows 2025-26 lists. Merit lists follow the application window, so read them on the admitting university's own website. Each college's list can differ by quota.

How to check that a college is recognised

Before you pay anything, check that the college appears on PMDC's public or private list for the current session, and that the number of seats you're being offered doesn't exceed its allocation. Students admitted above the allocated seats can be refused PMDC registration.

Frequently asked questions

How many medical colleges are there in Pakistan?
Counts vary by source and by whether dental colleges are included. Check PMDC's public and private lists for the current figure.

Which are the government medical colleges in Pakistan?
They include King Edward, Allama Iqbal, Nishtar, Dow, Sindh Medical College, Bolan and Federal Medical & Dental College, among others. See the provincial tables above.

Which university handles MBBS admissions in each province?
UHS in Punjab, DUHS in Sindh, KMU in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and BUMHS in Balochistan.

Is Wah Medical College public or private?
It is a NUMS-administered college in Wah Cantt. NUMS-administered colleges use the NUMS MDCAT.

Is Bahria University's medical college in Karachi armed-forces run?
It is listed among the NUMS armed-forces administered medical and dental colleges.

When is the KMU merit list for 2026?
No 2026-27 MBBS merit list had been published as of this update. Check cas.kmu.edu.pk.

Do I need MDCAT for private colleges?
Yes. A valid MDCAT is required for public and private colleges.

How do I check whether a college is PMDC-recognised?
Look for it on PMDC's public or private college list for the current session.