ISLAMABAD : The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) on Saturday has officially announced the schedule for the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) 2026, the mandatory entrance examination for students seeking admission to MBBS and BDS programmes across the country.
According to a public notice issued by the council, the nationwide examination will be conducted on August 16, 2026, commencing simultaneously at 10:00 am.
The PMDC has finalised arrangements with several public sector universities to oversee the administration of the high stakes test in their respective provinces and regions.
Provincial breakdown and venues
In Punjab, the responsibility for conducting the entry test has been entrusted to the University of Health Sciences, Lahore. For candidates in Sindh, the exam will be managed by Sukkur IBA University, while the Khyber Medical University (KMU), Peshawar, will handle the process across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In Balochistan, the Bolan University of Medical and Health Sciences, Quetta, will oversee the arrangements. Meanwhile, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University, Islamabad, has been assigned to conduct the test for candidates appearing from the federal capital, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, as well as an international center established in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Registration timeline and fee structure
The PMDC has announced that the online registration portal for candidates will go live on June 22, 2026. Aspiring medical and dental students will have until July 8, 2026, to submit their applications under the regular fee category. A late registration window will subsequently remain open until July 13, 2026, for those who miss the initial deadline.
The council has fixed the regular registration fee for domestic test centres at Rs9,000, which will rise to Rs13,000 during the late registration window. For candidates appearing at international venues, the regular fee has been set at Rs45,000, while late applicants will be charged Rs55,000.
The PMDC explicitly clarified that all submitted dues are