ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has allowed 19 medical and dental colleges to increase their fees. However, applications from 20 institutions have been deferred due to shortcomings and failure to fulfil the required documentation.

It is worth mentioning that last year the council had fixed the annual fee of medical and dental colleges at a maximum of Rs1.8 million, with an annual increase of five per cent.

However, for the ongoing year, the tuition fee, inclusive of all ancillary charges, was capped at Rs1.89 million with a five per cent increase.

Later, it was decided that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) would be considered every year for fee increases. However, colleges were allowed to file applications, with justifications, for further increases in fees.

Requests of 20 institutions deferred over documentation gaps as parents seek clarity on fee structure

It is worth mentioning that the Pakistan Association of Private Medical and Dental Institutions (PAMI), a representative body of private medical and dental colleges, had claimed that it was not viable to run colleges under the capped fee structure.

According to a notification issued by the PMDC and available with Dawn, in pursuance of the recommendations of the Committee on Medical Education constituted by the prime minister, it has been decided to enhance the annual fee of 19 medical and dental colleges up to Rs2,147,483.

The colleges allowed to increase fees include CMH Medical College Kharian, Shahida Islam Medical and Dental College Lodhran, Akhtar Saeed Medical and Dental College Lahore/Rawalpindi, Central Park Medical College Lahore, Niazi Medical and Dental College Sargodha, University Medical and Dental College Faisalabad, and Al Aleem Medical College Lahore.

Moreover, Multan Medical and Dental College, FMH College of Medicine and Dentistry Lahore, Rehman Medical and Dental College Peshawar, Suleman Roshan Medical College Tando Adam, HBS Medical and Dental College Islamabad, Abbottabad International Medical Institute, Independent Medical College Faisalabad, Islamabad Medical and Dental College, University College of Medicine and Dentistry Lahore, and Azra Naheed Medical and Dental College Lahore were also allowed to jack up fees.

According to the notification, 20 applications from different medical and dental colleges have been deferred as they failed to fulfil the required documentation, such as audit reports.

On the other hand, 72 medical and dental colleges did not apply for an enhancement of fees.

However, parents of students have suggested that the PMDC further clarify the notification, as it does not explain whether the fee increased by the committee will be final or if additional charges will be included under other heads.

“Moreover, we paid excessive fees in the 2023-24 session and the notification is silent about the recovery of the excess amount. Although the PMDC wrote letters to colleges in December 2023 and January 2024, no development has been made,” a father of a medical student said.

Another father said that the Senate Standing Committee on Health had directed that the fee for the year 2024-25 should remain the same as for 2023-24, as a committee headed by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar had been deliberating on the issue of fees at the time and had not reached a decision.

“Parents paid between Rs2.6 million and Rs2.8 million in 2023-24, but not a single rupee has been returned or adjusted in the fee,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2026