Despite the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) fixing the maximum annual tuition fee at Rs 1.89 million for the 2025–26 academic year, many private medical and dental colleges are reportedly charging significantly higher amounts. Parents and students say several institutions are demanding upfront payments ranging from Rs 2.5 million to Rs 3.5 million, well above the official cap set by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council.
Families in major cities report being given extremely short deadlines to deposit these fees, sometimes less than 24 hours. According to parents, colleges warn that failure to pay immediately could result in the student’s seat being cancelled and offered to another candidate, creating panic and intense pressure on families to arrange large sums of money on very short notice.
In addition to inflated tuition fees, colleges are also charging extra amounts under multiple heads that parents say are poorly regulated. These include examination fees, laboratory charges, clinical training costs, IT services, and graduation-related expenses. Over the five-year duration of a medical or dental degree, these additional charges can raise the total cost by approximately Rs 800,000 to Rs 1 million, further increasing the financial burden.
Many parents allege that private colleges are openly disregarding PMDC regulations, taking advantage of weak enforcement. They argue that the lack of strict oversight has allowed institutions to continue charging excessive fees without accountability, making medical education increasingly unaffordable for middle-class families.
Parents and students have urged authorities to intervene and ensure that the PMDC’s fee structure is implemented in practice. They warn that without timely action, rising costs in private medical education could prevent many deserving students from pursuing careers in healthcare, ultimately affecting the country’s future medical workforce.
