The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has allowed 19 medical and dental colleges to increase their annual tuition fees, while 20 other applications were deferred due to incomplete documentation and financial records.
According to an official notification, the decision was made after recommendations from the Committee on Medical Education formed by Shehbaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Under the new approval, the annual fee for the selected institutions may increase to Rs2,147,483, including ancillary charges.
Previously, PMDC had capped the annual tuition fee at Rs1.8 million, allowing a five percent yearly increase. For the current academic year, the fee limit was set at Rs1.89 million, while future fee adjustments will be linked to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
Among the institutions permitted to raise fees are CMH Medical College Kharian, Central Park Medical College Lahore, Niazi Medical and Dental College Sargodha, University Medical and Dental College Faisalabad, FMH College of Medicine and Dentistry Lahore, Rehman Medical and Dental College Peshawar, and Islamabad Medical and Dental College, along with several other colleges.
However, the council deferred 20 applications after institutions failed to submit required documents such as audit reports and financial records, while 72 medical and dental colleges did not apply for a fee increase.
Meanwhile, parents of medical students have raised concerns about the clarity of the notification, asking authorities to explain whether the newly approved fee will be final or if additional charges could still be imposed.
Some parents also claimed that during the 2023–24 academic session, students paid between Rs2.6 million and Rs2.8 million, but no refunds or adjustments have been made despite earlier directions from the council.
Parents have urged PMDC to provide clear guidelines to ensure transparency in the fee structure and address unresolved payment issues.
