MDCAT registrations hit five-year low as medical interest shifts

Aftab Maken

ISLAMABAD: Registrations for Pakistan’s Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) have fallen to their lowest level in five years, reflecting changing career preferences, rising education costs, and evolving opportunities in technology and allied health sciences.

According to the latest figures, MDCAT registrations have declined from more than 204,000 candidates in 2022 to just over 135,000 so far in 2026. Although the registration deadline has been extended and the final number may increase, the overall downward trend has remained consistent over the past several years.

The decline is evident across the provinces. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, registrations dropped from 46,232 in 2022 to around 38,000 this year, representing a decrease of nearly 18 percent.

Khyber Medical University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ziaul Haq said the falling numbers should not be interpreted as waning interest in the medical profession. Instead, he said, students are making more informed career choices in response to changing economic conditions and evolving employment opportunities.

Education experts attribute the decline to several factors, including the rising cost of medical education, the lengthy duration of undergraduate and postgraduate training, increasingly demanding licensing and specialization requirements, and growing interest in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, data science, biotechnology, and allied health sciences.

Despite the decline in registrations, MDCAT remains one of Pakistan’s most competitive entrance examinations. Historically, more than 200,000 students have competed annually for approximately 4,000 MBBS seats available in public medical colleges across the country.

The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) confirmed that more than 138,000 candidates had registered for MDCAT 2026 by mid-July, broadly aligning with the overall downward trend. The council has extended the registration period to facilitate additional applicants ahead of the examination.

MDCAT 2026 will be conducted simultaneously across Pakistan on August 16 under the supervision of designated public universities. The University of Health Sciences (UHS) will oversee the examination in Punjab, Sukkur IBA University in Sindh, Khyber Medical University in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Bolan University of Medical and Health Sciences in Balochistan.

Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University will conduct the examination for candidates from Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Pakistani students appearing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. An additional examination centre has also been established in Islamabad for candidates holding Balochistan domicile, to be managed by Bolan University.

PMDC said registrations for MDCAT 2026 are being processed through its centralized online portal as authorities finalize arrangements for the nationwide entrance examination.