A total of 187 medical and dental colleges had an available capacity of 22,300 seats, even after giving relaxed conditions for merit and 45 additional days to apply. The problem, according to teachers, has nothing to do with academics. It has something to do with money.
RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan medical college vacant seats scandal of 2026 was a consequence of closing of admissions period by Pakistan’s medical and dental colleges with 743 places left unoccupied in spite of these two specific efforts to increase admission capacity. These were lowering the merit requirement to widen the range of eligible candidates and extending the admission period by 45 days for prospective students to register. Both attempts proved ineffective. According to Punjab Professors and Lectures Association and Punjab Teachers Union, the reason for the problem is not a lack of qualified candidates willing to pursue their careers in medicine and dentistry, but the insufficient number of families who can afford such an investment.
The number of seats allocated to the BDS programme in Pakistani medical colleges amounts to 608 out of the total 743 vacant seats projected for the year 2026, a share of more than four out of five seats that remain unoccupied. The high prevalence of vacancies among dental surgeons can be attributed to market dynamics that have built up over the years. There exists a tighter job market for students with a BDS degree than an MBBS, making it difficult to convince families who are economically challenged.
Together, Punjab and Sindh contribute to over 91% of all medical college vacancies in Pakistan for the year 2026, with Punjab having the most medical colleges and the greatest number of private medical colleges in Pakistan. Private medical colleges, which have significantly higher fees compared to their public counterparts, contribute largely to the issue of medical college vacancies. The total number of vacant seats in Punjab alone stands at 381, accounting for over half of all medical college vacancies in Pakistan.
Province by Province — Where Seats Stayed Empty
| Province / territory | Vacant seats | Share of total |
|---|---|---|
| Punjab | 381 | 51.3% |
| Sindh | 295 | 39.7% |
| Islamabad | 50 | 6.7% |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 17 | 2.3% |
| Total | 743 | 100% |
The Problem of Cost Driving the Figures
The way that the teacher associations have described the issue of the Pakistani medical colleges’ unused places for 2026 in terms of an affordability issue, rather than a purely academic one, deserves consideration. The issue of merit was ignored. Time was given. Nevertheless, there were still 743 unfilled places. The one element that neither consideration solved is that of cost, and cost, say the associations, has become the determining factor.
Inflation rising during the last two years has squeezed the wallets of the middle class people of Pakistan, who have traditionally constituted the greatest number of students applying to medical colleges privately in the country. The amount required for school fees, expenses, and tuition for a 5-year-long MBBS course is huge and amounts to millions of rupees. It is beyond the reach of many families in light of their decreasing purchasing power.
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Young Pakistanis opting for foreign employment rather than costly domestic education
It should be noted that another trend that the groups highlighted was that a significant number of Pakistani youths are now opting for overseas employment opportunities rather than investing in costly medical education at home. There are ramifications to this trend for the future generation of Pakistan’s medical workforce. With medical colleges failing to attract students today, they will not graduate enough physicians in the coming years.
Requests from Teachers to the Government
The problem that emerged in the form of vacant seats at Pakistani medical colleges in 2026 is what encouraged the associations to make a strong request to the government regarding educational affordability issues. They call for the reversal of the cost trend that makes professional education unattainable. This includes the rejection of the proposed education tax by 18 percent in the budget and other changes that may need to be made in terms of fees, scholarships, and loans for professional programs. It can be inferred from the statistics about the almost 30 million out-of-school children mentioned by the associations that this issue goes beyond Pakistani medical college admissions.
