Pakistan Medical Commission ends foreigners’ quota

The Pakistan Medical Commission has ended foreigners’ quota in the local universities for the first time in the country’s history manding upon all overseas students to clear the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) to get admission in the country’s medical and dental colleges.

 The official PMC notification said that there are no quotas for foreign students. All foreign students will compete on a national merit for admission into private colleges.

Each province may set up a quota for foreign students for admission to their public colleges, if they so desire. Private colleges may have a fee structure for foreign students different to Pakistani students, with a lower fee charged for Pakistani students, it added.

Under the new regime, a foreign student may apply for the preparation of merit to a private college on the basis of having taken the MDCAT result or SAT II (Scholastic Aptitude Test) results in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics/Maths.

The ratio given to each score for calculating cumulative score equivalence to MDCAT shall be Biology 40 percent, Chemistry 30pc, Physics/Maths 20pc. English is exempted if the students have obtained their High School Secondary Certificate qualification from a program taught primarily in English.

This comes after several students had complained that their seats were being taken away from foreign students as colleges were increasing enrollment from abroad in a bid to earn more as they were charging high fees from them.

This would discourage such practice and allow for a more merit-based system ensuring the most-competent students make it to the colleges.

Some observers said the decision doesn’t go in favor of Pakistan as encouraging foreign students to apply in the country helps the government and colleges earn more money which can be allocated towards increasing capacity and expanding the number of enrollments.