Why a foreigner should be looking to take admission in a medical college of Pakistan?
Talking about Pakistan, this land is not only famous for its breathtaking landscapes and exquisite traditions, but Pakistan also has some of the finest medical colleges the world has to offer. Due to this very fact, students around the world are desperate to get here, but what’s stopping them? The very fact that stops the majority of Pakistani students to get admission in a reputable and suitable Pakistani institute – lack of information.
But don’t worry, we’ll cover all that today, especially for a foreigner who wants to get admission in a medical college in Pakistan.
Recently, there are a lot of controversies caused by the new admission policy ofPMC (Pakistan Medical Commission) regarding the combined syllabus of the National Medical and Dental College Admission Test (NMDCAT) and demolishing the quota seats for foreigner. But things are getting clear gradually.
News regarding foreigner’s quota seats is circling that now PMChas made it mandatory for foreign nationals to pass NMDCAT and compete for merit to get admission into a medical college of Pakistan.
But, it’s nothing to get worried about as we’ll thoroughly discuss NMDCAT and eligibility criteria ahead. Besides, due to the global impact of COVID-19, PMChas allowed foreign nationals to get admission in a medical college of Pakistan for induction 2021 by providing SAT-II score as SAT-I was cancelled globally with an exemption of English for students who have done their last qualification in English primarily. Check out this link to get a better understanding of this issue.
An insight into various medical colleges of Pakistan
Talking about medical colleges, Pakistan has one of the prestigious medical colleges on both government and private levels around the world. The PMC offers reserved seats to foreigners who are willing to complete their MBBS or BDS degree from a medical college in Pakistan without asking them to denounce their nationality. Let’s take a look at some of the best medical colleges in Pakistan.
King Edward Medical College, Lahore
Founded in 1860 during the British Rule, KEMC was named after Edward VII. Since the day of its inauguration, KEMC has been a symbol of academic excellence and prestige. The college has produced some of the top-notch brains in the field of medicine around the world.
Due to its authority in WHOand other state-funded projects with maximum clinical exposure provided to its students, it is affiliated with one of the largest medical hospitals of the country. KEMC has the highest merit across all the medical colleges of the country.
Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad
Located among the beautiful mountains of Abbottabad KPK, Ayub Medical College was founded in 1979 in affiliation with Khyber Medical University. The major purpose of its inauguration was to make sure that the medical education standards of Pakistan must be compatible with the rest of the world and soon AMC was able to achieve this.
AMC is considered to be one of the top institutes in the country providing medical education. With faculty and students including a prominent number of foreign nationals, AMC has become one of the top choices for foreign students.
Army Medical College, Rawalpindi
Under the management of the Pakistan Military, AMC Rawalpindi surely has a divine spot among medical colleges of Pakistan. Besides medical cadets, Pakistani nationals as well as foreign nationals can also get inducted here through the NUMS Entry Test on reserved seats as ‘Paying Cadets’.
Being a military administered medical college, the rules and regulations are surely tough but in terms of quality education, Pakistan military makes sure it’s nothing less than any other top-notch medical college around the world.
These are the top 3 medical colleges of Pakistan that can be perfect for foreigners based on my personal opinion and research. But you can check out the complete list of medical colleges of Pakistan here and choose what suits you better.
Fee Structure
In terms of financial ease, while doing MBBS or MD (as in the USA), Pakistan is one of the best choices for foreigners. In the USA, getting MD from a prestigious university costs around 60,000-70,000 USD per year on average and from an average university, it’s around 13,000-20,000 USD which a huge amount to be paid when you have to study for around 7 years approximately to complete your degree.
On the other hand, when we talk about Pakistan, the fee structure is extremely affordable as compared to medical universities around the world. The 5-year degree program of MBBS costs on average 10,000-15,000 USD per year on average for foreigners on a self-financed basis inducted at medical colleges like King Edward Medical College, Ayyub Medical College, etc.
Is it hard for a foreigner to get admission in a medical college of Pakistan?
No. To get admission in a medical college in Pakistan, merit is all you need. PMC makes sure that the foreign nationals get admission to their reserved seats so it may not cause any disturbance in the distribution of merit for both Pakistani students and foreign nationals.
The eligibility criteria include 70% marks in HSSC (Pre-medical), A-Levels, or any other equivalent degree as per IBCC certificate with 3 compulsory subjects – Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
NMDCAT/SAT-IIis mandatory to be passed with at least 60% to apply for admission. The merit formula is based on;
50% NMDCAT/SAT-II
40% HSSC or equivalent
10% matric or equivalent
NMDCAT
NMDCAT is the combined Medical College induction test which is mandatory for both Pakistani students and foreign students (or they can provide SAT-II). The marks distribution is as follows,
- 200 Total MCQs
- Passing Marks 120
- 80 MCQs Biology
- 60 MCQs from Chemistry
- 40 MCQs From NMDCAT English
- No negative marking
Now I know most of you think about how to ace it to get admission into a prestigious medical college in Pakistan. The trick is very simple. ‘persistence’ and ‘continuity’. PMC designs NMDCAT from its own combined syllabus, so all you need to do is divide that syllabus into smaller bits that you can go through in a single day, distributed over a time span of the number of days you have before NMDCAT. There is no other way to ace NMDCAT as PMC tests your concepts so you must be prepared thoroughly, and everything will be fine.
If you still have any questions, find us here and we’ll be happy to help!
