MBBS Abroad for Pakistani Students (2027–28): PMDC Rules, NRE and Costs

Can Pakistani students study MBBS abroad?

Yes. Thousands of Pakistani students study medicine abroad, but a foreign degree only becomes a licence to practise in Pakistan after the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) accepts it and you pass its National Registration Examination (NRE). Plan backwards from those two hurdles, not from the cheapest offer letter.

The numbers show how many people take this route. In December 2025, 7,076 graduates registered for NRE Step 1, of whom 6,993 were medical graduates (Dawn, 25 December 2025). PMDC's country breakdown of that sitting, reported by The News, shows about 4,256 candidates from Kyrgyzstan and 2,154 from China, far ahead of Kazakhstan (174), Afghanistan (160), Uzbekistan (116) and Tajikistan (91).

The rules changed several times between 2024 and 2026. Treat everything below as accurate as of November 2026, and re-check pmdc.pk before you pay any fee.

Who regulates medicine in Pakistan now?

The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (written PM&DC in its own documents) is the regulator again. It had been replaced by the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) under the PMC Act 2020; Parliament then passed the PM&DC Act 2022, and a new Council was reconstituted in April 2023, according to a PMDC press release of 14 September 2025.

This matters because a lot of advice online is out of date. The "National Licensing Examination (NLE)" and the "List A/B/C" licensing pathways describe the PMC-era system, not today's rules. Under the 2022 Act, graduates of Pakistani colleges were exempted from the licensing exam, while Pakistani graduates of foreign institutions must pass the NRE, Dawn reported in February 2023.

How does PMDC treat foreign medical degrees?

PMDC applies two separate tests. Recognition of the institution by ECFMG decides whether you may sit the NRE at all; recognition by PMDC itself decides whether you can get provisional registration before the NRE or only after it.

• The ECFMG test (NRE eligibility). Under a Council decision of 24 July 2025, only Pakistani nationals whose primary medical or dental qualification comes from foreign institutions recognised by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) may sit the NRE. PMDC repeated this in a public notice dated 31 July 2026 and said it will not consider exemptions. An October 2025 notice adds recognition by the foreign country's own regulator to the standard criteria and points candidates to ecfmg.org to check an institution.
• Afghanistan. The July 2026 notice says institutions in Afghanistan are not currently among ECFMG-recognised institutions, so their graduates cannot sit the NRE or seek PMDC registration to practise.
• PMDC recognition (timing of provisional registration). Only graduates of foreign institutions recognised by PMDC can receive provisional registration before the NRE. Graduates of institutions not yet recognised under the new law get provisional registration only after they pass the NRE (PMDC press release, September 2025).

Does PMDC publish a recognised list? Not a settled one. A November 2024 PMDC notice said the list of foreign institutions on its website was valid only up to the 2024-25 admissions and should no longer be "referred as a list of recognized institutions". In October 2025 PMDC said it had started a fresh recognition process and would update the website "from time to time". So check three things before you accept an offer: the institution's current status on pmdc.pk, its listing in the World Directory of Medical Schools, and its ECFMG status. Our guide to WDOMS, ECFMG and WFME recognition explains how to read those listings.

What do you need before you leave Pakistan?

As of November 2026 you no longer need an MDCAT score to study medicine abroad. The PMDC Council removed that prerequisite in its meeting of 14 September 2026, announced in a public notice dated 5 October 2026.

The rest of PMDC's May 2026 checklist was not withdrawn by that notice. It asks you to:

1. Pass FSc (Pre-Medical) or equivalent with at least 60% marks.
2. Complete PMDC's mandatory online registration (srf.pmdc.pk) before you go — PMDC links this to later eligibility for provisional registration and the NRE.

PMDC's accreditation sub-committee also advised students in May 2026, as reported by Dawn, to choose an institution accredited by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) or listed in WDOMS, and on PMDC's foreign list. The degree should include at least 6,200 hours of education over five years with at least 80% attendance. If teaching is not in English, you should study the local language for at least five months first. You should also give PMDC your address abroad and get a multiple-entry visa for the whole course.

National Registration Examination (NRE): format and pass rates

The NRE is a two-step exam that every Pakistani graduate of a foreign medical school must pass before full registration; PMDC says it is mandatory under an Act of Parliament. It is set and run by the National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS), Rawalpindi, "at least twice a year", on a curriculum at par with Pakistan's MBBS (PMDC press release, 15 January 2026).

Pass rates are low:

Source: NUMS results reported by Dawn, 25 December 2025.

Country results from the December 2025 Step 1, reported by The News, are worth studying before you pick a destination:

• Kyrgyzstan: 951 passed of 4,256 candidates (about 22%)
• China: 333 of 2,154 (15.5%)
• Kazakhstan: 54 of 174 (about 31%)
• Uzbekistan: 35 of 116 (30%)
• Tajikistan: 30 of 91 (about 33%)
• Afghanistan: 18 of 160 (just over 11%)
• Russia: 2 of 16

No candidate from eight countries, including Georgia and the Philippines, passed. Officials noted that results from very small groups are statistically insignificant, and PMDC expected that more than half of Step 1 passers might fail Step 2. In January 2026 a foreign graduates' association publicly demanded changes to the exam; PMDC replied that the process is transparent.

How much does MBBS abroad cost for Pakistani students?

Published English-medium tuition at the example universities below runs from about $3,700 to $8,000 a year. Hostel, food, flights, visas, insurance and NRE preparation come on top, and agents often add their own charges.

These are approximate. Conversions use US$1 ≈ PKR 277, RUB 82.8 and CNY 6.69 (open.er-api.com, 13 November 2026), KGS 87.4 (National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic, 14 November 2026) and KZT 444 (National Bank of Kazakhstan, 14 November 2026). Whole-course figures assume fees stay flat, which they rarely do. Compare more countries on our MBBS abroad fees page.

Best countries for Pakistani students

There is no single best country. Choose on two things: whether the specific institution meets PMDC's ECFMG test, and how its graduates actually perform in the NRE.

Use our country finder to filter by budget, and our guide on how to choose a medical university abroad to compare individual schools.

Step-by-step plan for 2027 admission

1. Read the latest PMDC notices on pmdc.pk. The rules changed in May and again in October 2026.
2. Check your academics: FSc (Pre-Medical) or equivalent with at least 60% marks.
3. Shortlist institutions that are listed in WDOMS, recognised by ECFMG and by their own country's regulator, and shown on PMDC's current foreign list.
4. Check the programme: at least five years and 6,200 hours, English medium or five months of language study first, and clinical training in real hospitals.
5. Get the fee schedule from the university's own website, as in the table above, and compare it with any agent's quote.
6. Register with PMDC online (srf.pmdc.pk) before you leave, and keep the confirmation.
7. Get your admission letter and a multiple-entry visa for the whole course; see our student visa guide and documents checklist.
8. Prepare for the NRE from year one: it follows Pakistan's MBBS curriculum and needs 60%.
9. After graduating: NRE Step 1, Step 2, provisional registration, a one-year house job, then a full licence.

Red flags and risks

Agent fraud. Kyrgyz State Medical Academy (KSMA) warns on its website of "frequent cases of forgery" of its admission documents by third-party companies. It also names one exclusive recruiter, which may set its own fees. Confirm every admission directly with the university and pay the university, not a personal account. Read our agent scams and red flags guide.

Ineligible institutions. If a school is not ECFMG-recognised, you cannot sit the NRE at all — the Afghan cases show this can affect whole countries.

Low pass rates. Only about one in five medical candidates passed NRE Step 1 in December 2025. Budget for extra time and coaching.

Language of clinical training. Many patients in Central Asia, China and Russia will not speak English. PMDC's own advice asks for five months of language study before non-English programmes.

Safety. On 17 May 2024, mobs attacked hostels and private flats of foreign students in Bishkek. Pakistan's ambassador said 14 people were hurt, including five Pakistanis; special flights brought students home to Lahore (Dawn, 19 May 2024). Register with Pakistan's embassy when you arrive.

Registration delays. In September 2025 PMDC said over 700 foreign graduates' registrations were pending, while graduates claimed several thousand. Keep every document — admission letter, PMDC registration, transcripts and passport stamps — to avoid delays.

After graduation

Most graduates aim for the NRE and a house job in Pakistan. Some also try licensing exams elsewhere; our USMLE and PLAB guide explains how those routes work. If you are comparing notes with Indian classmates, note that India uses different rules (NMC FMGL 2021 and the FMGE) — see MBBS abroad for Indian students.

Countries compared for Pakistani students

Country	Tuition / year	Total (full course)	Duration	Medium
MBBS in Kyrgyzstan	$3,000–$6,000	$18,000–$42,000	5 years (most English programmes for foreigners) or 6 years — check each university	English for foreigners; patients speak Kyrgyz or Russian
MBBS in Kazakhstan	$4,100–$6,600	$28,000–$45,000	About 6 years for foreign entrants (incl. 12-month internship); citizens moved to 6 + 1 years from 2026	English (patients mostly speak Kazakh or Russian)
MBBS in China	$4,950–$6,000	$33,500–$53,000	6 years (5 years study + 1-year internship in an affiliated hospital)	English (MoE-listed universities only); Chinese to HSK-4 required for clinical work
MBBS in Uzbekistan	$2,900–$4,500	$21,000–$27,000	6 years (5 years of study + 1-year internship)	English on paper for foreign students; NMC and the Indian Embassy report clinical teaching often not in English at named institutes
MBBS in Tajikistan	$3,800–$5,500	$26,000–$37,000	6 years (5 years of study + compulsory 1-year internship)	English for foreign students in General Medicine; basic Tajik/Russian expected for clinical work
MBBS in Russia	$3,450–$15,800	$21,000–$105,000	6 years (General Medicine, Specialist degree)	English-medium tracks at many state universities; Russian needed with patients in clinical years