Per PMDC's 2023 Admissions Regulations, the rule that actually classifies you isn't citizenship — it's where you completed your HSSC, FSc, or equivalent 12th-grade qualification. Complete it inside Pakistan, and you're a "Pakistani student" under the regulations regardless of where you live now or what other passports you hold — meaning you take MDCAT like everyone else. Complete it outside Pakistan, and you may fall under "foreign student" rules instead — which opens up a different, MDCAT-free admission path most people have never heard of.
The Two Real Pathways
You completed FSc/HSSC inside Pakistan
You're treated as a Pakistani student under PMDC's regulations, regardless of your citizenship or current country of residence. You take MDCAT through the normal process — see our eligibility & registration guide for the current rules.
You completed 12th grade/HSSC outside Pakistan
If you also hold foreign or dual nationality, or are an overseas Pakistani permanently resident abroad, you have two real options: compete for a limited foreign-quota seat without sitting MDCAT at all (using SAT-II, foreign MCAT, or UCAT scores instead), or sit MDCAT internationally to compete on the standard merit route.
The MDCAT-Free Route, In Detail
According to the regulations, students seeking a seat specifically reserved for foreign students or overseas Pakistanis are exempt from the MDCAT requirement, provided they qualify with one of the following instead:
- SAT-II: minimum 550 in each required subject (Biology, Chemistry, and either Physics or Mathematics)
- A foreign MCAT examination (passing score)
- UCAT with at least 50% marks in the required subjects
Who actually qualifies for this route: you must hold permanent foreign nationality, or be an overseas Pakistani permanently resident in a foreign country, and have studied and passed your HSSC/12th-grade equivalent outside Pakistan, and be a resident of a foreign country at the time you apply, with a certificate from your last institution confirming this. All four conditions matter — meeting only some of them doesn't qualify you for this route.
The seats are limited, and they're locked in. Foreign-quota and self-finance-quota seats combined cannot exceed 15% of a private institution's total allocated seats. If you're admitted on a foreign seat, you pay foreign-student fees (in foreign exchange) for your entire program — even if your residency or nationality status later changes. If eligible foreign-quota candidates don't fill these seats, they convert to open merit instead of staying reserved.
If You'd Rather Sit MDCAT Internationally Instead
Competing through the foreign quota means competing for a small, capped number of seats. Sitting MDCAT itself — even from abroad — puts you on the standard merit list instead, with far more seats in play. Both PMDC and NUMS run international test centres:
If your 12th-grade qualification is from a foreign system (Cambridge O/A-Level, American system, IB, or otherwise), you'll need an IBCC equivalence certificate confirming your marks meet the required percentage, with at least three science subjects covered (Biology, Chemistry, and Physics or Mathematics), before you can register either way.
A Narrower Pathway Worth Knowing About
The regulations also describe a small allowance for students admitted under a federal government program for foreign students through bilateral agreements with other countries, who haven't taken MDCAT at all — capped at an additional 5% of a college's allocated seats, on top of the regular quota. This pathway is typically arranged through government-to-government or scholarship channels rather than something you apply for directly, so it won't apply to most readers — but it's worth knowing it exists if you're going through an embassy or bilateral scholarship program rather than a standard application.
Worth saying plainly: this is genuinely dense regulatory territory, and individual circumstances (dual nationality combined with local schooling, residency timing, which specific private college you're applying to) can change which rules apply to you. Treat this page as a map of what exists, then confirm your specific case directly with the admitting university or PMDC before relying on any single pathway.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do overseas Pakistanis have to take MDCAT?
It depends on where you completed your HSSC/FSc, not your citizenship. Studied in Pakistan → MDCAT required. Studied abroad, with foreign/dual nationality or overseas Pakistani status → the foreign-quota route may apply instead.
What score do I need on SAT-II to skip MDCAT?
A minimum of 550 in each required subject — Biology, Chemistry, and Physics or Mathematics — per PMDC's own regulations.
Can I just sit MDCAT abroad instead?
Yes — both PMDC and NUMS run international test centres in Saudi Arabia, letting you compete on the standard merit list rather than the capped foreign quota, at a higher fee.