Admission In a Foreign Medical University

It is a fact that in the past few years, the trend to get admission in a foreign medical university, especially in Kyrgyzstan, China, and Russia has greatly increased. The reason is that MBBS study in these countries especially in Kyrgyzstan is relatively cheaper than MBBS study in Pakistan. But have you ever tried to know the actual standards of study in these medical universities???

New 2025 Policies & Recognition Challenges PMDC

In 2025, the regulatory landscape in Pakistan has shifted significantly.

Removal of Fixed Recognition Lists

On 8 September 2025, the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC, formerly PMDC) announced a new policy by which prior “Green / Grey / Black lists” of foreign medical colleges have been removed in their prior form.

Only medical degrees from PMC-recognized foreign universities will now be eligible for provisional registration, house jobs, and licensing in Pakistan.

This change has created confusion and fear among students who had already taken admission based on the old lists, as their future eligibility is now uncertain.

Key Requirements Under New Policy

According to recent guidelines and commentary:

• The foreign medical university must be recognized by relevant global accrediting bodies (e.g. WHO, WDOMS) in addition to PMDC’s approval.
• Students must have at least 60% marks in FSc Pre-Medical.
• They must score 50% or more in MDCAT (for Pakistani entrants).
• The foreign degree must meet or exceed certain standards in credit hours and duration (e.g. a minimum 5-year program).

Because of these changes, a degree from a formerly “approved” foreign university that is no longer recognized may not grant you eligibility for registration or house job in Pakistan.

How to Verify a Foreign Medical University in 2025

Before enrolling in any foreign MBBS program, students should take the following steps to protect their interests:

Check PMC’s latest recognition status
Use the official PMC website or portal to confirm whether the university is currently approved under the new policy.

Check global accreditation
Verify whether the university is listed in WHO directories, WDOMS, or similar international medical education registries.

Ensure clinical/hospital affiliation and infrastructure
Confirm the hospital facilities, patient load, labs, and library are established and operational.

Obtain official documentation
Make sure the admission letter explicitly names the university and program; keep all transcripts, notarized documents, and embassy verifications.

Avoid relying solely on agents
Agents may omit risks or fine print. Always cross-check information with institutional and regulatory sources.

Follow transitional policies
If you are already enrolled abroad, monitor PMC updates closely to see whether “grandfathering” or transitional recognition will apply.

Advice for Students Considering Foreign MBBS Today

Do not base your decision solely on cost. Affordable tuition may come at the price of recognition issues or substandard education.

Opt only for universities that are currently compliant with PMDC’s new policy and globally accredited.

Admission In a Foreign Medical University

The fact is that there are quite a few students who really do actual and fact-finding research before getting admission into a foreign medical university. Students usually believe in the information provided to them by agents of various agencies. They don’t realize that they are doing these things just for the sake of money. They get commission and profit on each and every student. And another fact is that they sponsor many YouTube channels and academies for their promotion. These YouTubers etc promote them just for money but a sad reality is that students usually believe them and get admission into an unknown medical university that they have not even seen.

Complaints of already admitted students:

But with the increase in this trend of getting admission in foreign medical universities, the complaints about these universities began to increase tremendously.

These complaints are of many types. We can’t mention all of them but a few of them are mentioned below:

1. In many cases, it so happens that when a student goes abroad after getting admission into a medical university he is told that he is admitted into another university that is unknown to him. It means that he paid money for another university, he was charged for another university, but he is given admission in another one. This is one of the commonest scams in such cases.
2. In many cases, it so happens that the university to which he is admitted does not even have its own building. Many students have reported that many universities are operating in a few rented rooms in various buildings.
3. In the medical field, practice is a major component of study for a medical student, but there are many universities that don’t even have their own hospital, or a very small hospital even if present, and still they are admitting thousands of students per year.
4. In the beginning, they tell you that there are separate hostels for boys and girls, but in many cases, it is reported that many hostels are combined. It means that boys and girls live within the same hostels and same rooms even. It is totally unacceptable for Muslim students of Pakistan, especially for girls.

So, these are just a few points that expose this biggest scam of the medical field. So, please think twice before getting admission into a foreign medical university. We will recommend you not to take admission into cheap foreign medical universities especially in Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and China.

But, if you still want to do so, we are here to help you out.

Actually, in this situation, PMC  has issued green, grey, and blacklists of medical universities. We don’t exactly know that to what extent they have investigated before publishing this list, but still, it will be helpful for students for selecting a better university.

There are total 3 lists published by PMC as follows

GREEN LIST – Colleges assessed and recognized by the Commission as Foreign Colleges
Qualifications issued by these colleges shall be recognized by the Commission for Licensing in Pakistan

Download Green Colleges List

Any college which is NOT on this GREEN LIST is NOT Recognized irrespective of whether it is listed or not on the Grey or Black List

GREY LIST – Colleges under assessment for purposes of recognition as per criteria determined by the Council.
Verifications are awaited from the public authorities and government of the country in which the college is based.
Any college that is verified will be moved to the Green List.

Download Grey Colleges List

Any college not verified will be moved to the Black List

BLACKLIST – Colleges assessed and refused recognition having failed to meet the mandatory criteria determined by Council.

1. ABC Academy Bishkek, KYRGYZSTAN
2. Asian Medical Institute, KYRGYZSTAN
3. Jalal-Abad State Medical University, KYRGYZSTAN
4. Avicenna Medical University, KYRGYZSTAN
5. Adam Medical University, KYRGYZSTAN
6. International Medical University, KYRGYZSTAN
7. International Medical Institute, International University of Science & Business, KYRGYZSTAN
8. Jalal-Abad People’s Friendship University A. Batirov Medical Faculty, KYRGYZSTAN
9. Kyrgyz-Uzbek University Medical Faculty, KYRGYZSTAN
10. Royal Metropolitan Medical University, KYRGYZSTAN
11. S. Tentishev Asian Medical Institute, KYRGYZSTAN
12. Salymbekov University Faculty of Medicine, KYRGYZSTAN
13. Scientific Research Medical Social Institute, KYRGYZSTAN
14. International Atatürk-Alatoo University Faculty of Medicine, KYRGYZSTAN

Be aware Before applying to these colleges.

Colleges may reapply after one year and have fulfilled the mandatory criteria

Note:

PMC has not yet clarified the future of students who are already admitted into blacklisted medical universities. You can also download pmdc mdcay syllabus pdf.