The Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) 2026 was held on 20 September across Pakistan, and for Punjab specifically, the University of Health Sciences (UHS) declared its result just four days later, on 24 September 2026. If you sat the test, the result itself is only the first step — here is what the numbers mean and what to expect between now and actually securing a seat.

The Punjab result, in numbers

Of 49,202 candidates registered for the Punjab MDCAT, 47,475 actually appeared, meaning 1,727 were absent. Of those who appeared, 37,708 candidates — 79.43% — scored the minimum 55% required to qualify for MBBS, and 40,457 candidates — 85.22% — cleared the lower 50% threshold required for BDS. Roughly one in three candidates (31.99%) scored 150 or higher, and 1,772 candidates landed in the 170–180 range, near the top of the scale.

It's worth noting that MDCAT 2026 was conducted on a single national test date, but each province runs and scores its own paper through its own medical university — UHS for Punjab, Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) for Sindh, Khyber Medical University (KMU) for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan University of Medical and Health Sciences (BUMHS) for Balochistan. If you tested outside Punjab, your result will not appear on the UHS portal — check with your own provincial university instead.

What happens between the result and a seat offer

Qualifying for MBBS or BDS on MDCAT is not the same as being admitted — it simply makes you eligible to enter the merit process. The next concrete steps, based on the typical UHS admission cycle, are:

1. Admission prospectus and application form: UHS is expected to release its formal admission prospectus and application/preference form shortly after the result, through which qualified candidates list their preferred medical and dental colleges in order.
2. Document preparation: candidates should have their CNIC/B-form, domicile certificate, Matric and FSc certificates, and recent photographs ready in advance, since these are typically required at the application stage.
3. First merit list: expected in the early-to-mid November 2026 window, though UHS, DUHS, KMU, and BUMHS each announce their own exact dates separately — there is no single national merit list date.
4. Upgradation lists: following the first list, further rounds typically run through November and December 2026 as seats are vacated and reallocated.

How the merit aggregate is calculated

For Punjab's MBBS/BDS merit, the standard formula weights three components: Matric (SSC) marks count for 10% of the aggregate, FSc/HSSC pre-medical marks count for 40%, and the MDCAT score itself counts for the remaining 50%. Calculating your own aggregate using this formula before the merit list is released gives you a realistic sense of which colleges are within reach, rather than waiting to find out from the list itself.

As a point of reference only, last year's closing merit at top public medical colleges ranged from roughly 89% to 94.4%, though this is historical context, not a prediction — where 2026's closing merit lands will depend on this year's paper difficulty and the overall applicant pool, and will only be confirmed once the actual merit lists are published.

What to do while you wait

Until UHS (or your provincial equivalent) releases the formal prospectus, the most useful thing to do is calculate your own aggregate, shortlist colleges realistically based on it, and keep your documents ready — rather than waiting until the preference form opens to start gathering certificates and photographs.