After FSc Pre-Medical, students in Pakistan usually aim for MBBS or BDS, or take one of the other health routes: Pharm-D, physiotherapy (DPT), nursing, medical lab technology, or a BS in biotechnology, biochemistry, microbiology or another life science. A few government scholarships fund full bachelor's degrees abroad for pre-medical students, including Türkiye Burslari, Stipendium Hungaricum (which had seats for medicine and dentistry in the last HEC call) and MEXT in Japan. In Pakistan, provincial funds such as SEEF and KP CMEEF, and HEC's need-based schemes, help with tuition.
Medicine abroad needs extra care. If your child wants to work as a doctor in Pakistan later, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC) decides who may register, and its rules changed several times in 2026. We explain what its official notices say below.
Degree routes after FSc Pre-Medical
- MBBS and BDS: five-year degrees for doctors and dentists. Admission in Pakistan goes through MDCAT, the entry test run under PM&DC.
- Pharm-D: a five-year pharmacy degree, leading to work in hospitals, the pharmaceutical industry and regulation.
- DPT, nursing and allied health: physiotherapy, BS nursing, medical lab technology, radiology, nutrition and similar degrees.
- Life sciences: BS biotechnology, biochemistry, microbiology, zoology, botany, genetics and psychology. These often lead to a funded master's or PhD abroad later, because research funding in biosciences is strong.
Our health subject page and sciences subject page list scholarships for later study in these fields.
Studying medicine abroad: what PM&DC's notices say
These points come from PM&DC public notices on pmdc.pk, checked on 19 October 2026:
- MDCAT is no longer required for foreign admission. A notice dated 5 October 2026 says the Council decided at its meeting of 14 September 2026 to remove the requirement to pass MDCAT before taking admission at a foreign medical or dental institution.
- Other conditions from May 2026. An earlier notice (May 2026) set conditions for students going abroad for MBBS or BDS, including FSc Pre-Medical or an equivalent with at least 60% marks, and mandatory online registration with PM&DC to be eligible later for provisional registration and the National Registration Examination (NRE). The October notice deals only with MDCAT, so check with PM&DC which of the other conditions still apply.
- Which degrees can sit the NRE. A notice dated 31 July 2026 says only Pakistani nationals whose primary medical or dental qualification comes from an institution recognised by the Education Commission on Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) are eligible for the NRE. It names Afghanistan as a country whose institutions are presently not included, and says PM&DC will not grant exemptions.
What this means for parents: before accepting any foreign MBBS or BDS seat, scholarship or not, check the institution's status on PM&DC's website and ask PM&DC directly if anything is unclear. Do not rely on an agent's word. A scholarship that pays for a degree PM&DC will not accept can leave a graduate unable to practise in Pakistan. Rules for pharmacy and nursing graduates are set by their own councils, so ask the Pharmacy Council of Pakistan or the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council before choosing those degrees abroad.
Funded bachelor's scholarships abroad for pre-medical students
Stipendium Hungaricum
In Hungary, medicine and dentistry are taught as a single long programme called a one-tier master's, which students enter straight after school. In its 2026-27 call, HEC listed 70 one-tier master's seats, including 20 for medicine and 10 for dentistry, alongside 200 bachelor's seats in all available disciplines. Competition for the medicine seats is strong, so choose a backup programme as well. You must apply on both the HEC and Stipendium Hungaricum portals. Our Stipendium Hungaricum 2027 guide explains each step.
Türkiye Burslari
The official criteria say bachelor's applicants must be under 21. For health sciences, including medicine, dentistry and pharmacy, the minimum is 90% in previous studies, against 70% for other subjects.
MEXT (Japan)
MEXT undergraduate guidelines group subjects into social sciences and humanities and three natural science groups. Medicine and dentistry form Natural Sciences C, while pharmacy, nursing, biology and agriculture sit in Natural Sciences B. Medicine, dentistry and pharmacy run for seven years including the Japanese language year. Teaching is in Japanese.
CSC (China)
HEC's 2026-27 call had 35 bachelor's seats, and HEC says the CSCA test is mandatory for undergraduate applicants. If your child is thinking of MBBS in China, check PM&DC's current position on that specific university before applying.
Need-based scholarships in Pakistan
Many families choose MBBS, BDS, Pharm-D or nursing at home. These schemes help, briefly:
All of these are free to apply for. Apply only on the official website or through the college or university financial aid office, and never pay an agent a "processing fee". See the full need-based scholarships list.
Documents parents should start now
Scholarship bodies abroad ask for attested Matric and FSc certificates. The IBCC attests board-issued certificates once the board has verified them on the IBCC attestation portal. If your child studied A levels, Pakistani admissions will need IBCC equivalence; see our IBCC equivalence guide. Track the rest with our paperwork tool.
Next step
Run Find my matches to see which scholarships fit your child's marks, age and province, or test one programme with the eligibility checker. Read our guide to studying for a bachelor's abroad from Pakistan. PM&DC and scholarship rules change often, so confirm every date and condition on the official page before applying.