The Government of Punjab has issued a fresh notification laying out the full rulebook for MBBS and BDS admissions in the state for session 2026 onwards. This is not a counselling schedule with dates — it is the master policy that decides who can compete for Punjab's seats, how many seats go where, what reservation each category gets, what fee each type of college can charge, and what a student signs up for (including a service bond) when they take a government MBBS seat. Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot has been authorised to run the centralised counselling for all seats in Punjab's government and private medical/dental colleges based purely on NEET rank, except the 15% All India Quota seats which are handled separately by the Centre. This notification supersedes all earlier MBBS/BDS admission notifications issued by Punjab.
Every MBBS/BDS seat in Punjab — government, private, management, minority or NRI — is filled only on NEET merit through BFUHS's centralised counselling, and most seats (85% of government college seats, plus half of private college seats) are reserved for candidates who meet Punjab's state-quota eligibility rules.
What this notification actually does
This is Punjab's governing policy document for MBBS/BDS admissions, issued by the Department of Medical Education & Research and dated 10.07.2026. It applies to every medical and dental institute in Punjab — government colleges, private colleges, colleges under private universities, and minority institutions.
It confirms that all admissions — Government Quota, Management Quota, NRI Quota, and Minority Quota — will be based purely on NEET merit. BFUHS, Faridkot is the authorised body to conduct centralised counselling for all these seats (except the 15% All India Quota, which the Medical Counselling Committee of the Government of India handles).
Eligibility criteria for the courses themselves (age, subjects, qualifying marks) will follow whatever NTA's NEET Information Bulletin prescribes for that year — this notification does not repeat those rules; it deals with Punjab-specific eligibility, quota and fee matters.
Who qualifies for Punjab's state quota
To compete for the 85% state-quota seats in government colleges (and the state-quota share in private colleges), a candidate must be a Citizen of India AND satisfy at least one of the following:
'Permanent resident of Punjab' is defined broadly and covers several situations — read this carefully, because getting the wrong certificate type can cost you eligibility.
- Passed both 10+1 and 10+2 from a school in the state of Punjab, OR
- Was born in the state of Punjab, OR
- Is a permanent resident of Punjab
The permanent-resident and dependent categories, in detail
'Permanent resident of Punjab' includes candidates who have studied in Punjab for 5 years, or for 2 years immediately before the qualifying examination. It also covers several categories of employees' children/wards, and other groups listed below.
In addition to the standard resident route, the following categories are separately eligible for MBBS/BDS admission in Punjab:
- Children/wards of: Punjab Government employees (posted in or outside Punjab, on deputation, with at least 3 years service); Government of India employees posted in Chandigarh/Punjab for Punjab-related work (3 years); State Government institution/undertaking employees posted similarly (3 years); employees with 3+ years' service in autonomous bodies/companies where Punjab Government holds 20%+ shares; residents who live outside Punjab only because of their parents'/guardians' government service, provided the family's permanent address is within reorganised Punjab (as on or after 01.11.1966); employees of the Punjab and Haryana High Court establishment with 3+ years' service who have not availed this facility from their parent state
- Children/wards of Punjab Government pensioners, regardless of where the pensioner now lives
- Children/wards of persons who have settled or resided in Punjab for at least 5 years at any time before applying, whether for a profession or a job
- Wards of defence personnel posted in Punjab
- Candidates applying under the NRI category
- Candidates from minority communities competing for minority quota in minority institutions
- Children/wards/dependents (whose parents are not alive) of regular Central Government employees/PSU-Board-Corporation employees posted inside Punjab for at least 2 of the 3 years before the child's class 10+2, but who were temporarily posted outside Punjab causing the child to pass class XI/XII from outside Punjab
How the seats are split — AIQ, state quota, and private colleges
In every government medical/dental institute, 15% of the total seats form the All India Quota (AIQ). These are filled by the Government of India through the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) purely on NEET marks — any candidate from any state can compete for these. The remaining 85% are state-quota seats filled by BFUHS through Punjab's own admission committee, again strictly by NEET merit.
In private medical/dental institutes (including those under private universities and minority institutions), the split is different: 50% Government Quota seats and 50% Management/Minority Quota seats (this 50% includes the 15% NRI quota).
A reserved-category candidate can also compete for General/Unreserved seats based on their NEET rank during counselling. If selected on a General seat, they are not counted against their own reserved-category quota.
Reservation percentages
The same broad reservation structure applies to state-quota seats in both government and private institutes, subject to the specific rules and certificate requirements for each category.
For government institutes, an additional 10% EWS (Economically Weaker Section) reservation applies specifically in Government Medical College Patiala, Government Medical College Amritsar, Guru Gobind Singh Medical College Faridkot, and Government Dental Colleges Amritsar & Patiala — carved out of the seats that were added when these colleges' intake was increased.
Private institutes carry the same list plus one extra category: 1% for Migrants from Jammu & Kashmir displaced due to terrorist violence (this category requires a certificate from the Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner, Migrants, Jammu, and gets a waiver of the domicile requirement — but not a relaxation in minimum eligibility marks/percentile).
| Category | Reservation |
|---|---|
| Scheduled Castes | 25% |
| Backward Classes | 10% |
| Backward Area/Border Area | 1% each (2% total) |
| Persons with permanent disability | 5% |
| Sports Persons | 1% |
| Children/grandchildren of terrorist-affected persons | 1% |
| Children/grandchildren of Sikh riot-affected persons | 1% |
| Wards of Defence Personnel | 1% |
| Wards of Punjab Police/Armed Police/Home Guards/Para-Military Forces | 1% |
| Children/grandchildren of freedom fighters of Punjab | 1% |
| EWS (specific govt colleges only) | 10% of the added seats |
| Migrants from J&K (private institutes only) | 1% |
NRI quota — how it's carved out and who qualifies
NRI quota is 15% of seats in all private institutes, Guru Gobind Singh Medical College Faridkot, and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar State Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), Mohali. Government Medical Colleges Patiala and Amritsar have 13 NRI seats each; Government Dental College Amritsar has 3, and Government Dental College Patiala has 4.
Within NRI seats, preference order is Category I (NRI/children of NRI who originally belong to Punjab) before Category II (NRI/children of NRI from any other Indian state).
'NRI' here means a person of Indian origin — with an Indian or foreign passport — permanently or temporarily settled outside India for employment, business/vocation, or any purpose indicating an intention to stay outside India indefinitely. Eligibility documents include a foreign passport, Green Card, Permanent Resident Card, proof of foreign residency from a competent authority, or an OCI/PIO card. BFUHS itself issues the eligibility certificate for NRI candidates.
NRI counselling is held before counselling for other categories. Vacant NRI seats after the 2nd centralised NRI counselling go to the General category (of the same quota — Government or Management/Minority) and are filled by the same admission committee from NEET-eligible candidates. OCI/PIO candidates can only be considered against the 15% NRI quota, not the regular state quota.
Fee structure
Fees differ sharply between government colleges, private colleges' government-quota seats, private colleges' management-quota seats, and NRI seats. Fees rise year on year even within the same batch, so budget for the higher later-year figures too.
Christian Medical College (CMC) and Christian Dental College (CDC), Ludhiana are minority institutions that follow their own Supreme-Court-approved fee policy: Rs 6.60 lakh/year for MBBS and Rs 2.20 lakh/year for BDS from both Open Quota and Minority Quota students, with a 10% increase every year.
Important fee rules that apply across colleges: tuition is paid six-monthly to the BFUHS Registrar — colleges cannot demand the whole course fee upfront. If a candidate is shifted from one college to another during later rounds of counselling, the fee already paid is refunded/adjusted within 30 days. For online-counselling admissions, fee is deposited as prescribed by BFUHS after document verification at the college; for physical counselling, fee must be paid only through a bank demand draft.
- Government MBBS colleges: Rs 2,02,000 (1st year) rising to Rs 2,62,000 (4th year), Rs 1,23,000 (5th year)
- Government BDS colleges: Rs 80,000 (1st year) rising to Rs 1,10,000 (4th year)
- Private MBBS, Government-quota 50% seats: Rs 4,70,000 (1st year) rising to Rs 6,11,000 (4th year), Rs 3,29,000 (5th year)
- Private MBBS, Management-quota 35% seats: Rs 12,07,000 (1st year) rising to Rs 15,69,000 (4th year), Rs 8,46,000 (5th year)
- Private BDS, Government-quota 50% seats: Rs 1,65,000 (1st year) rising to Rs 2,19,615 (4th year)
- Private BDS, Management-quota 35% seats: Rs 2,20,000 (1st year) rising to Rs 2,92,000 (4th year)
- NRI quota MBBS (full course): US $1,10,000; NRI quota BDS (full course): US $44,000
- SGRD University, Amritsar (a minority institution) charges the private-institute MBBS/BDS rates above from both Open and Minority Quota students, with a 10% annual increase
- Government hostel fee: Rs 19,800/year (room rent, electricity, utensils), rising 5% each subsequent year
- Private hostel: Non-AC independent room up to Rs 16,500/year (max 5% yearly hike); AC special room with attached bathroom up to Rs 26,400/year (max 10% yearly hike); security advance Rs 27,500 (refundable via demand draft); mess charges are actual and student-managed
Service bond for government MBBS seats — this can cost you Rs 20 lakh
Anyone admitted to MBBS in a Government Medical College/Institution of Punjab — whether through the State Quota or the All India Quota — must sign a Service Bond worth Rs 20,00,000 (Rupees Twenty Lakh). This does not apply to BDS or to private colleges.
The mandatory service obligation is 2 years for State Quota admissions and 1 year for All India Quota admissions, to be served in Government Medical Colleges, Government Hospitals, or other government healthcare establishments in Punjab as the Government directs. The Government can extend this period during public health emergencies, epidemics, disasters, or manpower shortages.
If a candidate fails to join, complete, or otherwise comply with the bond terms, they become liable to pay the full Rs 20 lakh bond amount, on top of any other penalties or recoveries permitted under the bond deed, prospectus, or law.
Separately, if a candidate joins the course and then resigns, withdraws, or leaves before completing two years of the course, they must pay the entire course fee and any other dues/penalties/bond amount as applicable.
Documents, the mandatory affidavit, and traps that can cancel your admission
Every candidate and their parent/guardian must submit a sworn affidavit/declaration confirming they have claimed State Quota eligibility only in Punjab and have not sought or availed State Quota eligibility (or submitted any domicile/residence/bonafide-resident document) in any other state or union territory for the same academic session. If it is later found that a candidate has claimed State Quota benefits in more than one state, or has given false/misleading information, the admission can be cancelled immediately, with further legal action possible.
Candidates must upload their 10+1 and 10+2 certificates on the BFUHS Portal — make sure these are ready in the correct format before counselling starts.
SC/BC category candidates need a certificate from the competent authority as per the latest Punjab Government instructions; the Backward Class certificate must clearly mention the family's annual income — a certificate without this is a common rejection reason.
Physically Challenged (disability) candidates must get their certificate from one of the designated centres listed on the MCC website (mcc.nic.in), following the 21 benchmark disabilities under the RPWD Act 2016. No separate medical board will be constituted for this category, and certificates from any other source will not be accepted — the valid certificate must be brought on counselling day.
Defence-quota, Punjab Police-quota, and freedom-fighter-quota certificates each need to be issued and countersigned by specific named authorities (e.g., Army/Navy/Air Force HQ or Commanding Officer countersigned by Director, Defence Services Welfare, Punjab; or IG Police (HQ) Punjab for police-quota candidates) — a certificate from the wrong office will not be accepted.
Candidates whose parents are not alive and who need a dependency certificate (for the defence/central-employee dependent categories) must get it from the Deputy Commissioner/District Collector of the district where they reside.
A candidate already admitted to MBBS/BDS anywhere in India in a previous session can apply fresh in the current year's admission process, but must obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Chairman of the Admission Committee and a Relieving Certificate from their current institution, plus any other document the Admission Committee/University prescribes.
Other rules that affect your counselling experience
The combined merit list (all candidates, including reserved category) and separate category-wise merit lists must be published on the BFUHS website at least 7 days before counselling begins.
Admission is made only to institutes that are approved by all concerned authorities on or before the first counselling. If a college's affiliation/approval is still pending at that point, it will not be included in counselling.
No admission adjustments are allowed after the date notified by the National Medical Commission for that year, regardless of any vacancy that might arise later.
If AIQ seats remain unfilled and are surrendered back to Punjab by the Director General of Health Services (MCC, New Delhi), they will be filled as per NEET merit and existing reservation rules.
Seats vacant in any reserved or minority category are transferred to the General category as per MCC/BFUHS guidelines from time to time.
SC reservation is calculated on total seats of an institution after deducting the All India Quota seats.
This notification supersedes every earlier MBBS/BDS admission notification issued in Punjab, so any older document should not be relied upon.
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See My CollegesFrequently asked questions
Who is authorised to conduct MBBS/BDS counselling in Punjab for 2026?
Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot, under the overall supervision of its Vice Chancellor, conducts centralised counselling for all Government Quota, Management Quota, Minority Quota and NRI Quota seats based on NEET merit. The 15% All India Quota is handled separately by the Government of India's Medical Counselling Committee.
What are the main routes to qualify for Punjab's state quota?
You need Indian citizenship, and either (a) you passed both 10+1 and 10+2 from a school in Punjab, or (b) you were born in Punjab, or (c) you are a 'permanent resident' of Punjab as defined in the notification (5 years of study in Punjab, or being a dependent of certain government employees, pensioners, or long-term residents).
Is there a compulsory service bond for MBBS students in Punjab?
Yes, but only for MBBS in Government Medical Colleges/Institutions (not BDS, not private colleges). The bond amount is Rs 20 lakh. State Quota admits owe 2 years of government service; All India Quota admits owe 1 year. Failing to serve makes you liable to pay the full Rs 20 lakh.
How is EWS reservation applied in Punjab medical colleges?
10% EWS reservation applies only in Government Medical College Patiala, Government Medical College Amritsar, Guru Gobind Singh Medical College Faridkot, and Government Dental Colleges Amritsar & Patiala — carved from the seats that were added when their intake capacity was increased by MCI/DCI.
How many seats are reserved for NRI candidates and how are they allotted?
15% of seats in all private institutes, GGSMC Faridkot, and AIMS Mohali; plus 13 seats each in GMC Patiala and Amritsar, 3 in Government Dental College Amritsar, and 4 in Government Dental College Patiala. Within these, Category I (NRI/children of NRI originally from Punjab) get preference over Category II (from other states). NRI counselling happens before other categories' counselling.
Can I claim state quota in Punjab and also in my home state?
No. You must submit a sworn affidavit confirming you have claimed State Quota eligibility only in Punjab for this session and have not sought or used any domicile/residence document for state-quota eligibility elsewhere. If this is found false at any stage, your admission can be cancelled immediately.
What documents do SC/BC candidates need, and what's a common mistake?
You need a certificate from the competent authority as per current Punjab Government instructions. For Backward Classes specifically, the certificate must clearly state the family's annual income — a certificate missing this detail is a common reason applications get rejected.
Can someone who already has an MBBS/BDS seat elsewhere apply again this year?
Yes, but they need a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Chairman of the Admission Committee and a Relieving Certificate from their current institution, along with any other documents the Admission Committee or University asks for, and must follow all applicable bond/fee rules.
How is the fee paid, and can it be refunded if I get shifted to another college later?
Fee is paid six-monthly to the BFUHS Registrar — colleges cannot demand the entire course fee upfront. If you are shifted from one college to another in a later counselling round, the fee already paid is refunded or adjusted within 30 days.
This notification is the rulebook, not the counselling schedule — watch the BFUHS website (www.bfuhs.ac.in) for the actual counselling dates, seat matrix, and the specific proforma to apply for all seats except All India Quota. Get your eligibility category certificates (residence, SC/BC, disability, defence, police, freedom-fighter) issued from the exact authority named in this notice well before counselling, since the wrong certificate type is the fastest way to lose a seat.
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