The Punjab Department of Medical Education & Research has issued its official notification laying down the complete admission framework for MBBS and BDS courses in the state for the 2026 session onwards. This is not a counselling schedule — it is the master policy notice that governs eligibility, fee, reservation and quota rules that Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot will follow while conducting centralised counselling once NEET UG 2026 results are declared. It applies to all government and private medical/dental colleges in Punjab, including private universities and minority institutions, for every category of seat except the 15% All India Quota (which is handled separately by MCC). The notice fixes who qualifies as a Punjab state-quota candidate, what fees each type of college can charge, how reserved categories are calculated, NRI quota rules, and the service bond terms for government college MBBS seats.
After NEET UG 2026 results are out, Punjab candidates (except for All India Quota seats) must apply directly to BFUHS, Faridkot for centralised counselling to all Punjab medical and dental colleges, and admission will be strictly by NEET merit combined with the state's detailed eligibility and reservation rules.
What this notification covers
This is the Punjab government's foundational admission notification for MBBS and BDS courses for the 2026 session onwards, replacing all earlier notifications on the subject. It applies to Government Medical/Dental Institutes, Private Institutes and Universities, and Minority Institutions in Punjab.
All admissions — Government Quota, Management Quota, NRI Quota, Minority Quota and any other seats — must be based purely on NEET UG merit. Eligibility criteria will follow whatever the NTA Information Bulletin for the corresponding year prescribes.
Who conducts counselling and how to apply
Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot is authorised to conduct centralised counselling for all Punjab seats except the 15% All India Quota, which is filled separately by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) of DGHS, Government of India.
After NEET UG 2026 results are declared, candidates must apply on the specific proforma directly to BFUHS. Admission is made by an Admission Committee through centralised counselling strictly on inter-se NEET merit. Details of institutions and category-wise seats will be published on www.bfuhs.ac.in.
No individual institute will call fresh applications for leftover seats — even vacant seats after the main rounds are filled by the same Admission Committee using the same NEET merit list.
Who qualifies for Punjab's state quota
To be eligible for Punjab's state quota, a candidate must be an Indian citizen and satisfy at least one of these conditions: passed 10+1 and 10+2 from Punjab, OR born in Punjab, OR is a 'permanent resident' of Punjab as specifically defined below.
'Permanent resident of Punjab' is defined broadly and includes several distinct categories — read carefully, because meeting the wrong sub-clause (or missing the required certificate) can get an application rejected.
- Candidates who studied in Punjab for 5 years, or for 2 years immediately preceding the qualifying (10+2) exam
- Children/wards of Punjab Government employees (posted in or outside Punjab, including deputation) with at least 3 years of service
- Children/wards of Government of India employees posted in Chandigarh/Punjab for Punjab government work, for at least 3 years
- Children/wards of employees of State Govt. institutions/undertakings posted in Chandigarh/Punjab for Punjab affairs, for at least 3 years
- Children/wards of employees with at least 3 years' service in autonomous bodies/companies where Punjab Govt. holds 20% or more shares
- Residents living outside Punjab because their parents/guardians serve the Government of India or Punjab, provided the permanent address recorded in service books falls within reorganized Punjab on or after 01.11.1966 — this benefit is restricted to regular Central/Punjab government post holders only, and does NOT extend to PSU, CPSE, statutory corporation, autonomous body, public sector bank or LIC employees
- Employees of the Punjab & Haryana High Court on Punjab-related duty for at least 3 years, who have not already availed this facility from Haryana or Chandigarh
- Children/wards of Punjab Government pensioners, regardless of where the retiree originally belonged or later settled
- Children/wards of persons who settled in Punjab, or resided there for at least 5 years at any time before applying, for a profession or job
Other candidates also eligible in Punjab
Besides the permanent-resident categories above, the following are also eligible for admission in Punjab's medical/dental institutes:
- Wards of defence personnel posted in Punjab
- Candidates seeking admission under the NRI category
- Candidates from a minority community competing for minority quota in minority institutions
- Children/wards/dependents (whose parents are not alive) of regular Central Government employees who were posted inside Punjab for at least 2 of the 3 years preceding their 10+2 exam, but were posted outside Punjab for part of that period, causing them to pass Class XI/XII from outside Punjab — this does not apply to those posted in Punjab continuously for all three years
- If BDS seats cannot be filled by state-quota-eligible candidates, candidates who are not state-quota eligible may be considered for the leftover BDS seats
Fee structure — Government colleges
Fees below are as per Punjab government notification (subject to change by further government notification).
| Year | MBBS (Govt. Institutes) Annual Fee | BDS (Govt. Institutes) Annual Fee |
|---|---|---|
| First Year | Rs. 2,02,000 | Rs. 80,000 |
| Second Year | Rs. 2,22,000 | Rs. 90,000 |
| Third Year | Rs. 2,44,000 | Rs. 1,00,000 |
| Fourth Year | Rs. 2,68,000 | Rs. 1,10,000 |
| Fifth Year | Rs. 1,47,000 | — |
Fee structure — Private institutes, SGRDUHS and minority colleges (CMC/CDC Ludhiana)
In private medical/dental institutes and private universities, seats are split as 50% Government Quota and 50% Management Quota (including the 15% NRI quota). Government-quota fee is lower than management-quota fee.
Sri Guru Ram Das University of Health Sciences (SGRDUHS), Amritsar charges the same MBBS fee as other private institutes' management quota rate, but with a 10% annual increase, for both Open and Minority Quota BDS students.
Christian Medical College (CMC) and Christian Dental College (CDC), Ludhiana are minority institutions permitted by Supreme Court orders (2004, 2010) to follow their own admission policy. They charge Rs. 6.60 lakh/year for MBBS and Rs. 2.20 lakh/year for BDS for both Open and Minority Quota students, with a 10% annual increase.
| Course/Year | Private MBBS Govt. Quota (50%) | Private MBBS Mgmt Quota (35%) | Private BDS Govt. Quota (50%) | Private BDS Mgmt Quota (35%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Year | Rs. 4,69,000 | Rs. 12,06,000 | Rs. 1,65,000 | Rs. 2,20,000 |
| 2nd Year | Rs. 5,16,000 | Rs. 13,26,000 | Rs. 1,81,500 | Rs. 2,42,000 |
| 3rd Year | Rs. 5,68,000 | Rs. 14,59,000 | Rs. 1,99,650 | Rs. 2,66,200 |
| 4th Year | Rs. 6,25,000 | Rs. 16,00,000 | Rs. 2,19,615 | Rs. 2,92,000 |
| 5th Year | Rs. 3,44,000 | Rs. 8,80,000 | — | — |
NRI quota fee and eligibility
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 are reserved for NRI candidates. There are also fixed NRI seats: 13 each in GMC Patiala and GMC Amritsar, 3 in Government Dental College Amritsar, and 4 in Government Dental College Patiala.
NRI seats are filled in order of preference: Category I (NRI/children of NRI originally belonging to Punjab), then Category II (NRI/children of NRI belonging to another Indian state). OCI/PIO candidates are considered only under this 15% NRI quota, not under general categories.
BFUHS determines NRI eligibility and issues an eligibility certificate. NRI students who pay fee in installments must furnish a bank guarantee/surety bond for the balance. NRI counselling is held before counselling for other categories; any seats left vacant after the 2nd NRI counselling round go to the General category (in govt. colleges) or General category of Management/Minority quota (in private colleges).
| Category | Full Course Fee (US Dollars) |
|---|---|
| 15% NRI Quota — MBBS | $1,10,000 |
| 15% NRI Quota — BDS | $44,000 |
Reservation in Punjab colleges — the exact percentages
These reservation percentages apply to state-quota seats in both Government and Private medical/dental colleges (SC reservation is calculated after deducting the 15% All India Quota seats). 10% EWS reservation additionally applies within the increased seats sanctioned at GMC Patiala, GMC Amritsar, GGSMC Faridkot, and Government Dental Colleges Amritsar and Patiala.
| Category | Reservation % |
|---|---|
| Scheduled Castes (SC) | 25% |
| Backward Classes (BC) | 10% |
| Backward Area / Border Area (1% each) | 2% |
| 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% |
| Migrants from Jammu & Kashmir due to terrorist violence (Private institutes) | 1% |
⚠️ Certificate traps that can get an application rejected
The notification is very specific about which certificates and signing authorities are acceptable. Submitting the wrong certificate, or one missing a required detail, is a common reason applications get rejected during document verification.
- Defence Personnel quota: certificate must be issued by Army/Navy/Air Force HQ or the Commanding Officer (for serving personnel), countersigned by Director, Defence Services Welfare, Punjab. For Ex-servicemen, it must be signed by the District Defence Services Welfare Officer and countersigned by the same Director.
- Punjab Police/Paramilitary quota: certificate must be issued by Inspector General of Police (HQ), Punjab Police; for Paramilitary Forces, it must be countersigned by IG Police (HQ) Punjab.
- SC/BC category: a Backward Class Certificate must be from the competent authority per the latest Department of Welfare, Punjab instructions, and must clearly mention the family's annual income.
- EWS category: certificate must follow the specific format prescribed by letters dated 14-05-2019 and 28-05-2019 issued by the Department of Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities (Reservation Cell), Punjab.
- Disability certificate: must be obtained from a Government of India-designated centre (listed on mcc.nic.in) certifying one of the 21 RPWD Act 2016 benchmark disabilities, and brought to counselling in the prescribed format. No separate medical board will be set up, and no other certificate will be accepted.
- Dependency certificate (parents not alive): must be issued by the Deputy Commissioner/District Collector of the candidate's district, or another authorised government official.
- J&K Migrant quota: a valid certificate from the Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner (Migrants), Jammu is mandatory; Kashmiri Pandits/Hindu families who are non-migrants residing in the Kashmir Valley must instead produce a Domicile Certificate.
- Mandatory anti-fraud declaration: every candidate and parent/guardian must submit a sworn affidavit confirming the candidate has NOT claimed or availed state-quota eligibility in any other state/UT for the same session. If found false at any stage, the admission is liable to be cancelled immediately.
Service bond for Government MBBS colleges
Any candidate admitted to MBBS in a Government Medical College/Institution in Punjab — whether via State Quota or All India Quota — must execute a Service Bond of Rs. 20,00,000 (Rupees Twenty Lakhs).
The mandatory service period is 2 years for State Quota admits and 1 year for All India Quota admits, to be served at government hospitals/institutions as specified by the Punjab Government. The bond amount is payable in full if the candidate fails to join, complete, or comply with bond terms. The government may extend the bond period in situations like public health emergencies or shortages of medical manpower.
Important general rules candidates should know
A few procedural rules from the notification directly affect how candidates should plan their counselling participation.
- Candidates from reserved categories can compete for General/Unreserved seats on their own merit; if selected there, they will not be counted against the reserved-category quota.
- BFUHS will publish both a combined merit list (all candidates) and separate category-wise merit lists on its website at least 7 days before counselling.
- Only institutes approved by all concerned authorities before the first counselling round will be considered — institutes still awaiting affiliation/approval will not participate.
- No admission adjustments will be made after the date notified by the National Medical Commission for the year, regardless of any vacancies arising later.
- A candidate already admitted to MBBS/BDS in a previous session can apply afresh using their current year's NEET score, but must get a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the previous Admission Committee Chairman and a Relieving Certificate; leaving the course before completing 2 years makes them liable for the entire course fee and other dues.
- Fee is payable six-monthly — institutes cannot insist on advance payment of the full course fee. Fee is refunded/adjusted within 30 days if a candidate is shifted between colleges in a later counselling round.
- Candidates admitted through online counselling pay fee as prescribed after document verification at college level; those admitted through physical counselling must pay by Bank Demand Draft only.
- Candidates must upload their 10+1 and 10+2 certificates on the BFUHS portal.
- The State Government reserves the right to amend any clause or procedure, and the Administrative Secretary, Department of Medical Education & Research, Punjab is empowered to issue binding clarifications and resolve disputes.
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See My CollegesFrequently asked questions
Do I need to apply separately for Punjab MBBS/BDS counselling, or does NEET registration cover it?
You must apply separately. After NEET UG 2026 results are declared, you need to apply on the specific proforma directly to Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot for all Punjab seats except the 15% All India Quota, which is handled by MCC.
I studied only Class 12 in Punjab (not Class 11). Am I still eligible for Punjab state quota?
The notification requires passing BOTH 10+1 and 10+2 from Punjab under one eligibility route, OR being born in Punjab, OR meeting the 'permanent resident' definition (such as studying 5 years in Punjab, or 2 years immediately before the qualifying exam). Check which specific clause applies to your situation.
My parents work for a Punjab government-owned company. Does that make me eligible?
Only if the company is one in which the Punjab Government holds 20% or more shares, and the employee has at least 3 years of service. Employees of PSUs, CPSEs, statutory corporations, public sector banks, insurance corporations (including LIC), or other government-owned companies not meeting this specific shareholding test are explicitly excluded from this benefit.
Is there a service bond if I get an MBBS seat under All India Quota in a Punjab government college?
Yes. The Rs. 20 lakh service bond applies to all MBBS admits in Government Medical Colleges/Institutions of Punjab, regardless of whether they come through State Quota or All India Quota. The mandatory service period is 1 year for AIQ admits versus 2 years for State Quota admits.
What happens if I withdraw from the MBBS/BDS course after joining?
If you resign, withdraw, or leave the course before completing two years, you become liable to pay the entire course fee plus any other dues, penalties, bond amount, or financial liabilities as prescribed under the applicable rules in force at that time.
Can I claim Punjab state quota and also apply under another state's domicile quota this year?
No. You and your parent/guardian must submit a sworn affidavit confirming you have not claimed or availed state-quota eligibility in any other state/UT for the same academic session. If this is found to be false at any stage, your admission will be cancelled immediately, in addition to other legal action.
Which disability certificate will be accepted for the persons-with-disability quota?
Only a certificate issued by a Government of India-designated centre (listed on mcc.nic.in), certifying one of the 21 RPWD Act 2016 benchmark disabilities, in the prescribed format. Bring the original to counselling — no separate medical board will be set up and no other certificate will be entertained.
Are private college fees fixed for the entire course, or can they change every year?
Fees increase year on year as per the fixed schedule given in the notification (e.g., private MBBS management quota fee rises from about Rs. 12.06 lakh in Year 1 to Rs. 16 lakh in Year 4). SGRDUHS and CMC/CDC Ludhiana specifically apply a 10% annual increase. All fees are also subject to change via further government notification.
How will I know my rank/merit position before counselling?
BFUHS is required to publish a combined merit list of all candidates (including reserved categories) and separate category-wise merit lists on its official website at least 7 days before each counselling round.
Keep checking www.bfuhs.ac.in for the counselling schedule, application proforma and category-wise seat matrix once NEET UG 2026 results are declared. Gather your certificates well in advance — especially domicile/residence proof, category certificates and disability certificates in the exact format specified — since the wrong document type is one of the most common reasons candidates lose a counselling round in Punjab.
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