Chandigarh, July 17: A day after the National Testing Agency declared the NEET UG 2026 result, attention has shifted to how states will run their admission process – and Punjab candidates now have a fresh rulebook to work with. The state’s Department of Medical Education & Research has notified a revised admission framework for MBBS and BDS courses that will govern every government and private medical or dental institute in Punjab from the 2026 session, replacing all earlier admission orders. The notification, numbered MER-HTH305C/9/2024-5HB3/I/1443408/2026, has been issued by Principal Secretary Kumar Rahul, IAS.
With scores now in hand, eligible candidates can begin planning their choices even though Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot – the body that conducts Punjab’s state counselling – is yet to open registration. Going by last year’s pattern, when the window ran from July 15 to 24, this year’s schedule is expected only after BFUHS releases its official seat matrix, likely in the coming weeks.
How Counselling Will Work
NEET UG rank remains the sole basis for admission to Government Quota, Management Quota, NRI Quota and Minority Quota seats. BFUHS will run centralised counselling for these categories once applications open on its portal, while All India Quota seats continue to be filled separately by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) under the DGHS.
Government medical colleges will send 15 percent of their seats to the All India Quota pool run by MCC; the remaining 85 percent will be filled by Punjab’s own admission committee strictly on state merit.
Who Counts as a Punjab Candidate
The notification defines eligibility broadly. A candidate qualifies for the state quota if they studied Class 11 and 12 in Punjab, were born in the state, hold permanent residency there, or fall under specific categories such as children of Punjab government employees or pensioners, or those who have lived and worked in the state for at least five years. Wards of defence personnel posted in Punjab, NRI-category applicants, and minority-quota candidates are eligible under separate provisions.
Fee Structure Across Colleges
Fees differ sharply by institute type and quota:
Government colleges (MBBS): First-year fee is around ₹2.02 lakh, rising to roughly ₹2.68 lakh by the fourth year, with a lighter fifth-year charge.
Government colleges (BDS): Considerably cheaper, starting near ₹80,000 in the first year.
Private colleges (MBBS): First-year fee is about ₹4.69 lakh under the 50 percent government quota, against close to ₹12.06 lakh under the 35 percent management quota.
Private colleges (BDS): Roughly ₹1.65 lakh (government quota) versus ₹2.20 lakh (management quota) in year one.
NRI quota: Billed in dollars – the full MBBS course costs US$1,10,000 and BDS costs US$44,000.
Two institutions run on separate fee tracks. SGRD University, Amritsar, starts near ₹12.06 lakh in the first year with a 10 percent annual increase. Christian Medical College and Christian Dental College, Ludhiana – protected as minority institutions under a Supreme Court order – charge around ₹6.6 lakh a year for MBBS and ₹2.2 lakh for BDS, also rising 10 percent annually. All figures remain subject to change through future government notifications.
Reservation Breakdown
Government college seats follow a detailed quota matrix: 25 percent for Scheduled Castes, 10 percent for Backward Classes, 10 percent under EWS, 5 percent for persons with disabilities, and smaller shares of around 1 percent each for sportspersons, defence and police wards, and descendants of freedom fighters and terror- or riot-affected families. The same structure applies to state-quota seats in private colleges, with an extra 1 percent reserved for Jammu & Kashmir migrants displaced by terrorism.
NRI quota is capped at 15 percent across private institutes and select autonomous colleges, with a fixed number of seats also set aside at government colleges in Patiala and Amritsar. Preference goes first to NRIs of Punjabi origin before extending to applicants from other states.
₹20 Lakh Bond for MBBS Seats
Every MBBS candidate admitted to a government medical college in Punjab – through either the state or all-India quota – must sign a service bond worth ₹20 lakh. The mandatory service period is two years for state-quota admits and one year for all-India quota admits. Candidates who fail to complete or comply with the bond become liable for the full amount, in addition to any other legal action.
What Happens Next
The state merit list will be published on the BFUHS website at least seven days before counselling begins. Admissions will be confirmed only at institutes cleared by all regulatory authorities ahead of the first round. Any unfilled reserved or minority-quota seats will revert to the general category as per MCC norms, and candidates must upload their Class 11 and 12 certificates to the BFUHS portal during registration. Disputes arising from the notification will be settled by the Administrative Secretary of the Department of Medical Education & Research.
Candidates are advised to keep their NEET UG 2026 scorecard, Punjab domicile documents and Class 12 marksheet ready, and to track bfuhs.ac.in for the counselling schedule once it is announced.
