How to Get Admission in BDS? [Guide]

How to Get Admission in BDS?

By Zaryab Ahmed

A lot of us are confused as to what field to choose in near future. And this might be confusing as anything for some people but once you have made up your mind, things tend to get pretty much easier. If you want to opt for medical fields, there are two options considering you want to do MBBS or BDS. Whereas, the majority of the people prefer doing MBBS over BDS any second of the day but both are equally important in practical life and require the same level of hard work no matter what others say.

BDS stands for Bachelors in Dental Surgery. The course duration for this degree is 4 years whereas MBBS is 5 years. The admissions of BDS in different government and private universities are based wholly on merit so if someone wants to pursue BDS, they have to work really hard and achieve their names on the specific institute’s merit lists. The merit of BDS starts right where the merit for MBBS drops so there is a very minute difference between both the degrees’ merit lists.

Related: How to Get Admission in FCPS?

Sometimes, a student can not get to the MBBS merit list but on the BDS one so they can always keep both things in their head and obviously chase after their dreams no matter how hard it may seem to be, at first.

There are many different universities in Pakistan that are offering candidates to do BDS, both the public sector and the private sector. Here is a list:

• Zia-ud-din Medical University, Karachi, ZMU admission
• Bachelor in Dentistry
• BOLAN MEDICAL COLLEGE / BOLAN HOSPITAL: Bolan Medical College / Bolan Hospital, Quetta, BMC admission
• BAHRIA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL & DENTAL COLLEGE
• Bahria University Medical & Dental College, Karachi,
• LIAQUAT UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES Liaquat University Of Medical And Health Sciences, Jamshoro, LUMHS admission
• BAQAI MEDICAL UNIVERSITY/HOSPITAL Baqai Medical University/hospital, Karachi, BAQAI admission
• HAMDARD UNIVERSITY Hamdard University, Karachi, HAMDARD admission

• JINNAH MEDICAL & DENTAL COLLEGE Jinnah Medical & Dental College, Karachi, JMDC admission
• SIR SYED COLLEGE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES FOR GIRLS Sir Syed College of Medical Sciences For Girls, Karachi, SSCMC admission
• DOW MEDICAL COLLEGE (DMC CAMPUS) Dow Medical College (DMC Campus), Karachi, DMC admission
• PEOPLES UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES FOR WOMEN Peoples University of Medical And Health Sciences For Women, Nawab Shah, PUMHS admission
• Bachelor in Dentistry 25-11-2019
• SHAHEED MOHTARMA BENAZIR BHUTTO MEDICAL UNIVERSITY Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University, Larkana, SMBBMU admission
• BHITAI DENTAL AND MEDICAL COLLEGE Bhitai Dental And Medical College, Mir Pur Khas, BDMC admission
• LIAQUAT COLLEGE OF MEDICINE & DENTISTRY Liaquat College Of Medicine & Dentistry, Karachi, LACD admission
• ALTAMASH INSTITUTE OF DENTAL MEDICINE Altamash Institute Of Dental Medicine, Karachi, ALTAMASH admission
• KARACHI MEDICAL & DENTAL COLLEGE / ABBASI SHAHEED HOSPITAL Karachi Medical & Dental College / Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Karachi, KMDC admission
• ISLAM MEDICAL COLLEGE Islam Medical College, Sialkot admission
• BAKHTAWAR AMIN MEDICAL AND DENTAL COLLEGE Bakhtawar Amin Medical And Dental College, Multan, BAMDC admission
• ARMY MEDICAL COLLEGE / CMH Army Medical College / Cmh, Rawalpindi, AMC admission
• FMH COLLEGE OF MEDICINE & DENTISTRY Fmh College Of Medicine & Dentistry, Lahore, FMH CMD admission
• LAHORE MEDICAL & DENTAL COLLEGE Lahore Medical & Dental College, Lahore, LMDC admission

These universities are well renowned for all their glory and excellent results every year. Coming towards the eligibility criteria, almost all the universities have the same criteria except for a few different policies set aside for different purposes. MDCAT is a mandatory test for every student who has a domicile of PUNJAB and is applying in all the related universities.

General Requirements for BDS Admission:

• AGE LIMIT:

There is no age limit as to BDS admission. Anybody can apply once they are eligible for the academic criteria of BDS admissions.

• MARITAL STATUS:

Marital status also does not matter for the application process of any university for BDS.

• MEDICAL HEALTH AND FITNESS:

Every university checks to ensure that the applying candidate is healthy and fit, both mentally and physically.

Entrance Tests:

To apply for MBBS/BDS in Pakistan, the entrance test is mandatory for all candidates. There are different entrance tests which are conducted by different provincial government authorities which are nominated by the federal government which could be the UHS, NTS, ETEA, AJK, Balochistan or Sindh.

In case, there is not any test conducted or nominated by the federal government then the universities usually conduct their own entrance tests for students to pass in following strict criteria for every candidate.

For different cities and areas, different tests are available to apply in MBBS/BDS universities via entry test and other academic requirements:

Province	Acceptable Tests
Punjab & Kashmir	UHS
KPK	ETEA
Federal	FMDC
Sindh	LUMS
Quetta	BOLAN

How to Apply for BDS?

To apply for BDS, you need to give the entrance test first.

• When you are applying for the entrance test application form, your test center, date and timings will be provided to you and on the form, you will be required to fill out your most preferred universities, both public and private.
• Public universities’ merit will be a lot higher and the seats are also limited.
• Once, you get your entrance test results in your hand, you will then have an idea where you stand and then you can apply for different universities according to the eligibility criteria,
• Different universities will have different application forms for you to apply in.
• The entire process will be online based.

Eligibility Criteria:

For Local Students:

• The candidate should at least have 70% aggregate in FSC (pre-medical) with Sciences as the major group which includes Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. These marks should be unadjusted and from a Pakistani university or an equivalent examination board of secondary education in Pakistan.
• For a candidate who has done A levels or has given any other examination from a foreign education system or an examination, the body should at least have three science subjects as the major which includes, Biology, Chemistry and the third one being either Physics or Mathematics which should be duly attested by IBCC (Inter Board Chairman of Committee). This should be equivalent to the Higher Secondary School Certificate or Intermediate level in Pakistan.

Pakistani Students Living Abroad (Dual Nationalities):

• Now for those candidates who live abroad and hold dual nationality and meet the eligibility criteria mentioned above are supposed to take the entry test and if not, then they can apply through the SAT II test with a minimum score of 550 in each of the main subjects that is Biology, Chemistry, Physics/Mathematics. Another option for them is to score at least 500 in foreign MCAT.
• Foreign MCAT or SAT scores from abroad, where applicable will be valid for 2 years from passing of that examination.
• Those students applying in some universities for BDS should know that the medium of education they had previously should be in English and if not, then they are required to take TOEFL with a minimum score of 500 or the IELTS test with a minimum score of 5.5.
• Although these candidates can apply for both open-merit seats as well as for those reserved seats of expatriates they have to give an entry test in order to secure a seat for open merit.
• It should be noted that no candidate would be allowed to apply for foreign quota seats or even eligible to do so, in public or private medical and dental institutes if he/she does not hold a permanent foreign nationality or dual nationality. He/she should be an overseas Pakistani student who has studied and passed secondary education (SSC) and has also accomplished passing 12th-grade examination or equivalent while staying abroad and possess an authentic certificate to prove this.
• Other foreign qualifications other than FSC/Intermediate such as A level or International Baccalaureate should be duly attested and certified by the inter-board chairman of the committee (IBCC) considered as an equivalent to higher secondary school certificate (HSSC) or FSC/Intermediate level of Pakistan.

Documents Required for BDS Admissions (For Different Institutes):

• Recent, colored passport-sized photographs of yourself
• A photocopy of your Matriculation or equivalent qualification attested with IBCC equivalence certificate.
• A copy of your F.Sc. /A levels along with the equivalence certificate by IBCC
• A copy of your latest MCAT/Entrance test
• A copy of your SAT-II test (if applicable)
• A copy of your father’s CNIC
• A copy of your own National Identity Card
• For foreign students, a copy of the Passport is required.
• A copy of your father’s passport( for foreign students, if applicable)
• You will need your domicile (for both local and foreign students)

Mbbs/BDS Merit Formula:

The merit criteria tend to change from time to time. This year around, following the selection criteria deduced for admissions in MBBS/BDS.

• FSC/SSC or equivalent = 50%
• MCAT/Entry test = 50%

Advantages of Doing BDS:

Many of us underestimate BDS whenever we talk about medical fields. Some of us even compare MBBS and BDS stating that somehow, BDS is just a piece of cake. But the truth is, that it isn’t. It is a pretty much tough field that requires the utmost devotion and hard work if you want to become a good dentist and for it to become a lucrative one.

• It is slightly easier to get into BDS because of the minute merit difference. If you can not get into MBBS one way or the other, you can always have BDS as your back up.
• It is a stress-free profession (keeping in view that you do not have to be on call 24/7)
• It has a really good employment rate and scope in Pakistan as well as all over the world. A dentist is always needed, what so ever.
• You are benefitting the whole human race by your profession.
• The course duration is lesser. As it is a 4-year degree, you can pursue your studies right after the end of your degree or even get a job.