The 21st meeting of the Medical Education Commission (MEC) has approved an increase in the number of seats for medical education programs and technical training under the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT). The decision covers the current academic session, expanding access to both MBBS and BDS, as well as other health science programs.
The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister and Commission Chairperson KP Sharma Oli at the Prime Minister’s Office, followed recommendations from the Commission’s Seat Allocation Committee. The 20th Commission meeting, held on 16 July 2025, had initiated the process for determining seats for certificate-level programs under CTEVT’s medical education stream.
As per the new decision, the existing MBBS seat limit of 100 will be increased to 130, while the BDS limit will rise from 50 to 60 seats. Commission members noted that seat allocations were determined after reviewing medical colleges’ infrastructure, faculty, and other regulatory standards. Only institutions meeting these standards will receive the full number of seats. The meeting has increased the total enrollment capacity in MBBS program from 2140 to 2635; as increment of 495 seats. Similarly, the meeting also increased the seats of BSc Nursing by 440 and Bachelor in Nursing Science by 122.
| SN | Program | Last year Seat | Allocated Seat 2025/26 | (+/-) |
| 1 | BDS | 575 | 625 | 50 |
| 2 | BSc Nursing | 1990 | 2430 | 440 |
| 3 | BNS | 940 | 1062 | 122 |
| 4 | BMS | 100 | 65 | -35 |
| 5 | BPH | 650 | 712 | 62 |
| 6 | BPT | 150 | 150 | 0 |
| 7 | BAMS | 100 | 110 | 10 |
| 8 | BASLP | 16 | 16 | 0 |
| 9 | BSc Radio Therapy | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| 10 | BSc MLT | 351 | 387 | 36 |
| 11 | BSc MIT | 94 | 108 | 14 |
| 12 | BSc Cli. Psy. | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Bpharm | 695 | 835 | 140 |
| 14 | Bperfusion Tec. | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 15 | BOPTOM | 90 | 100 | 10 |
| 16 | BSc Midwifery | 20 | 30 | 10 |
| 17 | MBBS | 2140 | 2635 | 495 |
| Total | 7914 | 9273 | 1359 |
Among the colleges receiving the highest allocation of 130 MBBS seats are Birat Medical College, Chitwan Medical College, Nobel Medical College, Nepalgunj Medical College, Universal College of Medical Sciences, Kathmandu Medical College, and Nepal Medical College. Manipal College in Pokhara and Gandaki Medical College have been allocated 120 MBBS seats, while Devdaha Medical College will have 90 seats.
Kathmandu University’s School of Medical Sciences has also increased to 130 seats. Other government and institutional colleges will have their seat increases confirmed once resources and standards are verified.
In the BDS stream, Peoples Dental College and Kantipur Dental College will have 60 seats each, while other colleges have been allocated 40 or 30 seats.
Medical education reform advocate Dr. Govinda KC has previously warned against increasing medical college seats and tuition fees without proper regulation.
The Commission’s decision aims to expand medical education access while maintaining quality standards across institutions.
