GPA Gridlock: Aspiring Medical Students Seek Relaxed Admission Rules After HSC Result Shock
Thousands of aspiring medical students in Bangladesh fear disqualification from the upcoming MBBS admission process due to the heavy emphasis placed on GPA scores from SSC and HSC examinations. Following the unexpected drop in HSC results this year, many students have voiced concern that they may lose their long-cherished dream of studying medicine.
In response, they have demanded that the Directorate General of Medical Education (DGME) relax the minimum GPA requirement from a combined score of 9 to 8 for SSC and HSC. The Bangladesh Private Medical College Association (BPMCA) has echoed this appeal, urging authorities to lower the GPA threshold to ensure wider eligibility.
According to the Medical Student Admission Policy 2025, candidates must have passed SSC/‘O’ Level/equivalent and HSC/‘A’ Level/equivalent examinations in the Science stream with a minimum combined GPA of 9. Additionally, candidates must achieve at least a GPA of 4 in Biology at the HSC level.
However, the 2025 HSC results revealed a significant downturn. Across 11 education boards—including nine general, one technical, and one madrasa board—the overall pass rate fell to 58.83%, down from 77.78% in 2024, marking a decline of 18.95 percentage points. Similarly, the number of GPA-5 achievers dropped to 69,097, compared to 145,911 last year—a reduction of 76,814 students.
Analysts attribute this drastic decline to multiple factors, including stricter evaluation of answer scripts, weaker performances in English and Accounting, and political unrest following the July mass uprising. This year’s HSC pass rate is the lowest since 2004, after which results had steadily improved from 2005 onwards.
Medical admission seekers say the GPA-based eligibility criteria will unfairly penalize them due to the “HSC result disaster.” Many fear they will not even qualify to apply for medical college admission—public or private. They argue that reducing the combined GPA requirement to 8 would allow a larger number of students to sit for the exam.
They have also demanded that the minimum GPA of 4 in Biology be revoked, and that greater emphasis be placed on written or MCQ performance rather than cumulative academic grades.
Supporting the students’ concerns, the Bangladesh Private Medical College Association (BPMCA) has called the current situation a serious threat to the medical education sector. On October 19, BPMCA President Dr. Sheikh Mohiuddin and General Secretary Professor Dr. Moazzem Hossain submitted a written appeal to the Adviser to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, requesting that the minimum GPA be revised from 9 to 8.
In its appeal, BPMCA stated that, according to data from DGME and the association, in the 2024–25 academic year, among 104,044 candidates who sat for the MBBS admission test, 60,095 passed. Of these, 5,380 were admitted to 37 public medical colleges, while 467 out of 6,295 seats remained vacant in 67 private medical colleges.
Experts warn that with 76,814 fewer GPA-5 holders this year, if the GPA requirement remains unchanged, only about half the number of candidates will meet the eligibility criteria. Consequently, over 1,000 seats in private medical colleges could remain vacant in the 2025–26 session, leading to a severe crisis in private medical education and potentially undermining the nation’s medical training system.
