Classes for first-year MBBS students in the 2025–2026 academic session will begin across Bangladesh on Sunday, May 3, 2026. The start applies to both government and private medical colleges, according to a press release from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued on Saturday.
The ministry said 11,833 students have secured admission this year. These include local and foreign candidates. They will study in 112 medical colleges across the country.
Of the total seats, 5,100 are in 37 government medical colleges. Another 6,278 seats are in 68 private colleges. A further 455 seats are in seven colleges run by the armed forces. This year, 122,632 applicants took part in the joint MBBS and BDS admission test.
The formal inauguration will take place on Sunday morning at the ministry’s conference room in Dhaka. Health Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain will open the session. New students from all colleges will join the event online.
State Minister for Health Dr. M A Muhith, Health Secretary Kamruzzaman Chowdhury, Director General of the Directorate of Medical Education Professor Dr. Nazmul Hossain, and President of the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council Professor Saiful Islam will also attend.
The Directorate of Medical Education has planned a three-day programme at medical colleges. After the central event, each college will hold its own inauguration.
As part of a new initiative called “One Student, One Tree,” each student will plant one tree. Officials said this will result in about 12,000 trees across the country.
Colleges will also arrange special motivational lectures. These sessions aim to support students’ mental health and help them handle academic pressure in medical studies.
The start of classes marks the beginning of formal training for a new group of future doctors. Dental colleges and dental units will begin their sessions later this month, the ministry added.