1st vs 2nd vs Final Merit List
Updated
The 1st merit list offers seats to the top applicants; the 2nd and later lists fill seats that students leave, so the closing aggregate falls with each list. How much depends on demand: in UHS Punjab's 2025 lists, public MBBS fell only 0.08 points on average from the 1st to the final list, private MBBS about 9 points. Official source
What is the difference between the 1st, 2nd and final merit list?
Universities fill seats in rounds. The 1st merit list offers seats to the top applicants for each program. Some of them join, some move to a program or college they ranked higher, and some leave for another university. Their empty seats go to the next students in merit in the 2nd list, and the process repeats until seats are full. The final list is the last round, and its last admitted aggregate is the program's closing merit.
Because each round reaches further down the merit order, the closing aggregate almost never rises from one list to the next. How far it falls depends on how many students leave.
How much does merit drop from the 1st to the final list?
Real figures from UHS Punjab's 2025 MBBS and BDS selection lists (open merit) show how different the drop can be:
| Program | Lists compared | Colleges | Smallest drop | Largest drop | Average drop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public MBBS | 1st → 13th (final) | 17 | 0.04 | 0.13 | 0.08 |
| Public BDS | 1st → 13th | 4 | 0.90 | 1.12 | 0.99 |
| Private MBBS | 1st → 5th (final) | 33 | 1.87 | 14.95 | 9.07 |
| Private BDS | 1st → 3rd | 18 | 12.37 | 19.13 | 16.08 |
Examples: King Edward Medical University closed at 94.92% in the 1st list and 94.87% in the final list, a drop of just 0.05. Queens Medical College, Kasur (private MBBS) fell from 75.95% to 61.00%, almost 15 points. Every figure is on the MDCAT merit list with a link to the official UHS list.
Why does merit drop more in some programs?
- Demand at the top. Top public colleges and programs are almost everyone's first choice, so few students leave and the merit barely moves.
- Fee and preference. Private seats are expensive and many students admitted there move to a public seat or decline, so private merit falls a lot.
- Number of rounds. More lists mean the final list reaches further down.
- Upgrades. When one student moves up to a preferred program, a chain of seats opens below.
Engineering admissions work the same way, and the gap between programs is large: at UET Taxila in 2024, Software Engineering closed at 79.435% and Environmental Engineering at 53.071%. See the UET Taxila merit list for the spread across programs.
Which list should you compare your aggregate with?
Use the final list of last year as your main guide, because it shows the lowest aggregate that still got a seat. Then look at the 1st list: if you are above last year's 1st-list figure you are very likely in; if you are only above the final figure, you may get in only in a later list. Our calculators, such as the MDCAT aggregate calculator and the UET Taxila aggregate calculator, compare you with the final list for this reason.
Should you accept a seat in the 1st list?
Usually yes. UHS, for example, upgrades admitted students to a higher-choice college in later lists (its lists have an "Upgraded To" column), and UET Peshawar's prospectus says provisionally admitted students are moved to higher choices on merit when seats fall vacant. If you do not complete admission by the deadline, you can lose the seat. Read the official notice of each list for its fee deadline and upgrade rules.
Frequently asked questions
How much does merit drop in the 2nd merit list?
It depends on the program. For Punjab public MBBS in 2025 the drop from 1st to final list was under 0.15 points per college, but private MBBS colleges dropped about 9 points on average.
Is the final merit list lower than the 1st list?
Almost always, because each later list fills seats left by students who moved or declined, reaching further down the merit order.
Which merit list should I compare my aggregate with?
Last year's final list, because it shows the lowest aggregate that still got a seat. Compare with the 1st list too to see how safe you are.
Can I get admission in the 2nd merit list if not in the 1st?
Yes. Many students are admitted in later lists, especially in programs and private colleges where many top applicants leave.
What is an upgrade in a merit list?
An admitted student is moved to a higher-choice program or college when a seat opens there. UHS lists show this in an 'Upgraded To' column.
2nd merit list mein merit kitna girta hai?
Har program mein alag. 2025 mein Punjab ke government MBBS colleges ka merit 1st se final list tak sirf 0.04 se 0.13 gira, lekin private MBBS ka average 9 points.
Pehli list mein naam na aaye to kya karein?
Agli lists ka intezar karein aur har list ki deadline par nazar rakhein. Seat khali hone par agle students ko mauqa milta hai.
Asaan alfaaz mein (Roman Urdu)
Pehli merit list mein top students ko seat milti hai. Jo students chhor dete hain ya dusri jagah chale jate hain, un ki seats 2nd aur agli lists mein agle students ko milti hain, is liye merit har list ke saath neeche aata hai.
2025 mein Punjab ke government MBBS ka merit 1st se final list tak sirf 0.08 gira, lekin private MBBS ka taqreeban 9 points. Apna aggregate hamesha pichle saal ki final list se milayein, jaise MDCAT merit list par.
Sources
- UHS 1st selection list, public MBBS 2025-26 (open merit) (checked 2026-10-31)
- UHS 13th and final selection list, public MBBS 2025-26 (open merit) (checked 2026-10-31)
- UHS 1st and 5th (final) selection lists, private MBBS 2025-26 (checked 2026-10-31)
- UET Peshawar UG Prospectus 2026-27, rule 7.7 (adjustment to higher choices) (checked 2026-10-31)
- UET Taxila UG Prospectus 2025, p. 136 (checked 2026-10-31)