KMU’s merit lists often place BDS candidates in a college that is not their first choice. A common case: your name comes for the KMU Institute of Dental Sciences (KIDS), Kohat, you receive the fee challan, but you really want Saidu College of Dentistry (SCD), Swat, or another college you ranked higher. Should you pay at KIDS or leave the challan unpaid? This guide explains what KMU’s admission rules say happens in each case, so you can decide with your eyes open.
The short answer: if you do not deposit the KIDS fee within the deadline, your KIDS admission is cancelled and you have no right to KIDS for the rest of that admission year, not even through later shifting. You can still be considered for colleges you ranked higher, such as SCD, through KMU’s later merit lists if you opted for the waiting list and your merit reaches them. The safer route for most students is to pay at KIDS and wait for upgradation: admitted students are moved up to higher choices when seats open, and the fee is transferred without deduction.
Source: KMU admission policy for public sector medical and dental colleges of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and KMU’s admission policy for KIMS and KIDS. KMU announces the dates of each merit list and fee deadline; follow its notices for the current round.
What the KMU rules say
- Three working days to pay. A selected candidate who does not deposit the prescribed admission fee within three working days loses the admission and has no vested right of admission in that year on that particular seat in that particular institute.
- No going back to a refused college. Down-gradation to an institute that was already refused is not allowed, and waiting-list candidates are not offered admission in an institution they already refused.
- Waiting list for higher colleges. Fresh candidates who have not deposited the fee and opted to be on the waiting list for higher-merit institutions are offered admission on a merit-cum-choice basis.
- Upgradation for admitted students. Vacant seats are filled through upgradation of admitted students and from the waiting list, on merit and choice. The fee deposited by an upgraded student is transferred to the new institution without deduction.
- Only colleges in your preferences. You are considered only for colleges you listed in your preference order.
Option 1: pay at KIDS and wait for upgradation
You deposit the fee and join KIDS. Your seat is secure. In later merit lists, if a seat opens at SCD or another college you ranked above KIDS and your aggregate reaches it, KMU moves you up and your fee goes with you. If no higher seat opens, you still have a BDS seat this year.
Best for: students who would accept KIDS if nothing better comes, which is most students.
Option 2: leave the KIDS challan unpaid
Your KIDS admission is cancelled automatically when the deadline passes, and KIDS is closed to you for the whole admission year, including the shifting rounds. You remain in the running for colleges you ranked higher, such as SCD, through the waiting list, if KMU’s notice lets you opt for it and you do so, and if your merit reaches a vacant seat there.
The risk: if your merit does not reach SCD or another higher college in the remaining lists, you may end the year with no BDS seat at all. Do this only if you are certain you would never join KIDS.
KIDS vs SCD by the numbers
| College | Closing aggregate | Open merit seats filled |
|---|---|---|
| Saidu College of Dentistry (SCD), Swat | 92.8030% | 39 |
| KMU Institute of Dental Sciences (KIDS), Kohat | 92.5535% | 41 |
SCD closed about 0.25 points above KIDS. If your aggregate sits between the two, an SCD seat depends on how many students above you leave seats vacant. Closing merits change every year, so treat these as a guide, not a promise. See all colleges on our KMU closing merit page.
How to decide
- Ask yourself one question: if SCD never comes, would you rather study at KIDS this year or reappear next year? If KIDS is acceptable, pay.
- Check where your aggregate stands against last year’s closing merit for the colleges you want.
- Read the merit-list notice carefully for the fee deadline and how to record a waiting-list option.
- Never miss a deadline by accident. Leaving a challan unpaid should be a deliberate choice, not something that happens because you were waiting for news.
The same rules apply to any college offer in KMU’s rounds, MBBS or BDS: an unpaid offer closes that college for the year, while higher choices can still come through later lists. Read more about how the rounds work in our guides to KMU merit lists, upgrades and the waiting list and KMU shifting vs migration.
Frequently asked questions
If I don’t pay the KIDS fee, will I still be eligible for SCD?
Yes, for colleges you ranked higher than KIDS, such as SCD, through KMU’s later merit lists if you opted for the waiting list and your merit reaches a vacant seat. You will not be eligible for KIDS again in that admission year.
Can I get KIDS back later if I don’t pay now?
No. KMU’s policy says a candidate who does not deposit the fee in time has no right to that seat in that institute for the year, and a college you refused is not offered again through shifting or the waiting list.
If I pay at KIDS, can I still move to SCD?
Yes. Admitted students are considered for upgradation to colleges they ranked higher when seats open, and the fee already paid is transferred to the new college without deduction.
How long do I have to deposit the fee?
Three working days, as set in KMU’s admission policy, or the period stated in the merit-list notice.
What if my merit never reaches SCD and I didn’t pay at KIDS?
Then you may have no BDS seat this year. That is the main risk of leaving an offer unpaid.
Does this rule apply to MBBS colleges too?
Yes. The same fee, refusal and upgradation rules apply to every public sector medical and dental college in KMU’s admission rounds.
Sources
- KMU Admission Policy, public sector medical and dental colleges of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: fee deadline, refused institutes, waiting list and upgradation.
- KMU Admission Policy for KIMS and KIDS: the same rules for KMU’s Kohat institutes.
- KMU Centralized Admission System: merit lists and current notices.
Read next: our KIMS and KIDS Kohat admission guide and the KMU BDS admission guide for public dental colleges.
This is an independent guide by ePrepare, not an official KMU notice. The choice to leave an offer unpaid is yours and carries risk; KMU’s notices for each merit list always come first.
