Applications open for 4,283 IHT and MATS seats, admission test on November 13

Applications have opened for admission to Medical Assistant Training Schools (MATS) and Institutes of Health Technology (IHT). The application process, which began on October 27, will run until November 6. The Directorate General of Medical Education detailed the admission process in a notice published on October 26.

According to the notice, online applications can be submitted until midnight on November 6, with the fee payable until the same time the following day. Admit cards can be downloaded until midnight on November 9 and 10. The admission test will be held on November 13 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Aspiring candidates will apply online through Teletalk Bangladesh Limited. A candidate may apply for only one institution. The application fee is Tk 800, which is non-refundable and must be paid through prepaid Teletalk.

This year, students will be admitted to 23 IHTs and 7 MATS institutions. The IHTs have 3,619 seats in total and the MATS institutions 664 — 4,283 seats altogether.

Under the seat distribution, Dhaka has 327 seats, Bogura 307, Rajshahi, Chattogram, Barishal, Rangpur and Jhenaidah 277 each, Sylhet 257 and Jamalpur 206. Among the MATS seats, Bagerhat has 152, Kushtia, Noakhali, Sirajganj and Tangail 102 each, and Cumilla and Faridpur 52 each.

To be eligible, a candidate must be a permanent citizen of Bangladesh. Those who passed the SSC or equivalent examination between 2022 and 2026 may apply. Candidates must have passed from the science group with a minimum GPA of 3.00, including a minimum GPA of 2.00 in biology.

The admission test will be a one-hour, 100-mark MCQ examination based on the SSC syllabus. Bangla, English, mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology will carry 15 marks each, and general knowledge 10 marks. The pass mark is 40. Candidates will be selected by national merit from the combined total of the MCQ score and 10 marks derived from the SSC GPA. Candidates who fail the central admission test will not be eligible for admission to any government or private IHT or MATS.

One percent of the total seats will be reserved for candidates from small ethnic communities. These candidates must sit the same examination with the same educational qualifications as general candidates and will be selected on merit. If no suitable candidate is found for a reserved seat, it will be filled from the general merit list.

Five percent of seats at private institutions will be reserved for meritorious and insolvent students. No fees beyond the tuition and session charges applicable at government institutions may be charged for these seats.

After government admissions are completed by merit from among those who pass the common admission test, the remaining successful candidates may take admission at private institutions of their choice. In that case, the institution's governing body or managing committee will approve admissions according to the applicants' merit order.

Students admitted to government and private institutions must complete their studies under the curriculum approved by the Bangladesh State Medical Faculty. Fourth-year students of the IHT Diploma in Medical Technology course must complete nine months of hospital attachment training. MATS students must complete a six-month internship at the nearest district sadar hospital or any 100-bed hospital, in line with the approved logbook, after finishing the course.