The colleges are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), and are affiliated with a university in the respective region.
They however have to be recognized after meeting a set criterion by a central regulatory authority called Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BM&DC).
Currently, there are 37 public medical colleges, these provide 5380 seats every year for students undertaking MBBS.
6 colleges are run by Bangladesh Armed Forces which offer 375 seats.
The Doctor of Medicine (MD), Master of Surgery (MS) or Postgraduate Diploma is awarded as a postgraduate degree in selected medical colleges and universities, following the medical tradition of Commonwealth countries.