December 2014 - EDU

Student Loan Consolidation What You Need to know

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Student Loan Consolidation What You Need to know
Student Loan Consolidation
The costs for college and university education continue to rise and many graduates have to bear huge debts on student loans long after graduating. Many reports on student debts show that more than two-third of all students graduating from colleges do so with some form of student debt. 

This worrying trend continues even when the graduates get employed since the starting salary of many fresh graduates can hardly cater for repayment of student debt. Repaying several loans, all with different payment times, structures and formulas can be a daunting task.


Student’s loan consolidation comes as an appealing option to cash-strapped graduates who seek to lower their monthly repayments or simplify their finances. Like any other financial arrangement, there are details to be considered before one takes on consolidation loans. 

For instance, which students loans can be combine, who can combine, and when is best to go for uniting or avoid combining? This is what you need to know about student loan consolidation.

What Is Student Loan Consolidation?

Students’ loan consolidation works more or less like mortgage refinancing. Several student and parent loans can be combined into consolidation Loan to form a larger loan from a single lender, which can then be used to offset other loans. Simply, merging the loans involve taking a new larger loan which is then used to pay off other existing students loans. 

Direct Loan unification program now handles all new federal education loans including merging loans since July 1, 2010. Although it is possible to concatenate all federal student loans and some private student loans, it is important to understand the pros and cons of consolidating student loans.

Who Can Consolidate Student Loans

Although both students and parents borrowers can combine their education loans separately, there are set eligibility requirements that must be met for one to qualify for consolidation loans such as:-
  1. One must have graduated or if enrolled in school, status must be less than part time
  2. Applicant must be making loan repayment currently or be within the loan’s (grace period)
  3. Applicant must not be in loan default or must have good loan repayment history
  4. One must have accumulated loans within the required range (usually $5,000-$7,500)


These are just some of the general eligibility requirements but there are more details to check for before you become eligible. For example, it is not possible to consolidate private student loans with federal student loans. While it is possible to do so under private loan, this is not advisable as you may incur high interest rates which may farther increase if repayment is not done on time.

Which Loan Can Be Consolidated?

If loan consolidation is your option, then it is a relief to note that any federal education loan, single or multiple, can be centralize. While this is so, there are set restrictions on consolidating a loan that has already been combined, Since 2006, it is required that if one is to consolidate a loan that has already been join  then loan has to add another loan which was previously unconsolidated. Private student loans cannot be combine with federal student loans.

A single consolidation loan cannot be consolidated to itself but two consolidation loans can be consolidated. Moreover, you cannot conjoin your own loans with hose of spouse or parents because you can only merge the loans that you hold in your name. Married students or students who get married in the course of their studies can no longer unite their loans since this provision was annulled in July 1, 2006.

When to Avoid Consolidation

Which Loan Can Be Consolidated?
While consolidation loan may look like a better option for financial arrangement, one should avoid it especially if the set conditions are not favorable. Some consolidators have strict repayment requirements that can lead to increased interest rates if they are not met. This can be very tricky considering that many loans take many years to repay. 

Federal consolidation loans come with bonuses such as forgiveness, cancellation opportunities and advantageous repayment. 

So, you may want to avoid private merging loans to take advantage of such extras. In some cases, it is better to keep loans separate since some borrowers target high interest rate loans where they can save some money by making accelerated loan repayment. This is not the case when several loans are consolidated since consolidation loans have single interest rate. 

Loan Repayment Plans

Besides the 10-years repayment plan which is the standard default repayment plan, federal education loans have other alternative repayment plans. All the other repayment plans have lower monthly payment than standard repayment plan but with longer repayment period and increased amount of interest repaid.

An applicant should note that if a repayment plan is not specified the standard 10-year repayment plan will be applied. 

Types of Repayment Plans

Standard Repayment: loan repayment is set on a fixed monthly amount for a loan term of up to ten years. $50 is the minimum monthly repayment.

 Extended Repayment: Depending on loan amount borrowed, this plan covers 12-30 years. Longer period can reduce monthly repayment but increase the total amount repaid.

Graduated Repayment: Depending on the amount borrowed, this plan takes 12-30 years.
The repayment starts on a lower repayment amount (not less than 50% of standard plan) and gradually increases (not exceeding more than 50% of standard plan) every two years.

Income-Contingent Repayment: this repayment plan is available to Direct Loan borrowers only and is based on the income of the borrower and debt amount. The plan has a 25 year term and the monthly repayment is adjusted as the borrower incomes status changes.

Income-Sensitive Repayments: This plan has a repayment period of 10 years and monthly repayment is based on a percentage of gross monthly income.

Income-Based Repayment: Introduced in 2009, this plan base monthly repayment on a percentage of discretionary income and is available in both Direct Loan and FFEL programs.

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Finding the best lawyer after your Auto, Motorcycle, or Boating Accident

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Finding the best lawyer after your Auto, Motorcycle, or Boating Accident
What you need to know about choosing the best lawyer after your Auto, Motorcycle, or Boating accident.
Choosing the best lawyer after your Car accident.
In most cases, finding a lawyer after a motor accident is not hard but finding the right lawyer who will best represents your interest in the case in the problem. There are many great lawyers out there who will be willing to help you in your case, especially if the case is good. There is a likelihood of winning but not all lawyers will be right for your motor case. Before you choose a lawyer, you need to be sure that he/she will be the best lawyer to represent you in the case and that he/she has interest and experience in the case.
Having the right lawyer for your case make all the difference in your motor case and can determine the final outcome. Before you choose a lawyer for you auto, motorcycle, or boating accident case, you should have information on what to look for in an lawyer and how to choose the best lawyer for your case. Such information can save you a lot of frustrations, time and money.
There is lot to learn and to find out about the lawyer who will represent you. Surprisingly, you will find that much has nothing to do with your case but the lawyer himself of herself.
The lawyer will be your prime contact person in the case and therefore he/she should have the best of qualities and reputation appropriate for your motor case. Before meeting with a prospective lawyer, you should have the necessary information about your motor case and especially records, documents and notes relating your accident.
Important documents such as medical expensive bills, bills relating to repairs, police reports and insurance policies will help you to discuss your case with the lawyer in a more coherent manner. Here is what you should know about getting the right and best lawyer for your motor vehicle case.

Where to get a prospective lawyer

There are many directions you can utilize to get a prospective lawyer or lawyer for your motor case. Referrals from friends, colleagues and acquaintances should be your first option because it can give you different unbiased experiences about prospective lawyers.
Contacting and consulting reputable lawyer agencies, bar associations and legal specialty groups can also help to find the best lawyer for your motor vehicle case.
Communicating with the lawyer
When you meet a prospective lawyer or lawyer, the first thing that you should establish is whether he/she is a comfortable person to communicate with. Communication between you and your lawyer will play a major role in your case and you should be sure that you will have a positive relationship with your lawyer and that you will him/her freely.
Go further and take the steps to find out whether it is also easy to communicate with other members of staff in the lawyer’s office.

Experience of the lawyer

Once you have confirmed that the lawyer with whom you work with, then you have to observe about his/her specialty, experience, positive result and how many years of practice the lawyer have.
You have to know which area the lawyer practices often; motor vehicle accident cases or personal injury cases and what percentage of success he/she has had in each case. You also have to know who the lawyer represents often; plaintiffs or defendants.
You will find that lawyers who often represent defendants might be tied to the attitude of insurance companies and might not, consciously or unconsciously, fight as hard for your case. Many lead lawyers are usually busy so you also need to find out if the lawyer will deal with your case directly of another lawyer will be responsible. If another lawyer will be involved, ask to meet this lawyer directly. Find out if the lawyer and other members of staff are open, honest, and transparent on what they do.

Duration of the case

Being involved in a case can take a lot of your time and dedication, so you need to know how long your case will take before being resolved. An experienced lawyer should be able to provide general guidelines of how long a particular case can take.
As a heuristic rule, complex cases take time compared to simple cases but in some situations, simple cases can take along due to disputed liability or medical causation issues. Some lawyers may not resolve the case until a medial end result is reached to determine the final consequences, this may take time. Although there are no set guidelines for calculating the duration of a case, a good lawyer should be able to estimate the duration.

Fees and costs of the case

Any case, however simple it is, will incur fees and costs. Agree with the lawyer of the best way to meet communication costs such as emails, telephone calls, documents preparation, conferences, visits etc. what worries most clients are the fees involved in handing the case. Ask the lawyer for possibility of an out-of-court settlement which can be cheaper in the long run.
Discuss with the lawyer how case fees will be calculated; hourly, flat fee, or depending with the case proceedings. Some lawyers will agree to meet out of pocket expenses associated with pursuing the case and take a fraction of the recovery payment after they win the case. Others may ask the client to pay upfront of cater for case expenses.
Beware of such, especially if they ask you to pay a certain figure to review the ask you to pay a certain figure to review the case on merit. In that case, the client may lose funds if the case is lost which should not be the final outcome of your court case.
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Where to move your Money? What is a Refinance Loan?

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Where to move your Money? What is a Refinance Loan?
Rolling over credit card debt is the process of moving a credit card balance from one credit card to another lender. Refinancing a loan is another option when you can’t make your current payments.
When you refinance a loan, you get to pay you’re your existing mortgage with the monies received from the new loan. When roiling over credit card debt of seeking to refinance a loan, the rates you will pay also depend on whether the loan is secured or unsecured.

Where to move your money

When rolling over credit card debt, you can move an existing balance onto another, existing credit card loan. This allows you to move $500 store card balance onto a lower interest rate credit card with minimal effort. You are then free to close the store card account while making a single payment with a lower interest rate to the consolidated account.
There is an option to move an existing credit card balance to new credit card balance to a new credit card offering a low, teaser interest rate. A common example of this is moving a $4,000 debt from a credit card with a 15% interest rate to a new credit card with a 0% interest rate for the first six months.
This arrangement can potentially allow you to pay off more principle with the same monthly payments for the first six months or lower your minimum monthly payment for the first few months. However, you must be careful with this arrangement, because some credit cards with low teaser rates only offer 0% interest on new debt charged on their credit card, not a roll over balance.

Another Option – Where to move your Money

Another option is moving credit card debt into your home equity line of credit or a second mortgage (refinancing an existing loan). The benefit of this arrangement is a lower interest rate, since the debt is secured by your home.
One disadvantage of this arrangement is that you will be paying ten to thirty years on debt racked up buying clothes, eating out or taking trips, increasing the total interest paid on the debt to more than the original amount spent. The other downside is that your debt has changed from unsecured to secure. If you were financially strapped, you could have negotiated a settlement with a credit card company.
A home equity line of credit isn’t negotiable unless you are going through bankruptcy, and they are likely to say no if your home has enough equity to pay off the line of credit and your first mortgage. If you roll over an existing credit line into a new loan secured by your home, you can refinance the second mortgage to extend the term and make the payments more affordable.

If you have improved your credit score, rolling over the unsecured debt into the secured loan and refinance the consolidated balance at a lower interest rate is also an option. If you cannot get a better deal through refinancing the mortgage, a cash back mortgage refinance can give the money to pay off your credit card debt without increasing the interest rate on your home loan or equity line of credit.

What factors determine your Interest Rate?

Your credit score will affect the interest rate you are offered when rolling over credit card debt or seeking to refinance a loan. The balanced to be rolled over will also affect the interest rate; larger balances can trigger higher interest rates. Your credit score and interest rate will also suffer if the roll over balance causes you to come close to or exceed the credit card limit.
If you roll over a large debt and continue racking up new credit card debt, the lender may increase your interest rate due to the risk that you will not be able to pay off the loan. If you continually refinance your existing loans instead of making significant progress paying them off, your creditors will eventually stop offering favourable loan terms.
Before considering refinancing as an option, you will need to consider the various fees associated with it, as fees normally have to be paid up front, it may take some time before your savings may exceed your costs.
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How to Choose the right Criminal Defense Lawyer

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How to Choose the right Criminal Defense Lawyer
When one charged with a crime that may result into serious consequences such as files, jail term or probation, there is a need to find the right criminal defense lawyer.

However, choosing the right lawyer for your criminal case can be the hardest part because you need to consider issues relating to experience of the lawyer, his/her ability, cost, reputation and personal qualities such as relationship and attitude.
If you are preparing for a criminal case, you need to find the right and experienced criminal defense lawyer who will represent you over the case. Here are the steps to help you choose the right criminal defense lawyer.

Choose a Criminal Defense Lawyer with Specialty

When we choosing a defense lawyer, you need o understand your area of need and the focus on finding a lawyer that specializes in that field. Apart from handling routine criminal defense cases, most of the criminal defense lawyers have their own area of specialty such as violent crime, rape defense or other areas of specialty.
Although it might be difficult to get a lawyer who entirely concentrates in your type of case, the idea is to get an experienced criminal defense lawyer who will dedicate sufficient time to understand your case and your defense.

Have your Own Preferences

When choosing a criminal defense lawyer, you need to list down your personal preferences of what type of a lawyer you would like to represent you in your case. Decide if your case requires serious attention that may necessitate services of an experienced criminal defense lawyer who can be costly or you can do with a young and less experienced lawyer willing to make up through hard work. Do not be swayed away by big-talking slogans describing lawyers, meet the lawyer in person and determine by yourself.
Public Defenders Vs. Private Lawyers
Although public defenders are available and reserved for people who cannot afford private lawyers, you need to consider the implication of having public defender for your criminal case. In many cases, public defenders do not have sufficient time and resources to represent you in your case which can result in less justice. Although their passion defenders can be overwhelmed by the number cases under them.

Enquire and Use Referrals

Using friends and colleagues as referral to choose a criminal defense lawyer can be a good option since they might have a firsthand experience with the lawyer. Avoid seeking biased referrals such as colleagues of the lawyers that might not provide genuine information.
Find The Rating Of The Lawyer
Some legal bodies have rating system that can be used to tell if a certain lawyer is worthy to represent your case. Martindale Hubbell rating is such as rating system and a lawyer rated with AV rating has the highest ability and ethics based on lawyers and judges opinions. Use such rating systems to choose the best criminal defense lawyer for your case.

The size of Law Firm

The size of the law firm where lawyer come from will be significant to you in that criminal defense lawyer who work in small firms tend to have more time and dedication. Small firms can be selective with powerful and cohesive teams that can guarantee total attention and better service for your case.
The Costs of the Case
In the process of consulting for potential criminal defense lawyer, you will be able to find the cost implication of your criminal case. Every case is different depending on its seriousness and so the cost implication is different. The particular lawyer that you settle for should be able to let you know the cost implication. Do not assume anything about case costs. Take your own initiative to ask if there are hidden fees or extra charges.
Criminal Defense Lawyer

Discuss the Facts Of Your Case

Make appointments with your preferred criminal defense lawyer to discuss facts and figures surrounding your case. The lawyer should be able to provide rough ideas of how he/she intends to proceed with the case. Ask the lawyer if he/she is of the opinion that you might need additional services such as private investigation or psychotherapy.
Have An Open-Mind Approach
When choosing the right criminal defense lawyer for your case, have an open mind that there are no fixed qualities of the best criminal defense lawyer has strengths and weaknesses but your mission will be to look for the best you can.

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Indian Air Force Common Admission Test 2015

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Indian Air Force Common Admission Test 2015
                               Air Force Common Admission Test 2015


AIR FORCE COMMON ADMISSION TEST (AFCAT) 2015

Important Dates

Candidates has to apply online on IAF career website from
:
06 December 2014 to 01 January 2015
Last date for submission of Online applications
:
1st January 2015
Air Force Common Admission Test
:
22nd February 2015

Indian Air Force invites enterprising and adventurous men to join the Indian Air Force as Commissioned Officers in Flying, Technical and Ground Duty branches
Applications are invited from Male Indian Citizens as per Citizenship Act 1955 for the following courses commencing in January 2016 for grant of Short Service Commission in Flying Branch and Permanent / Short Service Commission in Technical and Ground Duty Branches.

Indian Air Force 

Male
Flying Branch
a) No. 199/16F/SSC/M (Short Service Commission)
Technical  Branch
a) No. 198/16T/PC/M (Permanent Commission)
b) No. 198/16T/SSC/M (Short Service Commission)
Ground Duty Branches
a) No. 198/16G/PC/M (Permanent Commission)
b) No. 198/16G/SSC/M (Short Service Commission)

Female
Flying Branch
No. 44 Short Service Commission (44 SSC) Course
Technical Branch
No. 58 Short Service Commission (58 SSC) Course
Ground Duty Branches
No. 137 Ground Duty Officers (137 GDOC) Course (Permanent Commission)
No. 46 Short Service Commission (46 SSC) Course


Eligibility Criteria
Flying Branch 199/16F/SSC/M
Age: 20 to 24 years as on 01 January 2016 i.e. Born between 02 January 1992 to 01 January 1996 (both dates inclusive). (Upper age limit for candidates holding valid and Current Commercial Pilot License issued by DGCA (India) is relaxable upto 26 years i.e. born between 02 January 1990 to 01 January 1996 (both dates inclusive)

Educational Qualifications: Graduates (Minimum three year degree course) in any discipline from a recognised University who have attained minimum 60% marks in aggregate in all papers put together and have passed Maths and Physics at 10+2 level or BE / B Tech degree (Four year course) from a recognised University with minimum 60% marks in aggregate in all papers put together.

Technical Branch 198/16T/PC/M & 198/16T/SSC/M
Age: 20 to 26 years as on 01 January 2016 i.e. born between 02 January 1990 to 01 January 1996 (both dates inclusive).

Educational Qualifications:
Aeronautical Engineer (Electronics) AE (L): Candidates applying for AE (L) branch would be eligible if they have undergone a minimum of four year degree qualification from a recognised University or cleared Sections A and B examination of Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers (India) or Aeronautical Society of India or Graduate membership examination of the Institute of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers by actual studies. Candidates should also fulfil conditions given in Para 4 (a).

Aeronautical Engineer (Mechanical) AE (M): Candidates applying for AE (M) branch would be eligible if they have undergone a minimum of four year degree qualification from a recognised University or cleared Sections A and B examination of Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers (India) or Aeronautical Society of India by actual studies. Candidates should also fulfil conditions given in Para 4 (b).
Ground Duty Branch 198/16G/PC/M & 198/16G/SSC/M
Age: 20 to 26 years as on 01 January 2016 i.e. born between 02 January 1990 to 01 January 1996 (both dates inclusive).

Educational Qualifications:
Administration and Logistics: Graduate Degree (Minimum three year degree course) in any discipline with a minimum of 60% marks in aggregate of all papers put together or a Post Graduate Degree / equivalent Diploma in any discipline with a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate of all papers put together
Accounts: Graduate Degree in Commerce (B Com)(Minimum three year degree course) with a minimum of 60% marks in aggregate of all papers put together or Post Graduate Degree in Commerce (MCom) / CA/ ICWA with a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate of all papers put together.

Education: Post Graduate Degree in any discipline with a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate of all papers
put together
For Physical Standards and other qualifications, refer http://careerairforce.nic.in/
AFCAT 2015 Selection Procedure

All applicants whose online applications have been successfully submitted will be called for Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT) and Engineering Knowledge Test (EKT) (applicable only for candidates applying for technical branch) to be conducted on 22 February 2015 (Sunday) at one of the examination centres mentioned below. Candidates will be required to login to their candidate login accounts regularly for information on AFCAT, EKT(if applicable) and AFSB testing. 

The AFCAT will be of two hours duration and will contain multiple choice questions on verbal ability, numerical ability, reasoning, general awareness and military aptitude. Sample question paper and syllabus of AFCAT is available on IAF career website www.careerairforce.nic.in. EKT would be for 45 minutes and conducted immediately after AFCAT.

Candidates who are short-listed on the basis of (AFCAT) will be called for further testing at one of the Air Force Selection Boards (AFSBs) at Dehradun, Mysore, Gandhinagar or Varanasi.


The testing would consist of three stages as given below:
(a) Stage-I: Test consisting of Intelligence Test along with other tests will be conducted on the first day. Stage-I test is a screening test and only those who qualify would undergo subsequent testing. All Stage-I qualified candidates would be subjected to document check to ascertain their eligibility for the branches applied for. Those candidates who either do not qualify in Stage I testing or do not meet the required eligibility criteria would be sent back on the first day itself.

(b) State-II: testing consisting of Psychological test, Group Tests and Interview will be conducted on subsequent days (Five Days).

(c) For Flying Branch: Pilot Aptitude Battery Test (PABT) would be administered to eligible candidates

Change of Interview Dates: Request for change of SSB interview date should be avoided. However, as an exception, such change may be considered based on the circumstances of the case. Request for such change should be forwarded to the respective AFSB from where the call letter for SSB interview has been received and not to Air Headquarters / AFCAT Cell. The AFSBs may consider change of date at their discretion.

Medical Examination will be conducted at AFCME, New Delhi or IAM Bengaluru based on the recommendations at AFSB. Non reporting of candidates on allotted date for medicals could lead to cancellation of candidature.

Candidates recommended by the AFSBs and declared medically fit will be detailed for training in the order of all India Merit list depending on the number of vacancies available in various branches/ sub branches. Grant of PC / SSC in Technical and Ground Duty Branches would be based on number of vacancies, performance in the selection process and the choice given by the candidates / Airmen.

No compensation will be paid in respect of any injury sustained during the testing at AFSB
10% of the vacancies are reserved for NCC Air Wing ‘C’ certificate holders in Technical and Ground Duty Branches

Onus of meeting the eligibility criteria rest with the applicant.

Merely undergoing Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT)/SSB testing would not constitute fulfillment of eligibility requirements.

How to apply for AFCAT 2015
To apply click on “Candidates Login” in the career website of IAF www.careerairforce.nic.in

Candidates are advised to read the notification for AFCAT 01/2015 and the detailed guidelines for filling up online application as given in the website www.careerairforce.nic.in prior to commencement of filling up online applications.
While filling online application, it is advisable to keep the relevant documents readily available, as details are to be filled as per matriculation and other educational certificates. 
Please save your recent colour passport size photograph (size 10 to 250 kb) in the computer for attaching to your online application form.

Please note that utmost care needs to be taken while filing up the online application. In case any information is found to be incorrect then the candidates is likely to be cancelled at any stage of the selection process.

Details of Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT) Centres are appended below and would be allocated as per availability of seats. AFCAT centre once allotted would not be changed under any circumstances

For more details refer official website



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Armed Forces Medical College MBBS Admission (AFMC) Pune - 2015

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Armed Forces Medical College MBBS Admission (AFMC) Pune - 2015

MBBS Admission 2015 open in AFMC Pune

 AIPMT 2015 at Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune

Armed Forces Medical College MBBS admission is on the basis of merit of all India Exam to be conducted by CBSE.

Important Dates for AIPMT 2015

Date of Examination, AIPMT
:
03-05-2015 (Sunday)
Schedule for on-line submission of application forms without late fee
:
01.12.2014 to 31.12.2014
Schedule for on-line submission of application formss with late fee
:
03.01.2015 to 31.01.2015
(5:00 PM)
Date of uploading of Admit Cards on website
:
01.04.2015
Declaration of Results
:
By 5th June, 2015

MBBS Admission
AFMC MBBS Admissions for the year 2015 will be through AIPMT 2015. Candidates will be required to register on AFMS website using AIPMT 2015 Roll No.
AFMC Medical Students 
Eligibility for MBBS Course :
Candidates must have passed the XII standard/ pre-professional/ premedical examination or equivalent examination of statutory Indian University/ Board or any other recognized Board/ University as a regular student in all the subjects opted for in first attempt with English, Physics, Chemistry and Biology securing not less than 60% marks in aggregate in the three science subjects taken together, not less than 50% marks in each of the science subjects and not less than 50% marks in English. They must have also passed an examination in Mathematics at least of the matriculation standard.

BSc graduates with not less than two of the subjects Physics, Chemistry, Biology (Botany or Zoology) having passed the XII standard/pre professional (Med) with Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English and obtained marks as stated above are also eligible to apply. 

Admission to Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) Pune, for the year 2015 will be through AIPMT 2015
Candidates will have to appear in the AIPMT 2015 and also apply to AFMC in the Online form.
AIPMT will be conducted on 3rd May, 2015

WISH YOU ALL THE BEST




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