Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh was established in 1962 and Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru inaugurated the Nehru Hospital on July 7, 1963.

The institute was originally under the Government of undivided Punjab. After the reorganization of the state, the administrative control of the institute passed on to the Union Territory of Chandigarh in November 1966.

Later, the institute became an autonomous body under the Act of Parliament in 1967 functioning under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

The institute was declared as an Institute of National Importance (INI) by an Act of Parliament and it is involved in research for the rural and community-related environment and health problems.

At present, the institute offers undergraduate, postgraduate, & doctoral courses in the field of Medical, Para Medical, & Nursing with various specialisations

Admission at PGIMER to conduct postdoctoral and postgraduate courses is made twice a year. The sessions commence from first January and first July. The admission to the courses is made on the basis of suitable merit on the all-India basis by holding an entrance examination by the institute, after issuing a countrywide admission notice.