This article is on Hardest Pharmacy Schools To Get Into. Truth be told, being a pharmacist is not easy, but it’s a noble mission to yourself and the world at large.
If you didn’t know, a pharmacist’s duties extend beyond simply filling prescriptions; in addition, they can administer vaccinations, counsel patients on medication, and work in conjunction with other medical specialists to improve patient care.
Despite the fact that they are largely the unsung heroes of the medical field, their work has the potential to advance the discovery and creation of novel drugs.Regardless of their importance, enrolling in the right pharmacy school is a different game, there are lots of options to choose from especially if you have a very nice grade.
One of the best ways to start is by applying to the most difficult pharmacy schools, especially if you have excellent grades and extracurricular activity experience. Another reason to think about these “hardest schools” is that the majority of them are among the top 10 in the nation.
Additionally, there are still some very accessible pharmacy schools that you can enroll in, and you can try some free pharmaceutical courses to gain a deeper understanding of the material covered in class.
If you’re thinking about getting a medical degree, there are also some fascinating pre-med courses available.
Before we list these hard pharmacy schools let’s first understand how you can judge the competitiveness of a pharmacy school.
Understanding Pharmacy Schools Competitiveness
Here are some factors that decide whether a pharmacy school is hard or easy to join;
Acceptance Rate
The number of students admitted relative to the total number of applicants is indicated by the acceptance rate. Therefore, a low rate indicates greater competition at the school; a high rate indicates the opposite.
Average GPA and PCAT Scores
This is another important factor that determines how hard or easy a school is. If the minimum GPA and PCAT are high it means it is competitive. Some schools don’t make the PCAT compulsory again.
School Reputation and Ranking
If a school is popularly known and has a very good reputation, it means they will attract top applicants, which will automatically push the competitiveness.
Location
A pharmacy school’s competitiveness is further increased by its location. A school in a large city will draw more students because of things like lifestyle appeal or employment prospects.
Now that these facts have been established, let’s list these schools.
Hardest Pharmacy Schools To Get Into
Remember that this is your future, so you should endeavor to research extensively and compare programs carefully. Also, you shouldn’t be afraid to consider schools outside the “hardest” list.
1. University of California, San Francisco School of Pharmacy
- Minimum GPA: 2.80
- Acceptance Rate: 9%
Though it’s absurd to have a 9% acceptance rate, many students are applying because it’s one of the best pharmacy schools in the nation. In addition to their difficult admissions process, the UCSF School of Pharmacy is highly active in patient care, pharmacy education, and biomedical research. It makes sense that for more than 40 years, they have received the largest annual research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Although they would like to see solutions for minor health issues, their main goal is preparing their students to address the most urgent issues in healthcare.
2. University of Southern California School of Pharmacy
- Minimum GPA: 3.0
- Acceptance Rate: 34%
- Location: University of Southern California, 1985 Zonal Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90089-9121
Though it’s absurd to have a 9% acceptance rate, many students are applying because it’s one of the best pharmacy schools in the nation. In addition to their difficult admissions process, the UCSF School of Pharmacy is highly active in patient care, pharmacy education, and biomedical research. It makes sense that for more than 40 years, they have received the largest annual research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Although they would like to see solutions for minor health issues, their main goal is preparing their students to address the most urgent issues in healthcare.
3. Ohio State University College of Pharmacy
- Minimum GPA: 2.7
- Acceptance Rate: 53%
- Location: 217 Lloyd M. Parks Hall, 500 West 12th Ave, Columbus, OH 43210
Another prestigious and challenging to get into pharmacy school is this one. Their moderate acceptance fee makes it easy to join, but their high average GPA requirement makes it more difficult.
In terms of reputation, U.S. News & World Report ranks them as the nation’s tenth-best pharmacy school. Additionally, Ohio State’s first-time test takers on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination® (NAPLEX) have outperformed the average annual pass rate for programs accredited by ACPE.
4. University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy
- Minimum GPA: 3.0
- Acceptance Rate: 17% and an early acceptance rate of 21.9%
- Location: 301 Pharmacy Ln, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
This is among the hardest pharmacy schools to get into that is regarded as one of the best in the country and the world. In fact, U.S. News and World Report regarded them as the best School of Pharmacy in the United States while QS World ranked them #3 among pharmacy schools.
Also, they received the second-highest total research funding among pharmacy schools in NIH.
5. Purdue University College of Pharmacy
- Minimum GPA: 3.25
- Acceptance Rate: 53%
- Location: 575 Stadium Mall Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907
This esteemed public university boasts a fantastic pharmacy department. As you can see, they have a very moderate acceptance rate, but their high average GPA requirement turns off a lot of people.
Three departments at the College of Pharmacy offer MS and Ph.D. graduate programs to students;
- Department of Pharmacy Practice
- Borch Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology
- Department of Industrial and Molecular Pharmaceutics
6. University of Michigan College of Pharmacy
- Minimum GPA: 2.55
- Acceptance Rate: 18%
- Location: 428 Church St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Besides the fact that it’s hard to join the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy, I love the fact that their student-to-faculty ratio is 4:1, which is a lot better than the nation’s average ratio of 17:1. Their low ratio helps professors easily provide more personalized attention to each student, and students can easily schedule meetings with professors or seek help when they have questions or need clarification.
They also have a NAPLEX pass rate of more than 90%.
7. University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy
- Minimum GPA: 3.0
- Acceptance Rate: 31%
- Location: 2409 University Ave, Austin, TX 78712
Whether it’s providing top-notch programs or providing ground-breaking research beneficial to the country and the world, UTexas Pharmacy is known for those. No wonder they are the 7th best Pharmacy school in the United States by U.S. News & World Report.
8. Chapman University School of Pharmacy
- Minimum GPA: 3.0
- Acceptance Rate: 73%
- Location: 9401 Jeronimo Rd, Irvine, CA 92618
CUSP is among the hardest pharmacy schools to get into which has an 88% NAPLEX first-time pass rate and a 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio. CUSP also provides an Accelerated Pre-Pharmacy Experience Program (APEx), where a high school graduate can earn their Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) in just 5 years.
9. University of Georgia College of Pharmacy
- Minimum GPA: 2.5
- Acceptance Rate: 43%
- Location: 821 St Sebastian Way, Augusta, GA 30901
UGA College of Pharmacy provides lots of dual degree programs for pharmacy students, some of which include: Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Doctor of Pharmacy (BS/PharmD); Doctor of Pharmacy and Public Health (PharmD/MPH); Pharmacy and Master of Business Administration (PharmD/MBA), etc.
10. University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy
- Minimum GPA: 3.0
- Acceptance Rate: 49%
- Location: 3501 Terrace St, Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Besides the fact that Pitt Pharmacy is quite hard to enter, it has proximity to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and other major hospital systems. This will provide enough access to diverse clinical rotation sites within the medical center or hospital, which will provide valuable hands-on experience working with various healthcare professionals and patient populations.
Because medical centers and hospitals always conduct research in various fields relevant to pharmacy, your closeness opens doors for research collaborations.
Key Takeaway
There you have it, you’ve seen some schools that have been considered to be very hard to enroll in but note that focusing on the hardest may not lead you to the right school. You should focus more on schools that meet your aspirations, and goals.
Even though it’s nice to consider acceptance rate and average scores, you should also channel your interest on the school’s research program faculty expertise, unique offerings, and the overall environment.
The good thing is that all the schools we provided on this list meet these standards.
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