Pharmacy Schools in California: Stats and Requirements

Pharmacy Schools in California

1. UCSF School of Pharmacy
2. USC School of Pharmacy
3. Touro School of Pharmacy
4. UCSD Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
5. California Northstate University College of Pharmacy
6. Chapman University School of Pharmacy
7. Marshall B. Ketchum University College of Pharmacy
8. University of the Pacific Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy
9. Keck Graduate Institute
10. Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy
11. West Coast University School of Pharmacy
12. Western University of Health Sciences
13. American University of Health Sciences
14. University of California-Irvine College of Pharmacy

1. UCSF School of Pharmacy

Acceptance Rate: 25%

Minimum GPA: 2.8

Minimum PCAT Score: optional/not required

NAPLEX Pass Rate: 91%

2. USC Mann School of Pharmacy

Acceptance Rate: 34%

Minimum GPA: 3.0

Average GPA: 3.4

Minimum PCAT Score: optional/not required

NAPLEX Pass Rate: 83%

3. Touro University School of Pharmacy

Acceptance Rate: 14%

Minimum GPA: 2.7

Average GPA: 3.28

Minimum PCAT Score: not required

NAPLEX Pass Rate: 75%

4. UCSD Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Acceptance Rate: 11%

Minimum GPA: 2.7

Average GPA: 3.0-4.0

Minimum PCAT Score: not required

NAPLEX Pass Rate: 92%

5. California Northstate University College of Pharmacy

Acceptance Rate: 30%

Minimum GPA: 2.7

Average GPA: 3.0-4.0

Minimum PCAT Score: not required

NAPLEX Pass Rate: 66%

6. Chapman University School of Pharmacy

Acceptance Rate: 32%

Minimum GPA: 3.0

Minimum PCAT Score: not required/optional

NAPLEX Pass Rate: 81%

7. Marshall B. Ketchum University College of Pharmacy

Acceptance Rate: 12%

Minimum GPA: 3.0

Minimum PCAT Score: not required/optional

NAPLEX Pass Rate: 67%

8. University of the Pacific Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy

Acceptance Rate: 27%

Minimum GPA: 2.7

Minimum PCAT Score: not required

NAPLEX Pass Rate: 79%

9. Keck Graduate Institute

Acceptance Rate: 14%

Minimum GPA: 3.0

Minimum PCAT Score: not required

NAPLEX Pass Rate: 73%

10. Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy

Acceptance Rate: 26%

Minimum GPA: 2.75

Minimum PCAT Score: not required

NAPLEX Pass Rate: 78%

11. West Coast University School of Pharmacy

Acceptance Rate: 12%

Minimum GPA: 2.5

Minimum PCAT Score: not required

NAPLEX Pass Rate: 76%

12. Western University of Health Sciences

Acceptance Rate: 14%

Minimum GPA: 2.75

Minimum PCAT Score: not required

NAPLEX Pass Rate: 92%

13. American University of Health Sciences

Acceptance Rate: 37%

Minimum GPA: 2.5

Minimum PCAT Score: not required

NAPLEX Pass Rate: 22%

14. University of California-Irvine College of Pharmacy

Acceptance Rate: n/a

Minimum GPA: 3.0

Minimum PCAT Score: not required

NAPLEX Pass Rate: n/a

Pharmacy Schools in California: What to Look for in a Pharmacy School

1. Having Clear Goals in Mind

Knowing the path you want to take after pharmacy school is an important consideration when choosing one. No matter where you go to pharmacy school, whether it be pharmacy schools in California, New York, Florida, or pharmacy schools online, you should have confidence that this school will be able to help you fulfill your career goals. They could do this ina variety of ways, which will be personal to you, but consider the following when making your decision:

• a wide-range of electives
• strong partnerships with industry
• established, well-regarded research centers
• varied curriculums that emphasize experiential and interprofessional learning

Pharmacy schools that check all these boxes are not often the easiest pharmacy schools to get into, which is why your specific career goals should help filter out schools that, despite having many outstanding qualities, might not be right for you. You can do this by checking alumni stories or what field of pharmacology do most of its graduates end up in – community, hospital-based, or industry to help narrow down your choices.

Another thing that is not often considered is a pharmacy school’s match rate. Doing a pharmacy residency is completely optional and not needed for licensure, but, again, where and what you want to do after pharmacy school should factor into which school you choose. A school that is more successful in getting their graduates into the residency programs they want to enter signals that their students are better prepared, which also applies to their graduation rate, and NAPLEX pass rate.

2. Cost and Scholarship Opportunities

The cost of a three- or four-year PharmD program is something you also need to think about. But more important is whether the school has robust, well-funded scholarships, bursaries and grants that can help you off-set the costs of the program. Tuition and cost of attendance vary across all programs, but you shouldn’t associate lower tuition or costs with lack of quality or excellence, and vice-versa for higher tuition.

Pharmacy schools in California have some of the highest tuition rates, even for California residents, so, unlike state-funded pharmacy schools in other states, being from California will not necessarily make pharmacy school cheaper. In this case, if paying these tuition rates are not in your budget, you could also try going out-of-state where tuition may be less expensive.

For example, the Florida A&M tuition rate for Florida residents is only $5,500 for the PharmD program, but it is a little less than $20,000 for out-of-state applicants, which is nowhere near one year at the most expensive pharmacy school in California, Chapman University, $86,000 for California residents. But, at the same time, a program’s cost shouldn’t keep you from considering it, especially if it appeals to you for other reasons such as its high graduation and employment rate, its NAPLEX pass rate or the faculty-to-student ratio.

For example, Western University has a high NAPLEX pass-rate (92%) and its yearly tuition is well below other more vaunted programs at USC or UCSF as well as Chapman, which have lower pass rates, but higher tuitions. Some schools also award entrance scholarships to new students automatically, such as the University of the Pacific, which automatically considers all new entrants for scholarships based on a variety of factors from need to merit and academic excellence.

3. What is the School About?

There are a lot of pharmacy schools in California to choose from, and each of them has a distinct mission, history and strategic plan for the future. For example, you’ll find that many of the pharmacy schools in California are associated with universities that have a Christian- or faith-based mission. Depending on the school, they may choose to integrate these tenets into their curriculum, but some may take a secular approach.

For example, Loma Linda University is a Seventh-Day Adventist-based school, and it emphasizes these beliefs in its curriculum. As a student, your electives and other rotations will involve helping disadvantaged communities, whether they be unhoused people in Loma Linda or children in developing countries, all of it in keeping with the tenets of charity, healing and ministry.

The same goes for the American University of Health Sciences, although it is non-denominational Christian. However, Touro University, which is part of an international network of universities, has its roots in Judaism but its programs are all secular and absent of any faith-based characteristics. Not all pharmacy schools in California will have these backgrounds, but each has a mission, values, and goals for its students and surrounding communities, which can speak to you on a human level. If you’re finding it hard to choose a pharmacy school in California, as they are all well-regarded and place high on pharmacy schools ranked lists, taking a closer look at its history, achievements, future plans or its mission can help make the difference.

4. Campus and Student Life

You can only learn so much about pharmacy schools in California online or through published materials, which is why you should make an effort to visit some schools to personally get to know what it feels like to be on-campus. Many schools allow you to visit, or have published virtual tours on their website to give you an idea of the layout of the campus, but if you’re able and if it’s permitted, you should try to go in-person.

If you go in-person, you’ll be able to get a guided tour and, more often than not, be able to speak directly with current students of the PharmD program, along with faculty members, administrators and other school officials. Getting an up-close view of the campus may also be something that helps you decide on a specific program. You’ll get to see what your day-to-day life will be like, if you’re accepted, and be able to see what facilities – both academic and non-academic – the school avails its students.

If you’re really undecided on pharmacy schools in California, you can visit even before you apply, if you have the time and resources. But if you apply without visiting physically, an in-person visit may be necessary if you are invited for a pharmacy school interview, which could either be in-person or virtual depending on the school. So, either way, walking the steps of other students is usually a built-in feature of the entire pharmacy school admissions process.

5. Length of Program

This is more a consideration for pharmacy schools in California, as it has more choice, and more programs that offer a three-year accelerated PharmD program, which include the following schools:

• American University of Health Sciences
• Chapman University School of Pharmacy
• Touro University California College of Pharmacy
• University of California, San Francisco School of Pharmacy
• University of the Pacific Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy
• West Coast University
• Western University of Health Sciences College of Pharmacy

The California University of Health Sciences, which is not listed here, has been trying to transition to a three-year program. But it is still in the accreditation process and has suspended its PharmD program for the time being.

Whether you want to complete your PharmD degree in three or four years is up to you and your career plans/goals. One of the motivations behind three-year accelerated programs in any discipline, including accelerated 3-year medical schools, is to give students who have a clear plan of what they want to do a head start so they can achieve their goals earlier than others.

These three-year programs are for highly-motivated and driven students. Three-year PharmD programs typically have compressed curriculums, meaning you’ll have less, or even no time-off, continue your studies in the summer, and have more intensive research and rotation schedules. If you are not sure of, where do you see yourself in 5 years and are not yet sure about what field or specialty you want to enter as a pharmacy school graduate, then four-year programs will give you enough time and exposure to new experiences to help you decide.

How to Get into Pharmacy Schools in California

1. Have a Better-Than Average GPA

Many of the pharmacy schools in California have “unofficial” minimum GPA requirements meaning that you won’t be disqualified if you don’t meet it. But it is still important to either meet or exceed it because a high GPA signals to the admission committee that you have the potential to succeed in pharmacy school. Before, pharmacy schools would look at something like your PCAT score to see if you could cut it, but the PCAT is being eliminated from the admissions process. Now, pharmacy schools only have your GPA to go on to decide whether you can handle the demands of the curriculum.

A strong GPA is usually the first impression you make on admissions committees so you should strive to make sure that it is more than the “minimum”, which can range from between 3.0 to 3.5. If you’re a traditional student and have already decided on a career as a pharmacist then you should try hardest in the prerequisite courses required by most pharmacy schools, such as biology, chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, calculus, or any other math and science subject, as many programs examine your science GPA as much as your overall GPA and even have minimums for your science courses. If you’re a non-traditional student and want to get your GPA up, you can enroll in a pre-professional or post-bacc program available at these same schools to get your GPA to an admissible level.

2. Get Quality Letters of Recommendation

Your pharmacy school letters of recommendation are the best, objective record of all your accomplishments, both inside and outside of the classroom, which is why all pharmacy schools in California ask for them. You have to choose the right people to be your letter writers, but you also have to remember what the school requires. Many schools ask for letters from either pre-pharmacy advisory committees, former faculty who have experience teaching you, or a pharmacist or researcher that you shadowed or know personally. As an accommodation to mature students, some schools will let you ask someone who knows you well (excluding family or friends) who can speak to your leadership, motivation, or perseverance – all qualities that are important to being a pharmacist.

You may not always get an affirmative answer from your potential letter-writers, so make sure to narrow down your list to people who both know you and have kept in touch. You want your letter to be an unambiguous endorsement from someone who supports you 100%, so if you encounter someone who hesitates or remains undecided after you’ve asked them, try looking for new writers. If someone is fully behind you, but needs more information, don’t be afraid to give them your personal statements or pharmacy school CV so they can speak intelligently about you.

3. Ace Your Interview

Pharmacy schools don’t typically ask for or require a supplemental application, as with medical schools, so your interview (if you’re invited for an interview) carries extra significance. All of the above schools have interviews, so you can start preparing for your interview in an indirect way by writing your pharmacy school personal statement, which you can use as a springboard to prepare for your interview. In your personal statement, you can answer common pharmacy school interview questions such as tell me about yourself and “why do you want to be a pharmacist?” but you can expand on these themes in your interview, after reading more about the program and the opportunities it offers students. You can also prepare for the interview by doing mock interviews, as many of the pharmacy schools in California use traditional, panel interviews rather than MMI, so they are easier to practice for with mock interviews.

Conclusion

Pharmacy schools in California are as diverse and unique as the populations they serve, but they are also open to non-residents. However, these schools are among the most expensive programs in the US and you should think about whether you are willing and able to bear those costs to join one of these venerable programs. While cost is a factor, the high cost associated with pharmacy schools in California should not dissuade you from applying if you are taken with a school’s mission, curriculum, location and career opportunities.

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To your success,

Your friends at BeMo

BeMo Academic Consulting

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