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Accredited Pharmacy Schools: How to Find the Best for You

Published on: Nov 6, 2022
By: Jim Herbst, PharmD, BCPPS
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There are currently over 130 accredited pharmacy schools in the United States.  What is an accredited pharmacy school?  

An accredited pharmacy school is a PharmD Program that has sought and gained accreditation status from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). In addition to providing accreditation for PharmD Programs, the ACPE is also responsible for the accreditation of continuing education providers, international services programs, and pharmacy technician education. 

Why is Accreditation Important

Graduating from an accredited PharmD program allows you to sit for the NAPLEX, the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination.  If ACPE does not accredit your college or school of pharmacy, then you would not be eligible to take the NAPLEX and, therefore, would not be considered to practice as a pharmacist in the United States. 

With the creation of more and more pharmacy schools, it has never been more important to know about your school’s accreditation status when planning your pharmacy education.

Accreditation Status

The ACPE thoroughly examines pharmacy programs regularly and will issue a certain status based on whether or not a pharmacy program meets or exceeds all of the 25 standards.  These standards are divided into three main sections:

  1. educational outcomes,

  2. structure and process to promote achievement of education outcomes and

  3. assessment of standards and key elements

Furthermore, the ACPE defines the required elements of the didactic PharmD curriculum.  The current standards, established in 2016, will be updated in 2025.  Accreditation status may include full accreditation, accreditation with probation, candidate status, and pre-candidate status. 

Full Accreditation vs Pre-Candidate vs Candidate Status

For programs with full accreditation status, you can confidently predict that there will be continued compliance with these standards for years to come. A pharmacy program with a pre-candidate status has no students enrolled in the pharmacy program but has met the criteria for accreditation. 

Programs with this status indicate that the College of Pharmacy has planned for a PharmD program that aligns with the ACPE standards. Still, there is a risk that a pharmacy program with pre-candidate status may not be granted full accreditation. 

A program with candidate status has begun enrolling students in its PharmD program but has yet to graduate a class. A candidate-status PharmD program also aligns with the ACPE standards. There is reasonable assurance that these programs will achieve full accreditation status by the time the class graduates. 

The most conservative approach is to apply to and attend a pharmacy college whose PharmD program has full accreditation status. Well over 95% of PharmD programs have full accreditation status. There is a slight risk in pursuing programs with a pre-candidate or candidate status since accreditation is not guaranteed. While graduates of candidate status programs have the same rights and privileges as graduates of an accredited program, the lack of full accreditation status may cause anxiety. 

Probationary Periods

In addition to these three main accreditation types, some programs may be in a probationary period. 

This occurs when an accredited program fails to meet or exceed one of the 25 ACPE standards.  While a pharmacy program graduate currently in a probationary period may still sit for the NAPLEX, there is a chance that the program may lose its accreditation status if attention is not paid to an unmet ACPE standard.  Ultimately, your goal is to practice as a pharmacist and to do so; you need first to take and pass the NAPLEX for licensure. 

To take the NAPLEX, you will need to graduate from an accredited program, so it is certainly in your best interest to do your due diligence in determining the accreditation status of the programs you are interested in to optimize your pharmacy education. 

Here is a list of all accredited pharmacy programs as of February 2022:

University and Pharmacy School Name

City and State

Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Albany, NY

Appalachian College of Pharmacy

Oakwood, Virginia

Auburn University Harrison College of Pharmacy

Auburn, Alabama

Belmont University College of Pharmacy

Nashville, Tennessee

Binghamton University State University of New York School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Johnson City, New York

Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Indianapolis, Indiana

California Northstate University College of Pharmacy

Elk Grove, California

Campbell University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Buies Creek, North Carolina

Cedarville University School of Pharmacy

Cedarville, Ohio

Chapman University School of Pharmacy

Irvine, California

Concordia University Wisconsin School of Pharmacy

Mequon, Wisconsin

Creighton University School of Pharmacy and Health Professions

Omaha, Nebraska

Drake University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Des Moines, Iowa

Duquesne University School of Pharmacy

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

D'Youville University School of Pharmacy

Buffalo, New York

East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy

Johnson City, Tennessee

Fairleigh Dickinson University School of Pharmacy & Health Sciences

Florham Park, New Jersey

Ferris State University College of Pharmacy

Big Rapids, Michigan

Florida A&M University College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Public Health

Tallahassee, Florida

Harding University College of Pharmacy

Searcy, Arkansas

High Point University Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy

High Point, North Carolina

Howard University College of Pharmacy

Washington, D.C.

Husson University College of Health and Pharmacy School of Pharmacy

Bangor, Maine

Idaho State University College of Pharmacy

Pocatello, Idaho

Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Claremont, California

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine School of Pharmacy

Erie, Pennsylvania

Lebanese American University School of Pharmacy

Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Nashville, Tennessee

Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy

Loma Linda, California

Long Island University Arnold and Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Brooklyn, New York

Manchester University College of Pharmacy, Natural and Health Sciences

North Manchester, Indiana

Marshall B. Ketchum University College of Pharmacy

Fullerton, California

Marshall University School of Pharmacy

Huntington, West Virginia

MCPHS University School of Pharmacy - Worcester

Worcester, Massachusetts

MCPHS University School of Pharmacy - Boston

Boston, Massachusetts

Medical College of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy

Wauwatosa, Wisconsin

Medical University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy

Columbia, South Carolina

Mercer University College of Pharmacy

DeKalb County, Georgia

Midwestern University College of Pharmacy

Downers Grove, Illinois

North Dakota State University College of Health Professions School of Pharmacy

Fargo, North Dakota

Northeast Ohio Medical University College of Pharmacy

Rootstown, Ohio

Northeastern University Bouvé College of Health Sciences School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Boston, Massachusetts

Notre Dame of Maryland University School of Pharmacy

Baltimore, Maryland

Nova Southeastern University College of Pharmacy

Davie, Florida

Ohio Northern University Raabe College of Pharmacy

Ada, Ohio

The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy

Columbus, Ohio

Oregon State University College of Pharmacy

Corvallis, Oregon

Pacific University School of Pharmacy

Hillsboro, Oregon

Palm Beach Atlantic University Lloyd L. Gregory School of Pharmacy

West Palm Beach, Florida

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine - Georgia School of Pharmacy

Gwinnett County, Georgia

Presbyterian College School of Pharmacy

Clinton, South Carolina

Purdue University College of Pharmacy

West Lafayette, Indiana

Regis University Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professions School of Pharmacy

Denver, Colorado

Roosevelt University College of Science, Health and Pharmacy

Schaumburg, Illinois

Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science College of Pharmacy

North Chicago, Illinois

Roseman University of Health Sciences College of Pharmacy

Henderson, Nevada

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy

Piscataway, New Jersey

Samford University McWhorter School of Pharmacy

Birmingham, Alabama

Shenandoah University Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy

Winchester, Virginia

South College School of Pharmacy

Knoxville, Tennessee

South Dakota State University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions

Brookings, South Dakota

South University School of Pharmacy

Savannah, Georgia

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy

Edwardsville, Illinois

Southwestern Oklahoma State University College of Pharmacy

Sayre, Oklahoma

St. John Fisher College Wegmans School of Pharmacy

Rochester, New York

St. John's University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Queens, New York

Sullivan University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Louisville, Kentucky

Temple University School of Pharmacy

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Texas A & M University Health Science Center Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy

Kingsville, Texas

Texas Southern University Joan M. Lafleur College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Houston, Texas

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy

Lubbock, Texas

Thomas Jefferson University Jefferson College of Pharmacy

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Touro New York College of Pharmacy

Touro University - California College of Pharmacy

Vallejo, California

Union University College of Pharmacy

Jackson, Tennessee

University at Buffalo The State University of New York School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences

Buffalo, New York

University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy

Tucson, Arizona

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Pharmacy

Little Rock, Arkansas

University of California, San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences

San Diego, California

University of California, San Francisco School of Pharmacy

San Francisco, California

University of Charleston School of Pharmacy

Charleston, South Carolina

University of Cincinnati James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy

Cincinnati, Ohio

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Aurora, Colorado

University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy

Mansfield, Connecticut

University of Findlay College of Pharmacy

Findlay, Ohio

University of Florida College of Pharmacy

University of Georgia College of Pharmacy

University of Hawaii at Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy

University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis St. Louis College of Pharmacy

University of Houston College of Pharmacy

University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy

University of Iowa College of Pharmacy

University of Kansas School of Pharmacy

University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy

University of Louisiana at Monroe College of Pharmacy

University of Maryland School of Pharmacy

University of Maryland Eastern Shore School of Pharmacy and Health Professions

University of Michigan College of Pharmacy

University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy

University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy

University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Pharmacy

Kansas City, Missouri

University of Montana College of Health Skaggs School of Pharmacy

Missoula, Montana

University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy

Omaha, Nebraska

University of New England Westbrook College of Health Professions School of Pharmacy

University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy

Albuquerque, New Mexico

University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

University of North Texas Health Science Center UNT System College of Pharmacy

Fort Worth, Texas

University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center College of Pharmacy

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus School of Pharmacy

University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy

Kingston, Rhode Island

University of Saint Joseph School of Pharmacy and Physician Assistant Studies

West Hartford, Connecticut

University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy

Columbia, South Carolina

University of South Florida Health Taneja College of Pharmacy

Tampa, Florida

University of Southern California School of Pharmacy

Los Angeles, California

University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy

Memphis, Tennessee

University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy

Austin, Texas

University of Texas at El Paso School of Pharmacy

El Paso, Texas

University of Texas at Tyler Ben and Maytee Fisch College of Pharmacy

Tyler, Texas

University of the Incarnate Word Feik School of Pharmacy

San Antonio, Texas

University of the Pacific Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy

Stockton, California

University of the Sciences Philadelphia College of Pharmacy

Philadelphia, PA

University of Toledo College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Toledo, Ohio

University of Utah College of Pharmacy

Salt Lake City, Utah

University of Washington School of Pharmacy

Seattle, Washington

University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy

Madison, Wisconsin

University of Wyoming School of Pharmacy

Laramie, Wyoming

Virginia Commonwealth University at the Medical College of Virginia Campus School of Pharmacy

Richmond, Virginia

Washington State University College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Spokane, Washington

Wayne State University Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Detroit, Michigan

West Coast University School of Pharmacy

Irvine, California

West Virginia University School of Pharmacy

Morgantown, West Virginia

Western New England University College of Pharmacy

Springfield, Massachusetts

Western University of Health Sciences College of Pharmacy

Pomona, CA

Wilkes University Nesbitt School of Pharmacy

Wilkes-Barre, PA

William Carey University School of Pharmacy

Hattiesburg, MS

Wingate University School of Pharmacy

Wingate, NC

Xavier University of Louisiana College of Pharmacy

New Orleans, LA

Current programs in the probationary period are listed below:

University and Pharmacy School Name

City and State

Chicago State University College of Pharmacy

Chicago, Illinois

Current programs with a candidate status are listed below:

University and Pharmacy School Name

City and State

American University of Health Sciences School of Pharmacy

Washington D.C.

Larkin University College of Pharmacy

Miami, Florida

Current programs with a pre candidate status are listed below:

University and Pharmacy School Name

City and State

University of California, Irvine School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences

Irvine, California

Finding the Right Accredited Pharmacy School for You Starts with You!

We’ve built a tool to match prospective students with accredited pharmacy programs that are the right fit based on your interests and objectives.

Get matched to the pharmacy school that best fits your profile by clicking the "Get Matched" button in the navigation.

Source:

portrait of Jim Herbst PharmD

Jim Herbst, PharmD, BCPPS is an advanced patient care pharmacist at a nationally ranked pediatric acute care teaching hospital.  Dr Herbst received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the Ohio State University in 2012.  He started his clinical career as an inpatient patient care pharmacist covering the neurology and complex care services, before transitioning to a pediatric neurology ambulatory care clinic in 2019. 

Dr Herbst's areas of interest in pediatric neurology include treatment-resistant pediatric epilepsy, infantile spasms, the ketogenic diet, and neuroimmunology.  He has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed pharmacy and neurology journals, including Neurology, Epilepsia, and the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association.  Dr Herbst is board certified as a pediatric pharmacy specialist.

Opinions and information published by the author here on PharmDDegree.com are of my own and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of my employer.


Education: Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD), The Ohio State University
Knowledge: Advanced Patient Care Pharmacy, Neurology, Epilepsia