New pharmacy schools are opening their doors at a very rapid rate across the United States. These schools can be a great option if your grades are below average, but there are some downsides to attending a new pharmacy school. First, the government will not subsidize any of your loans. What does this mean? For accredited pharmacy schools, students receive a decent amount of their loans as a subsidized Stafford loan, which does not accrue interest until after graduation. If you attend a new pharmacy school, all your loans will increase interest from day one; this could add up to several thousand dollars more in loans to pay off after you get your Pharm.D.
Also, the new pharmacy school may never receive accreditation. A few years ago, the Hawaii College of Pharmacy (HICP) had collected tuition and was running its Pharm.D. program until it closed its doors leaving its students stranded without a degree. The Hawaii State Department of Consumer Protection closed the school for failing to follow appropriate guidelines as a non-accredited school. Be sure to do your research before committing your time and money to a new Doctor of Pharmacy program.
Recently opened pharmacy schools and their accreditation status:
Belmont TN ——————————- Pre-candidate
Calilfornia Northstate CA ——————- Pre-candidate
Charleston WV —————————- Candidate
Chicago State IL ————————– Pre-Candidate
East Tennessee State TN —————— Candidate
Findlay OH ——————————– Candidate
Harding, University of AR ——————- Pre-candidate
Hawaii at Hilo HI ————————— Candidate
Encarnate Word TX ———————— Candidate
Lipscomb TN —————————— Pre-candidate
NEOUCOP OH —————————— Candidate
Pacific U. (OR) O ————————- Candidate
Southern Illinois Edwardsville IL ————- Candidate
Sullivan *** KY —————————- Pre-candidate
Texas A&M – Kingsville TX ——————- Candidate
Thomas Jefferson *** PA ——————- Pre-candidate
Touro (CA) CA —————————– Candidate
Touro (NY) NY —————————– Pre-candidate
Union TN ———————————- Pre-candidate
Here is a list of schools that may open in the near future:
Possible schools for 2011
Central California SOP – Independent Private Without College Affiliation
Samual Merrit (# 10 in CA)
St. Joseph College, CT
Roosevelt University, Chicago
University of NC Greensboro
Possible opening of schools in 2010
The University of Maryland Eastern Shores
Drexel
Farleigh dickinson
D ‘Youville College
Concordia-Wisconsin-projects a class size of 300.
Presbyterian College-NC
University of South Florida
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
School opening 2009
Husson University
New England, ME University
Notre Dame of Maryland
Regis University