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 of all, none of your loans will be subsidized by the government. What does this mean? For accredited pharmacy schools, students receive a decent amount on their loans as a subsidized Stafford loan, which does not earn interest until after graduation. If you attend a new pharmacy school, all your loans will accrue interest from day 1; this could add up to several thousand more loan dollars to pay back 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) collected tuition and ran 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 not following the proper 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 ————————————Precandidate
California Northstate CA ——————-Pre-Candidate
Charleston WV————————— Candidate
State of Chicago IL ————————–Pre-candidate
East Tennessee State TN ——————Candidate
Findlay OH ——————————–Candidate
Harding, University of AR ——————-Precandidate
Hawaii in Hilo HI —————————Candidate
Incarnate Word TX —————Candidate
Lipscomb TN —————————–Pre-candidate
NEOUCOP OH ——————————Candidate
Pacific U. (OR) OR —————Candidate
Southern Illinois Edwardsville IL ————-Candidate
Sullivan *** KY —————————-Pre-candidate
Texas A&M – Kingsville TX ——————-Candidate
Thomas Jefferson *** PA——————- Candidate
Touro (CA) CA —————————–Candidate
Touro (NY) NY ————————————————-Precandidate
Union TN ———————————-Precandidate
Here is a list of schools that may open in the near future:
Possible schools for 2011
Central California SOP – Private Independent with no University Affiliation
Samuel Merritt (#10 in AC)
San Jose College, CT
Roosevelt University, Chicago
University of North Carolina Greensboro
Possible schools opening 2010
Eastern Shores from the University of Maryland
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, University of ME
Our Lady of Maryland
Regis University