The University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy’s Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) program has been granted accredited status by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, the national agency for the accreditation of professional degree programs in pharmacy and providers of continuing pharmacy education.

In addition to ACPE accreditation, the college has received accreditations from the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists (ASHP) and the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC). The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education has also approved the Pharm.D. program.

North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) Performance

As part of the licensure process, all pharmacy candidates must take the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) exam. The following table represents NAPLEX data from 2015 through 2019 (the most current data available) for College of Pharmacy students.

Year	SCCP Pass Rate	National Pass Rate
2019	97.09%	88.34%
2018	93.30%	89.46%
2017	90.56%	87.95%
2016	86.78%	85.86%
2015*	94.97%	92.64%

*Beginning on Nov. 1, 2015, a new blueprint and passing standard was introduced.

 

Four-Year Graduation Rate

Students at the College of Pharmacy are well positioned to graduate in four years, with strong support from faculty members, advisors and administrators.

Year	4-Year Graduation Rate
2020	90.0%
2019	90.9%
2018	90.0%
2017	87.4%
2016	89.1%

 

Student Satisfaction

In addition to competitive testing and graduation rates, College of Pharmacy student satisfaction is consistently above the national average, according to the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Graduating Student Perception Survey.

If I were starting my pharmacy program over again, I would choose the same college/school of pharmacy.

Year	College of Pharmacy Students Who  Strongly Agree/Agree	National Percentage Who Strongly Agree/Agree
2019	88%	81%

 

Residency Match

College of Pharmacy students seeking residencies have matched at a rate of nearly 80 percent for five straight years, compared to a national average of 66 percent. For 2019, the college ranked No. 18 out of 141 Colleges of Pharmacy across the nation that participated in residency matching. The college’s success in placing residents reflects its emphasis on preparation through the pre-residency track, which has created a roadmap for students to achieve a successful match.

Year	Match Rate for PGY-1 Residencies	ASHP National Match Rate
2020	79%	63%
2019	80%	64%
2018	84%	65%
2017	67%	67%
2016	77%	68%

Graduating Student Employment

College of Pharmacy graduates are competitive in the workforce and obtain employment in multiple practice settings. Job placement data for the Class of 2018 is featured in the table below.

Post-Graduation Practice Setting	Percentage of Students Placed in Setting
Community (chain)	45%
Residency	22%
Community (independent)	17%
Hospital	8%
Fellowship	3%
Home infusion	1%
Industry	1%
Still seeking employment	3%

 

Professional Licensure Information

Each state has its own pharmacy licensing board with its own state specific licensing requirements. The University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy Doctor of Pharmacy professional degree program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), making its graduates eligible to sit for pharmacist licensure exams (e.g., NAPLEX and MPJE).

Some states may have specific requirements that applicants for licensure must meet in addition to graduating from an ACPE-accredited program. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) provides information regarding individual state boards of pharmacy and licensure specific to individual states throughout the U.S. where a student may wish to become licensed following graduation.

Additional information may be found on the UofSC Office of the Provost's website for Academic Programs Professional Licensure Information.