Increasing diversity within the PharmD program at the UTHSC College of Pharmacy has been a top priority for the college, and the efforts are paying off. In the College of Pharmacy, Black or African American students comprise 16% of enrollment.
This means the college has one of the highest percentages for Black student enrolment, with the exception of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. This number exceeds average Black student enrollment at the top 10 and top 20 pharmacy schools in the U.S. Additionally, as 17% of Tennessee residents are Black or African American, the UTHSC COP student body matches the diversity found throughout the state, providing more culturally competent and diverse care for Tennessee residents.
“The percent of Black students enrolled at the college continues to increase and shows that our efforts toward making UTHSC COP more accessible and diverse are making a difference to our students,” said Dean Marie Chisholm-Burns.
The college has taken several steps over the years to make the opportunity of pharmacy education available to an ever-wider group of students. This includes the commitment to keeping student costs low, with no tuition increase between 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, reductions to out of state tuition, and granting every student a scholarship in 2020-2021. Furthermore, the college has introduced new recruitment efforts and holistic admissions practices.
