SALT LAKE CITY – The University of Utah Health announced that all first-year PharmD students will have their tuition covered under the “First Year Free” program. The program will begin in Fall 2023 for students entering the four-year College of Pharmacy program. 

“As the first pharmacy school in the U.S. to provide full-tuition scholarships to all first-year students, we expect this initiative will quickly make the U a destination for top students from around the nation,” said Randall T. Peterson, Ph.D., and dean of the University of Utah College of Pharmacy in a press release. “Our students are already among the best. The First Year Free initiative will ensure that tradition continues long into the future.”

According to the press release, the program is available to all first-year students no matter what their residency. Additionally, out-of-state students may qualify for in-state tuition after their first year.

“First Year Free” is expected to cut the cost of the four-year pharmacy program by 25%.

“Perhaps now more than ever, society needs more pharmacists,” says Michael Good, MD, Senior Vice President for Health Sciences at the University of Utah and CEO of U of U Health. “These highly trained health care providers are critical to patient care and to developing medicines that will improve health outcomes. First Year Free adds to the already incredible value of a PharmD degree from the University of Utah.”

The program also intends to improve access to PharmD education for students in underrepresented communities, increase the recruiting pool and grow national distinction. 

Related

• University of Utah Health app MyChart now available in Spanish
• Some Americans were less than truthful about COVID, precautions