One of the most diverse classes in the history of the University of Florida College of Pharmacy arrived in August for the fall 2021 semester. The Pharm.D. class featured 247 students, including a record 41 out-of-state students from 16 states, Puerto Rico and one international student. Meanwhile, the college’s graduate program enrolled its largest class ever with 34 Ph.D. and 7 residential master’s students.
At the college’s three campuses in Gainesville, Jacksonville and Orlando, the incoming Pharm.D. class spent their first week participating in orientation activities and acclimating to their new surroundings. Nearly two-thirds of the Pharm.D. class self-identifies with a race/ethnicity other than white. In addition, 27% of the students are first generation.
“The UF College of Pharmacy has made great strides in recent years diversifying of our student body, and the class of 2025 builds upon that momentum,” said Julie Johnson, Pharm.D., dean and distinguished professor of the UF College of Pharmacy. “It’s encouraging to see so many professional and graduate students from around the nation and world recognize the high-quality education they can receive from the UF College of Pharmacy and choose our college to pursue their academic goals.”
The diversity amongst the class of 2025 is evident in every classroom. During the first day of skills lab training in Orlando, which is taught in small groups, the opening session featured 26 students. In the classroom were military veterans, parents, first-generational students, twin sisters and students from multiple ethnicities.
“Everyone here is from a different background, and we bring different perspectives to the conversations around health care,” said Skyler Vautier, a first-year student at the Orlando campus and a military veteran. “While my time in the college has been limited, I can already see that the faculty and my classmates are really supportive, and that’s the foundation I’ll need to be successful in pharmacy school.”
The UF College of Pharmacy’s graduate program received strong interest throughout the recruitment year, which translated into the record enrollment. The program received 60% more applications in 2021 compared to the previous year. Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education Maureen Keller-Wood, Ph.D., attributes the increase in applications and enrollment to several factors.
“We were much more aggressive marketing the programs through webinars and emails to prospective students, and our No. 3 ranking among NIH-funded pharmacy colleges generates additional interest,” Keller-Wood said. “There may also be more interest in pharmacy and the pharmaceutical sciences by students who realize the impact that science and new drugs can have on society.”
Pharm.D. Class of 2025 Profile
247 students
130 Gainesville
75 Orlando
42 Jacksonville
Mean Science GPA = 3.37
Race/Ethnicity
38% White
30% Hispanic
19% Asian
11% Black
2% Multiracial
Gender
68% Female
32% Male
75% of students have a B.S./B.A. degree
29% of students attended UF as an undergraduate
27% of students are first generational
Graduate Program Profile
41 students
34 Ph.D.
7 residential master’s
Campus
38 Gainesville
3 Orlando
Gender
51% Female
49% Male
Nationality
29 International
12 United States
Race/Ethnicity (U.S. Students)
50% White
17% Hispanic
17% Asian
8% Black
8% Multiracial
