How Much the University of Florida Pharmacy School Tuition Costs in the Long Run

The University of Florida has a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program that has maintained a top position with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). For four years in a row, it has been No. 1 nationally in matching graduates with ASHP residency programs.

U.S. News and World Report lists the University of Florida in the top 10 grad schools for pharmacy programs. The big question is whether the University of Florida pharmacy school tuition is worth the cost.

Anytime you’re looking at a PharmD program that will land you in six figures of debt, you need to know if you’re paying more for the prestige and whether you can recover from the student loan debt.

University of Florida pharmacy school program

The University of Florida (UF) pharmacy school has three campus locations: Jacksonville, Gainesville, and Orlando. The PharmD program accepts approximately 240 students every year:

• 130 to Gainesville
• 40 to Jacksonville
• 70 to Orlando

You’ll need to make sure you are a qualified applicant before applying to the program. The University of Florida pharmacy prerequisites are:

• Completion of preprofessional courses as listed on the admissions page
• Preferred minimum GPA of 2.5
• Completion of general education coursework or an Associate of Arts (AA) degree
• Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT)
• Foreign language required — can be fulfilled by one of the following:

• Two years of a foreign language in high school
• 8-10 semester credits of a foreign language in college (includes sign language)
• 8-10 semester credits of a foreign language earned by CLEP exam

If you’re an international student, you must also pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The preprofessional courses are non-negotiable even if you have a bachelor’s or upper-level degree. You need to transfer the exact courses over or take them on campus.

All PharmD students complete the required courses for a total of 146 credits for the professional curriculum and 77 to 79 credits in the preprofessional program. The preprofessional program takes two years to complete if you have no matching transfer credits available. The professional program for the PharmD degree takes four years.

University of Florida pharmacy school tuition

The University of Florida pharmacy school tuition and fees works out to be $22,901.38 per year for residents and $46,044.84 per year for non-residents.

Florida Resident UF PharmD Cost Breakdown

Fee type	Cost
Tuition and fees per term	$11,450.69
Tuition and fees for one academic year (two terms)	$22,901.38
Estimated total cost of living on campus for an academic year	$16,320
Estimated total cost of living off campus for an academic year	$18,100

Tuition, Fees, and Cost of Living on Campus

Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4
$39,221.38	$39,221.38	$39,221.38	$39,221.38

The total cost for the four years of UF Pharmacy school for a Florida resident living on campus would be about $156,885.52.

Non-Resident UF PharmD Cost Breakdown

Fee type	Cost
Tuition and fees per term	$23,022.42
Tuition and fees for one academic year (two terms)	$46,044.84
Estimated total cost of living on campus for an academic year	$16,320
Estimated total cost of living off campus for an academic year	$18,100

Tuition, Fees, and Cost of Living on Campus

Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4
$62,364.84	$62,364.84	$62,364.84	$62,364.84

The total cost for the four years of UF Pharmacy school for a non-resident student living on campus would be about $249,459.36.

This amount does not include any of the preprofessional courses. If you don’t have the required courses, you’ll want to add on the two additional years of expenses and tuition to complete them. Moreover, this cost estimate doesn’t account for any courses taken over the summer.

The PharmD program does list one summer course per year. It costs $530.69 per credit hour for residents and $1255.41 per credit hour for non-residents. You’ll need to be prepared for this additional expense.

How much debt can you expect to take on from UF pharmacy school?

Not all of the ticket prices for UF pharmacy school will be student loans. You might have some money from family, work a side job, and receive scholarships. To look at the amount of anticipated debt, you can turn to the College Scorecard data released by the Department of Education.

Both the mean and median debt are reported for graduates leaving the UF Pharm D program:

• Mean debt for graduates:$126,919
• Median debt for graduates: $136,137

There isn’t actually a huge disparity between the mean and median debt for graduates from UF pharmacy school. But you should know that the mean debt is the average for all grads, including those getting more financial help. The mean is below the median, which is due to smaller debt numbers changing that statistic to look a bit more favorable.

When you’re looking at the average debt you should look at both numbers, your own financial situation, and the total cost of tuition and fees. Comparing all of these numbers will give you a better idea of how much you can expect to take on.

Keep in mind that the UF tuition is only for pharmacy school. You could be walking in with student debt from an AA or bachelor’s degree too, so you’ll need to add that to the expected debt you’ll be walking away with.

Why UF pharmacy school doesn’t make sense for the future

Obviously you’ll be taking on student loan debt to attend UF pharmacy school. But this is true for a lot of PharmD programs. In fact, pharmacy schools that charge between $20,000-$30,000 a year are tolerable numbers for this field of study. If you’re a Florida resident, the UF PharmD program is actually the middle of the road. If you’re not a resident, then it’s definitely too expensive.

But what should be more of a concern than the UF pharmacy school tuition is the current pharmacist job outlook. Before you apply to any PharmD program, you should know that job prospects are looking bleak over the next few years.

The Bureau Labor of Statistics projects 0% expected employment growth in the field. If that’s not enough of a sign, consider the thousands of PharmD grads who are entering the workforce every year. The combination of too many graduates and no employment growth means there will be tons of pharmacists looking for work with six-figure debt strapped to their backs.

Even if you picked one of the cheapest programs you can find, finding work will be a concern.

How you can pay back student loans from UF pharmacy school

If you still want to pursue a degree in pharmacy, then do so with a plan for paying back your student loans.

When it comes to paying back pharmacy school student loan debt, there are two main strategies. The one you pick depends on how much you owe and how much you make:

1. If you owe 1.5 times your income or less: Aggressively pay off student loan debt within 10 years or less. It can be a good idea to refinance your student loans for the lowest rate possible if you pick this strategy.
2. If you owe more than 1.5 times your income: Switch to an income-driven repayment plan with the goal of qualifying for loan forgiveness later on. Make the smallest monthly payments possible toward your federal student loans under an IDR plan. After 20 to 25 years of payments, your remaining student loan balance is forgiven. You’ll need to pay taxes on the forgiven amount, so plan ahead for this expense.

If you’re not sure which debt pay off strategy is best for your situation, then talk to a professional at Student Loan Planner®. We’re happy to help. We have both a pre-debt consultation for those looking into grad school and a student loan debt payoff consultation for those already strapped with student loans.