Nearly 80 percent of Class of 2021 applicants earned residencies for postgraduate year 1, well ahead of the 63 percent average

The University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy continues to be a national leader in pharmacy education, most recently placing first in the northeast and no. 8 nationally in postdoctoral residency placement rate for phase 1. A highly competitive second phase for those who have not yet matched is ongoing..

Forty-four members of the class of 2021 have obtained postdoctoral residencies in the first phase of ASHP’s highly competitive match program, 79 percent of those applying. The placement rate places URI among the best in the country, well ahead of the 63 percent national average. Only seven of the 143 colleges of pharmacy in the country had a higher average than URI’s.

The URI College of Pharmacy has the highest placement rate among pharmacy schools in the northeast, and has placed the most students in residencies for the second straight year. St. John’s University was next with 35 placements. The University of New England scored the second-highest placement rate in the northeast at 78 percent, placing 14 students.

In addition, 10 members of the URI class of 2021 obtained fellowships or postdoctoral residencies outside of the ASHP match program, and 94 percent of former students from the Class of 2020 obtained second-year postdoctoral residencies, also among the best rate in the country. The two classes are spread out in residencies around the country, in 20 states.

“I continue to be amazed by the significant mark our impressive students are making on the health care community, locally, nationally and globally,” URI College of Pharmacy Dean Paul Larrat said. “It is a credit not just to the high-quality students we continue to attract to URI, but also to our dynamic faculty members who have mentored our students into the pharmacy professionals they’ve become. Our repeated high ranking in residency placement rate is a result of that dedication, and something I am very proud of.”

In addition to residency placement rate, the URI College of Pharmacy is also among the national leaders in Pharmacy Board Pass Rate (93.3 percent), employment rate upon graduation (97 percent), and program satisfaction rate (100 percent), according to the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.