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Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm) Course Admissions 2025 - 2026 Academic Year
Course Description - There runs a stereotype attached with biology students in India. Most parents whose children opt for biology in their 12th grade believe that the only good career choice available with their children is clearing entrance exams like NEET and become a doctor. However, since India gained her independence, there has been a radical change in the way pharmacy was taught in India. This was done to meet the requirements of a free nation and that of the society at large. Although there is another course, the Diploma in Pharmacy which is considered somehow easier, it doesn't serve the needs of hospitals and the industry fully. It is the Bachelors in Pharmacy or the B.Pharma program that meets all requirements of the industry today. In this program, students learn all about maintaining the quality of people's health. Although most people think that through this program, people basically get a license to open up chemist shops and trade in medicines, students in the B.Pharma program do much more than just that. Besides learning about medicines in general, B.Pharma students learn about their effect on human body together with the chemical and organic properties of such medicines. This program equips an individual with the knowledge required to assist a layperson to get the right drug to address the troubles of the patient. Although this program is basically all about drugs and medics, students gain knowledge about pharmacology, biochemistry, pharmacy management and so much more. This course happens to be a favorite for those students whose family is in the business of selling drugs. The program provides practical experiments along with theory classes. Any institution in India which offers this course is to be affiliated by the AICTE (All Indian Council of Technical Education) or the Pharmacy Council of India.
Duration - A good alternative to its engineering counterpart, this bachelor degree usually 4 years long. In the first few semesters, students learn the basics of Pharmacology, pharmaceutical chemistry, computer applications and mathematics related with the field. As a student advances with each semester, he receives advanced knowledge about these subjects together with subjects like Pharmaceutical jurisprudence, ethics, hospital pharmacy, pharmaceutical technology etc. This course is somewhat different from its diploma counterpart.
Eligibility - To be eligible for this program, a student needs to have cleared his plus two exams either with the combination of Physics, Chemistry and Maths (PCM) or Physics, Chemistry and Biology (PCB) as subjects. The candidate must have scored at least 50% marks in his plus two to be eligible for being considered for admission into a B.Pharma program in some reputed institution. However, some private institutions such as the Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences require a candidate to have merely passed in their 10+2 exams. Apart from this, most institutes require candidates to clear entrance tests to be considered for admission.
Cost of Study - As is the case with every other course, the cost of study for B.Pharma too varies by the institution. The average fee payable for all the four years in a B.Pharama institution is close to one lakh. However, there are institutions that charge less, others charge much more. For instance, the fee for all the 4 years at Dr. D. Y. Patil College of Pharmacy is Rs. 85,000 and that at Sri Sai Group of Institutes is Rs. 70,000 only. The cost of study of this program at Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak and H. K. College of Pharmacy, Mumbai are also close to Rs. 90,000 only. However, on the other hand, LPU (Lovely Professional University) charges a total fees of around Rs. 6.5 lakhs while College of Pharmacy, SRM University charges a little over Rs. 4 lakhs. However, the cost of studying this program at Manipal college of Pharmaceutical, which is a reputed private institution is a whopping Rs. 8,50,000.
Admission Procedure - As aforementioned, most reputed institutes that offer this program require candidates to clear entrance tests for purposes of admission. Usually these tests weigh the aptitude of the candidates on Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics (based on the combination one had in their HSC) together with General English and General Aptitude. Again, the case of B.Pharma is somewhat special because there is another way to get admission into this program. One can get into a
B.Pharma program at some colleges through what is known as lateral entry. What this implies is should a candidate have a Diploma in Pharmacy with an aggregate marks of at least 50% in the first and second years and he will be directly admitted into this advanced program in the second year of the course. Some of the most known B.Pharma entrance tests in India are the GPAT (Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test), the TS EAMCET, AP EAMSET and WBJEE. Besides, some universities like Bhartiya Vidya Peeth and Indra Prastha University conduct their own entrance tests such as the BVP CET and IPU CET respectively. Birla Institute of Technology conducts its own test separate from others and its known as the BITSAT (Birla Institute of Technology and Science Aptitude Test). Candidates shouldn't forget – there are some institutions that also conduct a group discussion or/and personal interview round before finalizing admissions.
Career Prospects - A B.Pharma graduate has a bright future ahead of him/her. Today those who have a degree in B.Pharma have the option to become industrial pharmacists and handle segments like manufacturing, packaging, quality control as well as quality assurance. Besides, hospitals too require pharmacists on a regular basis to dispense medicine to patients. Additionally, there is a huge commercial angle to it and corporations like Cipla and Ranbaxy understand this completely. Thus, there is no dearth of job opportunities for B.Pharma graduates as sales and distribution executives. Besides, they can opt for teaching students in the diploma program at some institution. Moreover, B.Pharma graduates can work at health centers and research agencies.
Higher Study Opportunities - Besides the regular options open to all such as Banking exams and UPSC, the most obvious and logical alternative open to B.Pharma graduates is going for higher studies, which means getting a masters degree in Pharmacy. The reason is that with higher qualification, graduates have better changes to get jobs in pharmacy industry in any of the several areas such as research, regulation, marketing, formulation development etc. And with time and experience, aspiring candidates can even accede to senior key positions in pharma companies.