Prior degree status of student pharmacists: Is there an association with first-year pharmacy school academic performance?

Abstract Objective To examine whether prior degree status during pharmacy school is associated with first-year academic success, as measured by first-year pharmacy school grade point average (GPA). Methods Baseline data including pre-pharmacy GPA, Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) score, prior degree status, and end of first-year pharmacy school GPA were collected for 118 first-year student pharmacists. Results Sixty-three students (53.4%) had earned a degree prior to pharmacy school. After pre-pharmacy GPA, prior degree status was the second strongest predictor of first-year pharmacy school GPA (β = 0.23, p = 0.009). Those with a prior degree attained a higher mean first-year pharmacy school GPA compared to those without (3.04 vs. 2.81, p = 0.03). Conclusion Our findings suggest an association between prior degree and higher first-year pharmacy school GPA. This finding may be relevant to pharmacy school admission committees.