Tops in Texas

UHCOP Reclaims First Place for Highest Pharmacy Graduates' First-time Pass Rate on NAPLEX Licensure Exam

Jan. 31 — The University of Houston College of Pharmacy reclaimed the first-place spot in Texas for Pharm.D. graduates taking the North American Pharmacist Licensure Exam (NAPLEX) for the first time, with 88.9% pass rate on the 2024 exam.

In addition, among pharmacy institutions with at least 95 students taking the exam for the first time, UHCOP was ranked fifth in the nation. 

UHCOP previously held the first-place spot in the state for four consecutive years from 2017 to 2020. Despite dropping out of the highest place in the state by only a few percentage points during those intervening years, first-time pass rates among UHCOP graduates continued to exceed the national average. 

Nationally, nearly 10,500 Pharm.D. graduates took the exam for the first time in 2024, yielding a 77.5% pass rate. Complete 2024 NAPLEX results are available from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.

"Although we're proud of how our faculty and students responded to the academic challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, we've seen how educational institutions and learning outcomes were impacted across the board nationwide by the disturbances in normal operations," said F. Lamar Pritchard, Ph.D., R.Ph., UHCOP dean and Humana Endowed Chair in Pharmacy. "I applaud our 2024 graduates for diligently committing themselves to their studies during their time with us as well as preparing for the exam itself, which is essential to maintaining the high standards and expectations of our profession to provide exceptional patient care."