"Undergraduate" pharmacy status?

[nikegiwa]

Hello,

As I research prospective pharmacy schools, I have learned that there are some schools that, for financial aid purposes, classify pharmacy students as undergraduates (as opposed to graduate students) for part of their pharmacy studies (for example, undergraduates during P1 and P2 and graduates during P3 and P4, or some other combination). This affects the amount of federal loan money that one can borrow to finance their education. If you know of such a school, please list them on this thread. (As I will be dependent upon federal student loans and do not have any undergraduate loan eligibility remaining, I need to know which schools not to apply to.)

I have been told University of Texas is one such school. Any others (please mention schools in all states, public and private). Thanks.

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[dgroulx]

Hello,

As I research prospective pharmacy schools, I have learned that there are some schools that, for financial aid purposes, classify pharmacy students as undergraduates (as opposed to graduate students) for part of their pharmacy studies (for example, undergraduates during P1 and P2 and graduates during P3 and P4, or some other combination). This affects the amount of federal loan money that one can borrow to finance their education. If you know of such a school, please list them on this thread. (As I will be dependent upon federal student loans and do not have any undergraduate loan eligibility remaining, I need to know which schools not to apply to.)

I have been told University of Texas is one such school. Any others (please mention schools in all states, public and private). Thanks.

I have a BS and get student loan money for all 4 years of pharmacy. You get even more money, because it is a graduate program. What you don't get are the undergrad scholarships, such as Bright Futures in Florida. At UF, only the P1 year received those and only if you didn't have a degree.

 

[farmskool]

University of Missouri Kansas City. You are considered undergrad for first 2 years, thereby limiting your fed. funding to $10,500/year. Pharmacy is a "professional/graduate" program, but for Fin. aid purposes you are a undergrad for the first two years. I do not know why schools do this. It forces you to get private loans. I had a few "choice" words for the fin. aid office when I found this out!

 

[genesis09]

At UIC for all Pharmacy students, the financial aid office categorizes you as professional student, and so, are entitled to the higher amounts of financial aid. My full, complete, financial aid package was about $31,000.

 

[pharmv]

University of Missouri Kansas City. You are considered undergrad for first 2 years, thereby limiting your fed. funding to $10,500/year. Pharmacy is a "professional/graduate" program, but for Fin. aid purposes you are a undergrad for the first two years. I do not know why schools do this. It forces you to get private loans. I had a few "choice" words for the fin. aid office when I found this out!

You can apply for the "Parent Plus Loan" which gives you about the same amount of money compared to a "graduate student". The interest is the same as a fed loan. Ask you financial aid office about it. I believe if your parents dont qualify for the loan, they still give it to you.

 

[Miss Sushi]

From what I've heard, if you only do 2 years of pre-professional studies, you are filed in financial aid as "undergraduate" and 4+ years = graduate. This should be universal for all schools, because it is how you file your FAFSA.

 

[patmcd]

You can apply for the "Parent Plus Loan" which gives you about the same amount of money compared to a "graduate student". The interest is the same as a fed loan. Ask you financial aid office about it. I believe if your parents dont qualify for the loan, they still give it to you.

If they still give you a loan that your parents don't qualify for, what is the point of having qualifications for it?

 

[nikegiwa]

Miss Sushi, I have a Bachelor's degree already; I am completing my pre-pharmacy courses as a post-bacc at a CC. However, unfortunately the FAFSA does not determine who is "professional" and who is not...the school itself decides, and the school may choose to consider pharmacy students as undergrads regardless of possession of a degree and/or completion of the two years of prepharmacy.

Pharmv, I don't qualify for the PLUS loan because of my degree and because I am an independent student. Thanks for the suggestion though.

I appreciate all the responses. Right now I know not to apply to University of Missouri-Kansas City and the University of Texas. Are there any others? Please help.

 

[janeno]

I know for sure Colorado considers first 2 years as undergraduate program, and I think U of Pittsburgh does the same, but you might want to double check it. I am basically in the same situation as nikegiwa because by the time I start a pharmacy school, I will already have bachelor's degree. On top of that, I know for sure that I will be going as out-of-state student, and therefore, I would rather get as much as possible money from government than from private lenders who charge much higher rates.

 

[Miss Sushi]

Miss Sushi, I have a Bachelor's degree already; I am completing my pre-pharmacy courses as a post-bacc at a CC. However, unfortunately the FAFSA does not determine who is "professional" and who is not...the school itself decides, and the school may choose to consider pharmacy students as undergrads regardless of possession of a degree and/or completion of the two years of prepharmacy.

oh, ok I was under the impression that all schools based it on the FAFSA, at least this is what my fin. aid counselor told me. my bad.

 

[pharmacology]

I have a BS and get student loan money for all 4 years of pharmacy. You get even more money, because it is a graduate program.

Professional program....rather than graduate program