UIC, City Colleges partnership guarantees admission in College of Pharmacy

An agreement between UIC and City Colleges of Chicago guarantees admission for talented pharmacy students. Photo: Chris Strong

UIC and City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) have reached an agreement that will guarantee admission of talented CCC students into the College of Pharmacy, one of the nation’s premier pharmacy programs.

Beginning next fall, five places will be reserved each year for qualified students who intend to complete a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. Applicants must maintain a full course load at CCC and have at least a 3.5 GPA, have completed all pre-pharmacy coursework at CCC, and receive at least a “B” in all prerequisite pharmacy courses.

CCC is the largest community college system in Illinois and one of the largest in the nation, with 5,500 faculty and staff serving more than 100,000 students annually at seven colleges and six satellite sites across the city. Colleges include Harold Washington, Harry S Truman, Kennedy-King, Malcolm X, Olive-Harvey, Richard J. Daley and Wilbur Wright.

“Our goal is to train professionals in a wide range of public service disciplines, serving Illinois as the principal educator of health science professionals and as a major health care provider to underserved communities,” UIC Chancellor Michael Amiridis said. “We have a great relationship with City Colleges and we are excited about this new partnership.”

UIC College of Pharmacy Dean Jerry Bauman said he considers the new agreement to be “a landmark partnership, mutually important to the UIC College of Pharmacy and the City Colleges of Chicago.

“Pharmacy is a wonderful profession and we are committed to improving access for talented students from Chicago to gain admittance to one of the very best colleges of pharmacy in the nation, and eventually join the profession,” Bauman said. “The partnership is congruent with UIC’s undergraduate program’s overall relationship with Chicago’s City Colleges and with Chancellor Amiridis’ commitment to the citizens of this city: The University of Illinois for Chicago.”

This is the fifth partnership that the College of Pharmacy has entered into with other institutions throughout the state. The CCC joins Northern Illinois University, Illinois State University, Western Illinois University and Eastern Illinois University.

“Through this agreement, we are further expanding a strong relationship with UIC, which enables our students to move on to a bachelor’s degree and beyond without all of the debt,” said City Colleges of Chicago Chancellor Cheryl L. Hyman. “This partnership will further enhance the programs that we have developed with industry leaders to prepare our students for tens of thousands of jobs coming to our region in the healthcare
sector.”

In 2015, UIC and CCC began a collaboration that allows at least 250 Star Scholars who transfer from CCC to UIC with an associate’s degree and at least a 3.0 GPA to be eligible to receive a $5,000 award over two years.