Top Pharmacy Colleges in India 2022

Pharmacy is a Science that links Medical Sciences with Chemistry. This field of Health Science plays an enormous role in the testing, discovery, production, research and use of medicines and drugs. The Pharmacy courses provide the students with an understanding of different aspects of medicines, drugs, chemical structure, formulation, etc. The rapid growth in the Pharmaceutical industry and research has led to an increase of students interest in the Pharmacy field as a profession. Pharmacy courses are a gateway to the Healthcare and Medical industry. The programmes consist of subjects such as Pharmaceuticals, Pharmacology, Pharmacovigilance, Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmacognosy and are approved by the PCI (Pharmacy Council of India) and AICTE (All India Council of Technical Education), New Delhi. 

Aspirants who wish to pursue a career in Pharmaceuticals industry must have the following skill-sets:

• Medicinal and scientific research skills
• Curiosity and persuasive skills
• Communication skills and interpersonal skills
• Adaptation ability
• Therapeutic and counselling skills
• Medical writing and ethics
• Business skills such as marketing and organising
• Technical skills
• Sharp memory and good knowledge
• Determinant and consistency 

India is home to some of the top-rated colleges/ universities to pursue Pharmacy courses like Jamia Hamdard University (Delhi), Punjab University - PUCHD (Chandigarh), National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research S.A.S. Nagar (Punjab), Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT Mumbai), National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Hyderabad), Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS Pilani), Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Manipal), National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Ahmedabad), JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research (Ooty), JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research (Mysore), etc.

There are over 1,800 Pharmacy colleges in India that offer a full-time and part-time mode of study.  These colleges provide degree, diploma and certificate courses. Out of these the top 20 Pharmacy colleges in India ranked by NIRF offer degree courses in a full-time mode of study.

The top-rated Pharmacy colleges in India offer different types of courses. Over 1,300 colleges offer BPharma course, 750 offer MPharma course, 690 offer UG Diploma and 217 offer Pharm D course. 

Pharmacy Courses Admission Eligibility Criteria

Pharmacy courses can be pursued at Diploma, UG, PG and PhD levels. The eligibility criteria differs as per the course selected by the candidate. However, given below is a broad eligibility criteria for Diploma, UG, PG and PhD Pharmacy courses for the reference of candidates:

Diploma (DPharma): Candidates must have passed Class 10 with Science subjects i.e. Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics.

UG level (BPharma): Candidates must have passed Class 12 with a combination of either Physics, Chemistry and Biology or Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics and secured at least 50% aggregate score from a recognised board. The course is of four years duration.

PG level (MPharma): Candidates must have passed BPharma with at least 50% aggregate score from a pharmacy college as approved by the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI). The course is of two years duration.

PhD level:

6-year Pharm D course:

• Candidates must have completed 10+2 level of education from any state/national education board. They must have studied Physics and Chemistry as compulsory subjects with Mathematics or Biology as additional subjects. They must have completed 17 years of age in the year of admission. Or
• Candidates holding a diploma in pharmacy are also eligible for Pharm. D course provided they fulfill all other conditions as well.

3-year Pharm D course (Post Baccalaureate) –

• Candidates passed in Bachelor of Pharmacy course from an institute recognized under Pharmacy Council of India are eligible for Pharm. D course.
• They must have completed higher secondary education i.e. 10+2 or equivalent with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics or Biology subjects.

Apart from merit-based admission, the Pharmacy colleges in India conduct entrance exams for admission to Pharmacy courses like MHT CET, AP EAMCET, TS EAMCET, KEAM, WBJEE, KCET, HPCET, OJEE, BITSAT,  etc.

Although there are plenty of Pharmacy colleges in India there a few top ones that have been listed by NIRF.

Following is a list of top 10 Pharmacy colleges in India ranked NIRF under the Pharmacy category:

College	NIRF'20 Ranking
Jamia Hamdard University, Delhi	1
PUCHD, Chandigarh	2
National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research S.A.S. Nagar, Punjab	3
ICT Mumbai	4
National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hyderabad	5
BITS Pilani	6
Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal	7
National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Ahmedabad	8
JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Ooty	9
JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Mysore	10

Here is the list of some of the top private and public Pharmacy colleges in India:

Private Colleges	Course Fee (in Rs lakh)
BITS Pilani	16
JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Ooty	1.40
JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Mysore	1.40
NMIMS University, Mumbai	-
Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi	11

 

Public Colleges	Course Fee (in Rs)
Jamia Hamdard University, Delhi	-
PUCHD, Chandigarh	-
ICT Mumbai	3,41,400
Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu	-
The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (MSU), Vadodara	8,400

Refer to the infographics below to get a detailed overview of the top 10 cities/states of Pharmacy colleges in India:

Note: Y-axis refers to the number of colleges in the above graphs.

Career Scope for Pharmacy Students

The Pharmaceuticals field offers multiple job opportunities to the students. They can get jobs in various government sectors as well as private sectors. Pharmacy graduates can get jobs in hospitals, medical showrooms, clinics or work as a pharmacist by putting up a private business. Some of the job profiles that are offered to Pharmacy professionals include:

• Pharmaceutical Scientist
• Retail Pharmacist
• Pharmaceutical Financial Analyst
• Pharmacist
• Pharmacy Manager
• Medical Writer
• Drug Inspector
• Clinical Research Associate
• Quality Control Associate
• Pharmaceutical Sales/Marketing Executive

Graduates from below top 15 Pharmacy colleges in India can get a median salary of Rs 1-5 LPA:

• Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu
• Punjabi University, Patiala
• Nirma University, Ahmedabad
• Banasthali Vidyapith, Jaipur
• Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi
• National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Ahmedabad
• PUCHD, Chandigarh
• Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal
• Poona College of Pharmacy, Bharati Vidyapeeth University, Pune
• Jamia Hamdard University, Delhi
• ICT Mumbai
• National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research S.A.S. Nagar, Punjab
• JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Ooty
• Bombay College of Pharmacy, Mumbai
• JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Mysore

Below is a list of Indian and international top recruiters for Pharmacy courses in India:

• Lupin
• Cipla
• Piramal
• Sun Pharmaceuticals
• Aurobindo Pharma
• Reddy’s Laboratories
• Pfizer
• AbbVie
• Johnson & Johnson
• GlaxoSmithKline
• Amgen
• Zydus

 Graduates from below top 3 Pharmacy colleges in India can fetch a median salary of Rs 5-10 LPA:

• NMIMS University, Mumbai
• National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hyderabad
• BITS Pilani

Graduates from below top Pharmacy college in India can bag a median salary of more than Rs 10 LPA:

• MSU, Vadodara

Refer to the infographic below to get a detailed overview of the median salary for Pharmacy colleges in India:

Note: Y-axis refers to the number of colleges in the above graph.

Top Recruiters for Pharmacy Students

After completing Pharmacy courses, candidates get several placement opportunities. The placement drives are conducted by the colleges. The colleges provide opportunities to enhance the student’s knowledge and gain real-time experience.

Below is the list of few top companies in India that recruit Pharmacy students along with their placement ratings:

Colleges	Placement Ratings (Based on Reviews)	Top Recruiters
National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research S.A.S. Nagar, Punjab	4.7	Pfizer, Dr. Reddys, Hetero Labs, Eli Lilly, GSK Pharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Sun Pharma, IMS, Novartis
ICT Mumbai	4.4	Cipla, Biocon, Lupin, Syngene, Enzene, Entas, Yashraj Biotech Ltd,
JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Ooty	4.4	GSK, Madras Biomedical
Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal	4.2	Abbot, Alkem, Aurobindo Pharma, BIOCLINICA, Biocon, Cipla, Eli Lilly, Eris Life Sciences, GSK Pharma, Lupin, Merck, Mylan, Nestle, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Parexel, Perkin Elmer, Pfizer, Sciformix, Sun Pharma
JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Mysore	3.9	Anthem BioSciences, Apotex Research, BIOCLINICA, Dr. Reddys Laboratories Ltd, Himalaya Drugs, Indegene, Micro Lab, Mylan, Novartis, Quintiles

How affordable is studying Pharmacy Courses in India?

Based on the below pie chart, it can be estimated that pursuing Pharmacy courses in India is economical as approximately 39% of the colleges have a course/annual fees that ranges from Rs 1-5 lakh. Some of these colleges are:

• Banasthali Vidyapith, Jaipur
• JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Ooty
• JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Mysore
• ICT Mumbai
• National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hyderabad

Approximately 23% of Pharmacy colleges have a fee structure of more than Rs 10 lakh. Some of these colleges are

• Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal
• Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi
• BITS Pilani

Approximately 23% of Pharmacy colleges have a fee structure that ranges from Rs 5-10 lakh. Some of these colleges are

• Amity University, Noida
• Nirma University, Ahmedabad
• Poona College of Pharmacy, Bharati Vidyapeeth University, Pune

Approximately 15% of Pharmacy colleges have a fee structure of less than Rs 1 lakh. Some of these colleges are

• MSU, Vadodara
• National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Ahmedabad

Refer to the infographic below to get a detailed overview of the break-up of Pharmacy Colleges in India basis fees: