Characteristics of Prepharmacy Undergraduate Institutions as a Predictor of First-Year Pharmacy School Success.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of undergraduate institutional characteristics on first-year pharmacy (P1) success at a private, 4-year program.

Methods: A retrospective review of students matriculating from 2020 to 2023 was conducted. Characteristics of each student's primary undergraduate institution, such as admission rate, highest degree offered, enrollment size, and other factors, were obtained from the US Department of Education Scorecard. Student academic metrics and outcomes in the P1 year were also collected. A mixed-effects model was used to identify independent undergraduate institutional predictors of P1 success, defined as passing all courses without remediation and progressing on time to the second year.

Results: A total of 162 students from 82 undergraduate institutions were included. Univariate analysis demonstrated that undergraduate institutions offering a bachelor's degree or higher, having a lower admission rate (or not having an open admissions policy), and having at least 50% full-time faculty were predictors of P1 success. Student metrics such as prematriculation grade point average (GPA) and achieving a bachelor's degree were not predictive of P1 success, although prematriculation GPA was independently associated with P1 GPA. Collinearity among predictive undergraduate institution characteristics was common. In a mixed-effects model, P1's success was best predicted by the undergraduate institution's admission rate.

Conclusion: Multiple undergraduate institution characteristics significantly predict P1 success, whereas student academic metrics were not predictive in our analyses. These findings challenge the reliance on traditional academic metrics, particularly GPA, and suggest that future research should focus on holistic admissions approaches that include both institutional and nonacademic factors.