Jagpreet
24 June, 2024
Table of Contents
Pharmacy is not only about selling medicines. It takes years of training and rigorous study to master the field. It is a blend of health care, technology, science, patient care, and everything else that involves human health. So, it goes on for a lifetime. Therefore, if you plan to make a successful career in pharmacy, you must go through the entire journey. You must thoroughly understand everything from studying drugs to their discovery, development, and production to ensuring desired therapeutic results. The Bachelor of Pharmacy (B Pharma) programme is specifically designed to understand drug actions and explore drug design.
Pharmacy is a widely chosen career path for many higher secondary graduates in India. Thus, many colleges are offering B Pharmacy in every corner of the country. We have compiled a list of B Pharmacy colleges in India that provide you with quality education and good ranks.
Let’s start with a brief introduction to the programme.
B Pharma stands for Bachelor of Pharmacy, generally completed in four years. Many colleges in India offer this bachelor’s degree programme. This programme will help you acquire the licence to dispense medicines as a registered pharmacist. The coursework will include pharmacology, medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutics, pharmacognosy and pharmacy practice. It also studies drug formulation, therapeutic drug monitoring and regulatory aspects.
Here are the list of top colleges for B Pharma along with their fee structure:
Institution Name | Fee |
BITS Pilani | INR 2,59,500 (per semester) |
Manipal Academy of Higher Education | INR 14,78,000 (total) |
Chitkara University | INR 90,000 (per semester) |
Jamia Hamdard University | INR 1,45,000 (per year) |
Lovely Professional University | INR 1,20,000 (per semester) |
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham | INR 1,75,000 (per year) |
Chandigarh University | INR 1,33,000 (per semester) |
JSS College of Pharmacy | INR 1,55,000 |
SRM Institute of Science and Technology | INR 2,25,000 (per year) |
Amity University | INR 1,10,000 (per year) |
Let’s review each B Pharmacy college.
The Birla Institute of Technology & Science at Pilani is an Institute of Eminence (IOE) highly regarded for its innovative academics. This institution is known for offering quality technical education to students from all over India. It offers study programmes in science, commerce, and engineering at the UG and PG levels. Apart from its flagship campus at Pilani, it has Hyderabad, Mumbai, Goa campuses and an overseas campus in Dubai. Studying in one of the most prominent institutions will definitely impact your prospects.
NIRF Ranking (Pharmacy): 3
Accreditation & Approval: NAAC with ‘A’ grade with a CGPA of 3.45, UGC approved, approved by Pharmacy Council of India (PCI)
Carrying forward the 60+ years legacy, MAHE is another Institute of Eminence in India operating since 1953. It has an outstanding track record of world-class academics, infrastructure, and research. MAHE offers many academic programmes, from medical programmes to arts and communication courses. The university constantly reviews and upgrades as per the latest industry trends and higher education requirements, which is why it has a reasonable student satisfaction rate.
NIRF Ranking (Pharmacy): 9
Accreditation & Approval: A++ grade by NAAC, AICTE
Established by the Chitkara Educational Trust, the university has state-of-the-art infrastructure. It offers multidisciplinary programmes following industry standards. It is a student-centric university highly renowned in north India. The university follows modern teaching pedagogy and places equal emphasis on students’ extracurricular participation. As students from different nationalities are a part of the Chitkara student community, you get a multicultural environment that prepares you for a diverse workplace.
NIRF Ranking (Pharmacy): 16
Accreditation & Approval: A Grade by NAAC, AICTE, PCI
Started as a unani clinic in 1906, and it later became a prestigious university in India. The Hamdard College of Pharmacy was started in 1972 to provide education and training related to all sub-domains of the pharmacy field. So, for medical or healthcare-related programmes, Jamia Hamdard University is a great choice. You can enrol in UG, PG, or even a doctoral programme at Jamia to access advanced facilities in the field.
NIRF Ranking (Pharmacy): 2
Accreditation & Approval: NAAC A Grade, AICTE, PCI
Situated in Punjab, Lovely Professional University is another high-ranking B Pharmacy college. The university has a good placement record and strong industry collaborations to leave no stone unturned in providing a rich learning experience. LPU emphasises research, innovation, and entrepreneurship. The B Pharmacy course at LPU is approved by UGC and the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI).
NIRF Ranking (Pharmacy): 17
Accreditation & Approval: NAAC A++ Grade, recognised by UGC, PCI
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham is a multi-disciplinary private university that has received A++ accreditation from NAAC. It offers over 250 UG, PG, and PhD level programmes across various medical science, engineering, arts, and social science disciplines. It has an extensive network of nine campuses and is a prominent educational institution.
NIRF Ranking (Pharmacy): 10
Accreditation & Approval: NAAC A++, PCI
Chandigarh University is a popular name in the Indian education sector. The university applies a global approach and industry insights to offer world-class education. CU has a highly experienced academic faculty with a student-to-faculty ratio 14:1, which has led to an 85% student satisfaction rate. In addition to academic rigour, the university offers full career support to help start your professional journey in the best possible way.
NIRF Ranking (Pharmacy): 34
Accreditation & Approval: NAAC, UGC, AICTE & PCI
JSS College of Pharmacy started in 1980 when it only offered the B Pharma programme. Today, the institution is among India’s top 10 B Pharmacy colleges as per the NIRF 2023 rankings. The college has distinguished faculty members, technology-enabled infrastructure, and research facilities. Moreover, you get access to simulation labs, a model pharmacy, 100 national and international journals, and other such facilities at the campus, which makes a student’s journey easy.
NIRF Ranking (Pharmacy): 7
Accreditation & Approval: NAAC A+ Grade, PCI
This top-ranking institution provides a range of degree programmes across six faculties, including engineering, management, medicine, science, humanities, law, and agriculture. SRM Institute of Science and Technology has campuses in Chennai, UP, Tamil Nadu, Delhi NCR, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim. It is one of the premier educational institutions for technical and science courses, with a career-focused approach and an excellent placement record.
NIRF Ranking (Pharmacy): 15
Accreditation & Approval: NAAC A+ Grade, UGC, AICTE, PCI
Amity is one of India’s most celebrated private universities and is constantly ranked at top positions by India Today, Times of India and NIRF. It has a modern, hi-tech campus with a unique online counselling system to enable quick response time to students. The university has a separate corporate resource centre to bring the best placement opportunities to its students in companies like McKinsey, Ernst & Young, HLL and others.
NIRF Ranking (Pharmacy): 21
Accreditation & Approval: NAAC A+ Grade, AIU, UGC, PCI
Pharmacy education is highly precise and practice-based. The tuition fee for B Pharmacy at top-ranking colleges is higher than that of other graduate programmes. It may range between INR 3,00,000 to INR 20,00,000 for the complete course. Besides this, other charges include admission, examination, and GST. Also, government institutions’ fee structure is less than that of private colleges/universities. So, keeping your budget in mind, you can make the choice.
The eligibility and admission process may vary as per the university you choose. The general criteria you must fulfil are as follows:
Must have completed 10+2 from a recognised board in the science stream with PCB or PCM subjects
You must have secured more than 50% marks in 10+2
Some institutions consider NEET, CUET or JEE Mains exam scores, though it is not mandatory
Personal interviews may also be a part of the admission process at certain colleges
Pharmacy is a blend of practical and theoretical subjects. The overall structure of the curriculum is the same, but the subjects may differ in every college or university.
Semester 1 | Semester 2 |
General and Dispensing Pharmacy | Unit Operations |
Pharmaceutical Analysis I | Organic Chemistry |
Inorganic Medicinal Chemistry | Computer Applications |
Remedial Maths and Biology | Human Anatomy Physiology |
Mathematics and Statistics | Human Anatomy Pathophysiology |
Semester 3 | Semester 4 |
Physical Pharmaceutics | Cosmetology |
Heterocyclic and Natural Products Chemistry | Pharmacology I |
Biochemistry | Microbiology and Immunology |
Pharmacognosy and Natural Products I | Pharmacognosy and Natural Products II |
Semester 5 | Semester 6 |
Biological Pharmacy | Pharmaceutical Technology 1 |
Medicinal Chemistry I | Pharmacology II |
Pharmacognosy and Natural Products III | Hospital Pharmacy |
Industrial Management and Pharmaceutical Marketing | Pharmaceutical Analysis II |
Semester 7 | Semester 8 |
Pharmaceutical Technology 2 | Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics |
Pharmacology III | Pharmacology IV |
Medicinal Chemistry II | Pharmaceutical Analysis III |
Molecular Biology, Genetics and Biotechnology | Forensic Pharmacy |
According to the Invest India report, the pharmaceutical industry is expected to reach $130 billion by 2030. As India is a major exporter of pharmaceuticals, this industry holds huge employment potential for several interested candidates. You can work in this industry’s production, sales, marketing, or quality assurance sectors, depending on your interest. Some of the career opportunities you can grab right after the B Pharma course are listed below:
Job Roles | Average Salary |
Pharmacist | INR 2.6 to 4 LPA |
Medical Representative | INR 3.5 to 4.8 LPA |
Quality Control Associate | INR 5.3 to 8.5 LPA |
Drug Inspector | INR 6.1 to 9 LPA |
Research Scientist | INR 9 to 18 LPA |
Pharmacy Technician | INR 4.3 to 12.2 LPA |
Pathologist | INR 11.9 to 20 LPA |
Biomedical Scientist | INR 5.4 to 6.9 LPA |
Source:Ambition Box
After the Bachelor of Pharmacy programme, you can explore several career options in both government and private sector, whether as a drug inspector or pharmacist. The above-mentioned B Pharmacy colleges will train you to become an expert in the pharmacy world. However, before making the final call, it is better to do thorough research on various parameters.
In the initial career phase, the highest package for a B Pharmacy candidate is INR 4.8 LPA, which can vary depending on the skill set and the company.
Following the NIRF 2023 ranking for pharmacy institutes, Jamia Hamdard University and BITS Pilani are among the highest-ranked colleges for B Pharmacy courses.
Hyderabad is considered the pharma hub of India as it holds 40% of the Indian drug production in bulk.
The pharmacy field has decent scope and demand in India. In the previous year, the need for drug manufacturing and research and development in India has grown.
A fresher B Pharma candidate gets an average salary of INR 5 LPA at Cipla.
No, you don’t necessarily need NEET for admission into the B Pharma course.
It all depends on your interests and the kind of work you want to do in the future. If you are more interested in pharmaceutical drug manufacturing and its related areas, then B Pharm is a better option.