CVS expands its pharmacy tuition, scholarship programs

CVS Health is expanding its offerings for pharmacy students: a beefed up PharmD tuition assistance program for eligible CVS Pharmacy interns and a new scholarship for students enrolled in pharmacy schools nationwide.

The CVS Health PharmD tuition assistance program is available to all eligible CVS Pharmacy interns and consists of a $20,000 award per year. The new CVS Health/American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Community Pharmacy Health Equity Award will grant $20,000 to 21 student pharmacists who face financial barriers in their pursuit of education.

The retailer points to its own recent report, which states that pharmacy school applications have decreased by more than 60% in less than a decade.

“With an increasing need for community pharmacists nationwide, it is more important than ever to increase exposure to the profession and to grow and stabilize the volume of future pharmacists,” CVS said in a statement.

PharmD tuition assistance 

This summer, 2024 PharmD graduates who intern with CVS Pharmacy as of April 30, 2024, can apply for up to $20,000 towards their final year of tuition. In the fall, the program will be expanded to CVS Pharmacy interns in their final two years of pharmacy education, with $20,000 available for each year while working as an intern for CVS Pharmacy. Recipients will participate in a more flexible learning program with year-round opportunities to enhance their ability to obtain valuable experience before starting their post-graduate professional career in pharmacy.

CVS Health/AACP Student Advocacy & Community Health Equity Award

In collaboration with the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy and the CVS Health Foundation, the Community Pharmacy Health Equity Award “promotes diversity of thought, background, perspective and experience to advance pharmacy education and improve patient health.” The scholarships are intended to promote and support a population of student pharmacists who will care for an increasingly diverse population of patients as part of a health care team. Selected awardees must demonstrate leadership, academic success, financial need and a commitment to advancing the profession of pharmacy and patient care.