Doctor of Pharmacy

Student Costs & Budgeting

Investing in your future is an important decision. The WSU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences wants to ensure that you have the resources, information, and support you need so that you can get the best return on your investment.

Annual Costs (PY1-PY4)

Tuition for 2023-24

Service & Activities Fee included in tuition

Resident tuition: $12,730 per semester
*NEW* Out-of-state tuition:
$15,343 per semester

When: Beginning of fall and spring semesters

Pay to: MyWSU

International Student Health Insurance

Applicable only to international students

Fall Cost: $733
Spring Cost: $1021

When: Beginning of fall and spring semesters respectively

Pay to: MyWSU

Pharmacy Fee

Includes access to PharmLibrary, annual HIPAA/OSHA and 1 national background check, and Experiential Learning Management System

Please watch this video on how to apply your financial aid to the pharmacy fee.

Cost: $150

When: Beginning of fall semester

Pay to: MyWSU

Professional Liability Insurance

Cost: $15

When: Month of August

Pay to: Via CPPS portal

Washington Intern License*

Renewed every two years

Cost: $90

When: After admissions, before start of program. Renew every two years.

Pay to: Washington State Department of Health

Other State Intern Licensing*

Optional

Cost: Varies by state

When: Spring semester, only if the student has an IPPE or APPE placement outside of Washington, e.g. Idaho, California, Oregon

Pay to: State licensing boards

* Costs not billed by WSU

Please note costs listed on this page are estimates for budgeting purposes only. This is not a bill. For additional budgeting information, refer to the Financial Services figures. Washington State University reserves the right to increase or modify tuition and fees without prior notice, upon approval by the State of Washington and Washington State University Board of Regents and to make such modifications applicable to students enrolled at WSU at the time as well as to incoming students. In addition, all tuition and mandatory fees are subject to change at any time for correction of errors. 

Tips for Out-of-State Students

Did you know the average out-of-state pharmacy school tuition is $15,000 more per year than in-state tuition? WSU recently reduced our out-of-state pharmacy tuition by 30% to do our part in making a pharmacy education affordable to all, no matter what state you’re from. That’s $48,000 total in savings over 4 years.

Establishing Residency

Students can apply for in-state tuition after one year of residence in Washington state.

Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE)

Prospective students living in Alaska, Nevada, or the Northern Mariana Islands are eligible to apply for WICHE, which reduces your cost to in-state tuition.

Additional Costs by Year

Pharmacy Prep Week

Cost: $50 registration
$30 primers (optional)

When: Before program starts

Pay to: Via CPPS portal

Name Badge Fee

Cost: $10

When: Beginning of the fall semester

Pay to: MyWSU

Sterile Products/Compounding Course Fee

Cost: $38

When: Beginning of the semester when you are enrolled for this course

Pay to: MyWSU as PharmDSci 519

Certiphi Background Check*

Cost: $70

When: After acceptance to the program and before program starts

Pay to: Certiphi

Equipment*

Scrubs, blood pressure cuff, stethoscope

Cost: ~$140

When: Pharmacy Prep Week if purchasing one of each

Pay to: Professional Pharmacy Student Organization

CastleBranch Account*

Lifetime membership

Cost: $43

When: After admissions, before program starts

Pay to: CastleBranch

American Heart Association Basic Life Support CPR*

for Healthcare providers

Cost: ~$60

When: Prior to/beginning of the fall semester

Pay to: Training facility student selects

Additional Onboarding Expenses*

Varies, depending on sites’ requirement(s) i.e. additional background check, fingerprinting, additional TB screenings, CPNW, drug screening, training expenses possible, etc.

IPPE Community Cost: $0-$75

When: 6-8 weeks prior to the start of your rotation

Pay to: Varies, depending on sites’ requirement(s)

Washington State Pharmacy Association Annual Membership (WSPA)*

Optional

Cost: $20

When: Dependent on when/if student joins

Pay to: WSPA

*Costs not billed by WSU

Medication Therapy Management Training Course Fee

Cost: $100

When: Beginning of semester when enrolled for this course

Pay to: MyWSU as Pharm541

Additional Onboarding Expenses*

Varies, depending on sites’ requirement(s) i.e. additional background check, fingerprinting, additional TB screenings, CPNW, drug screening, training expenses possible, etc.

IPPE Institutional Cost: $0-$100

When: 6-8 weeks prior to the start of your rotation

Pay to: Varies, depending on sites’ requirement(s)

Washington State Pharmacy Association Annual Membership (WSPA)*

Optional

Cost: $20

When: Dependent on when/if student joins

Pay to: WSPA

*Costs not billed by WSU

EHR-GO Course Fee

Mock-electronic health record for classroom study

Cost: $65 per semester

When: Beginning of fall and spring semesters when enrolled for the course

Pay to: MyWSU as Pharm 551 & 561

Mental Health Course Fee

Optional elective

Cost: $17

When: Beginning of semester when enrolled for this course

Pay to: MyWSU as Pharm 592

WSU Graduation Application

Cost: $60

When: Summer semester of PY3 year OR during PY4 year

Pay to: WSU Registrar via MyWSU

American Heart Association Basic Life Support CPR*

for Healthcare Providers

Cost: ~$60

When: Renewed every 2 years

Pay to: Training facility student selects

Additional Onboarding Expenses*

Varies, depending on sites’ requirement(s) i.e. additional background check, fingerprinting, additional TB screenings, CPNW, drug screening, training expenses possible, etc.

APPE Cost: $100-$500 total for all experiences, not per experience.

When: Beginning spring of PY3 year into PY4 year as you onboard for each APPE

6-8 weeks prior to the start of each rotation

Pay to: Varies, depending on sites’ requirement(s)

Washington State Pharmacy Association Annual Membership (WSPA)*

Optional

Cost: $20

When: Dependent on when/if student joins

Pay to: WSPA

*Costs not billed by WSU

WSU Graduation Application

See item listed in PY3 costs

WSU Graduation Regalia Rental

Optional

Cost: $86

When: Spring semester

Pay to: WSU Bookie

WSU Transcripts

Required for licensing or PhorCAS application

Cost: $10 per transcript

When: Fall, spring and/or postgraduation depending on your and postgraduation plans

Pay to: WSU transcript orders

Specialty Rotations*

Possibly additional costs, i.e. international rotations

Cost: Varies based on experience.

When: Depends on the experience, as early as spring of PY3 year – spring of PY4

Pay to: Depends on the experience.

Additional Onboarding Expenses*

Varies, depending on sites’ requirement(s) i.e. additional background check, fingerprinting, additional TB screenings, CPNW, drug screening, training expenses possible, etc.

APPE Cost: $100-$500 total for all experiences, not per experience.

When: Beginning spring of PY3 year into PY4 year as you onboard for each APPE

6-8 weeks prior to the start of each rotation.

Pay to: Varies, depending on sites’ requirement(s)

RxPrep NAPLEX Review*

Optional – includes book, online question bank, online videos, and 3-day live review prior to spring commencement

Cost: $428

When: July through January payment window. First payment may be made between July and October; final payment due in January.

Pay to: CPPS specific link

NAPLEX Review Book*

Cost dependent on when you order and which book you choose.

Cost: ~$160

Pre-NAPLEX Practice Exam*

Cost: $65

When: Student’s discretion

Pay to: NABP

NAPLEX Cost*

Cost: $575

When: Post-graduation

Pay to: NABP

State Specific Law Test*

Cost and test depends on licensure state, pay directly to the testing agency.

MPJE Cost: $250

When: Post-graduation

Pharmacist Licensing*

Washington Costs:

  • $400 DOH licensing fee
  • $20-$50 fingerprinting
  • $34.35 fingerprint background check
  • $10 passport style photos
  • $25 certification of internship hours

When: After successfully passing NAPLEX and any other required testing for your state of licensure (e.g. MPJE)

Pay to: Directly to State Board where applying for licensure

Washington State Pharmacy Association Annual Membership (WSPA)*

Optional

Cost: $20

When: Dependent on when/if student joins

Pay to: WSPA

*Costs not billed by WSU

Scholarship Funds

There are an array of scholarships available to student pharmacists and a strong alumni network who are invested in your success. Whether you are passionate about public health, obstetric pharmacotherapy or academia, there are a number of scholarship programs that want to ensure that the next generation of Cougar pharmacists succeeds!

$450,000+ scholarships awarded each year

Personal Budgeting

Below is a list of other potential costs you may wish to factor into your budgeting.

  • Rent during the academic year and for IPPE/APPE
  • Transportation
  • Utilities (gas, electric, garbage, water, internet)
  • Cell phone plan
  • Computer
  • Food
  • Parking pass
  • Any optional association/membership expenses (including Registered Student Organizations and fraternities)
  • Conference travel (airfare, lodging, registration expenses, e.g. ASHP Midyear) ~$800-$1,000 per conference
  • US immigration visa for international students
  • Graduation lodging expenses
  • Post-graduation residency application fees
    $110 first group of 4 applications
    $43 per application after the 4th
  • Post-graduate interview travel expenses
  • Remote proctoring expenses

I believe in this generation of students. The scholarships and fellowships I received in school were critical to achieving my educational goals and career success. It’s a privilege to pay it forward.

Gerry Danquist, ’65, Former executive at Eli Lilly, established the Gerald A. Danquist Scholarship in 2013