East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy has received a major federal grant expected to provide $3.23 million over five years, opening doors to pharmacy education and strengthening the pharmacist workforce serving rural and underserved communities.
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has awarded $646,411 for the first budget period through its Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students program.
The project plans to support approximately 40 student pharmacists each year with scholarships covering half of annual tuition and required fees, helping students from disadvantaged backgrounds pursue a pharmacy degree with less financial burden. Funding for subsequent years is subject to available federal funds, satisfactory project performance and other award conditions.
“We are incredibly excited to offer this new scholarship, which will make a meaningful difference in the lives of many of our student pharmacists by further reducing the cost of their pharmacy education,” said Dr. Ralph Lugo, senior associate dean and project lead on the grant. “This grant will support the college’s mission to serve rural and underserved communities and help meet the demand for pharmacists in the Appalachian region.”
By reducing financial barriers, the project will help students focus on completing their pharmacy education and preparing for careers in communities with significant healthcare needs.
The project will pair scholarships with academic support, mentoring and hands-on clinical experiences to prepare the next generation of pharmacists to serve primary care, rural, tribal and other medically vulnerable communities.
This funding builds on state investments that have allowed the college to reduce tuition twice since 2023, making a pharmacy education in Northeast Tennessee more affordable. The Tennessee General Assembly approved $2.5 million in state funding in 2023 and an additional $3.2 million in 2026.
As a result of these investments, annual in-state Pharm.D. tuition decreased by 35.9% to $24,785, an estimated four-year savings of $55,556 at current tuition rates. Annual out-of-state tuition decreased by 21.5% to $30,329, an estimated four-year savings of $33,380 at current tuition rates.
“Financial barriers should not stand in the way of talented students who want to become pharmacists,” said Dr. Debbie Byrd, dean of Gatton. “Together with the state’s investments in lowering tuition, these scholarships will help more students pursue a pharmacy degree and prepare to serve communities across our region.”
ETSU Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy is one of the university's five health sciences colleges that comprise Tennessee's largest public Academic Health Sciences Center. ETSU prepares future health professionals through an interprofessional model that brings together students and faculty from multiple disciplines to learn with, from and about one another.
Learn more at etsu.edu/pharmacy.
