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Cited by 0Pharmacy and Medical PracticesMathematics Education and ProgramsMedical Education and Admissions

A Descriptive Website Review of Publicized PharmD Pre-Matriculation Programs

Open access
Bessard, Colyn C., Oliver, Kala B., Yu, Frank, Fujiwara, Ryoichi·2026·Pharmacy
DOI 10.3390/pharmacy14060131PMC PMC13609974
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Abstract

Objective: Colleges of pharmacy have begun offering pre-matriculation programs to refresh and strengthen pharmacy students’ basic math skills. Although previous survey-based research showed that many institutions offer a pre-matriculation program, it remains unclear whether such information is publicly available to prospective pharmacy students. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive review of pharmacy school websites to identify pharmacy schools that publicly describe their pre-matriculation programs. Methods: The official websites of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education pharmacy schools were searched for information on pre-matriculation programs. Results: Out of 142 pharmacy schools, 20 (14%) of those schools were found to describe their pre-matriculation program on their website. Ten of those 20 programs reported that their pre-matriculation program includes a section that teaches calculations. Only one school described a positive impact on student performance in a calculations course. The timing, length, and format of the 20 programs varied. Conclusions: Only a small proportion of U.S. pharmacy schools (14%) publicly disclose the presence of a pre-matriculation program on their institutional websites. Most of the programs do not report outcomes or evidence of impact. Future work should focus on developing calculation-focused pre-matriculation programs and evaluating their effectiveness, while also improving the visibility and availability of information about these programs on institutional websites.

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This descriptive website review of 142 ACPE-accredited U.S. pharmacy schools found that 20 (14.1%) publicly described a pre-matriculation program, and 10 of those included a pharmaceutical calculations component. Only one program specifically evaluated its calculations module’s impact, while timing, length, and format varied widely.

Key findings

  • Of 142 pharmacy schools, 20 (14.1%) publicly described a pre-matriculation program on their website; 10 of those 20 (50%) reported including a pharmaceutical calculations component.
  • Seven institutions (35%) reported a positive academic impact associated with their pre-matriculation program, but only one institution specifically evaluated the impact of its pharmaceutical calculations module; that program (S15) reported significant improvement in first-year pharmacy calculations course performance in two studies done in 2023 and 2026.
  • Program timing varied: 7 schools held programs in August or right before the fall semester, 10 during summer (June–July), and 3 did not report timing.
  • Program length varied: 5 schools (25%) reported 1–7 days, 2 (10%) reported 8–14 days, 6 (30%) reported 15+ days (longest five weeks), 5 were self-paced, and 2 were unknown; format was in-person for 7 (35%), virtual for 10 (50%), hybrid for 2 (10%), and unknown for 1 (5%).

Methods

  • Descriptive website review conducted between January and July 2026, using the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) website list of 142 U.S. pharmacy schools.
  • Inclusion criteria were ACPE pharmacy schools offering preparatory work focused on calculations or remediation-like modules for recently accepted students to complete the summer before matriculation; exclusion criteria included career exploration, high school/undergraduate programs, concurrent semester courses, and programs without a curriculum or calculations-focused component.
  • Two primary investigators split the schools evenly and searched official websites for terms including prematriculation/pre-matriculation, primer, bridge, prep, readiness, summer, and orientation; data were collected in a spreadsheet for state, dates, length, format, calculations component, and reported outcomes.

Limitations

  • Stated: the authors may have missed publicly available information because program details were not consistently located across school websites, and they only evaluated school websites, not other communication methods such as social media, emails, or student portals.
  • Stated: the depth and quality of pharmaceutical calculations instruction within described programs were not evaluated, and data extraction was limited to publicly available website information, so programs listing calculations were grouped together despite potential instructional differences.
  • Evident: the study relied on public website descriptions and self-reported outcomes, did not use standardized outcome measures, and did not examine mathematics anxiety or whether program visibility influences applicant decision-making.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.3390/pharmacy14060131

Cites

19 of 19 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Claims the paper makes

8 of 26 cited sources checked · 3 supported · 0 flagged · accuracy not yet measured

  • Premisecitation

    In Klausner et al. 2016 survey of 50 pharmacy schools, 6 conducted pre-matriculation programs.

    “The study done by Klausner et al. in 2016 yielded results showing that out of the 50 pharmacy schools that participated in their survey, 49 of them conducted orientations, 5 conducted boot camps, and 6 conducted pre-matriculation programs [21].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [21] Klausner, 2021, Survey data on orientations, boot camps, and pre-matriculation programs in schools/colleges of pharmacy, Data Brief source
  • Premisecitation

    Between two survey studies within three years, there was an increase in schools that self-reported offering a pre-matriculation program.

    “Comparing two different survey studies showed that within a time span of three years, there was an increase in schools that self-reported offering a pre-matriculation program [16,21]”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 2 sources checked
    • cites [16] Akiyode, 2025, Prematriculation programs for student pharmacist success, Am. J. Pharm. Educ. source
    • cites [21] Klausner, 2021, Survey data on orientations, boot camps, and pre-matriculation programs in schools/colleges of pharmacy, Data Brief source

      The Experimental Design, Materials and Methods section dates this paper’s survey to 2016, and Table 2 in Data Description reports that 12% of 50 responding schools offered a pre-matriculation program. The paper supplies one survey result, but does not compare it with a second survey or establish an increase over three years. No page numbers are available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Premisecitation

    In Klausner et al. 2016 survey, sessions dedicated to math or calculations appeared in fewer than 4 of the pre-matriculation programs.

    “Sessions dedicated to math or calculations appeared in less than 4 of these programs.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [21] Klausner, 2021, Survey data on orientations, boot camps, and pre-matriculation programs in schools/colleges of pharmacy, Data Brief source

      Table 3 (Data Description) reports math/calculations sessions in 8% of 48 responses, but combines orientations, boot camps, and pre-matriculation programs. It does not give a separate count for pre-matriculation programs or establish that fewer than four included such sessions. (LLM, conf=0.84)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Findingown data

    Ten institutions (50%) reported their pre-matriculation program format as virtual.

    “10 (50%) reported virtual”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Findingown data

    Five schools (25%) reported that their pre-matriculation program lasted between 1 and 7 days.

    “A total of five schools (25%) reported that their pre-matriculation program lasted between 1 and 7 days”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. 15
  • May combine two claims. 7

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Non-participants in a 5-week summer pre-matriculation program had a 5.24 times higher risk of first-year probation compared to participants.

    “they found that non-participants had a 5.24 times higher risk of first-year probation, as compared to those students who did participate [13].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [13] Klausner, 2019, Implementation, revisions, and student perceptions of a pre-matriculation program in a school of pharmacy, Am. J. Pharm. Educ. source

      The Conclusion (page unavailable) reports higher first-year GPA among PREP participants than non-participants, supporting a difference in academic performance. The Methods (page unavailable) identify GPA—not probation risk—as the measured outcome, and no passage reports a 5.24-fold risk. The Methods also describe a much shorter program, including two days before the first quarter for the class of 2019, rather than a five-week program. (LLM, conf=0.86)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Students experiencing mathematics anxiety are more likely to avoid quantitative tasks, demonstrate lower self-efficacy, and devote cognitive resources to anxiety rather than problem-solving, ultimately impairing mathematical performance.

    “Students experiencing mathematics anxiety are more likely to avoid quantitative tasks, demonstrate lower self-efficacy, and devote cognitive resources to anxiety rather than problem-solving, ultimately impairing mathematical performance [23].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [23] Luttenberger, 2018, Spotlight on math anxiety, Psychol. Res. Behav. Manag. source

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Educational interventions that strengthen foundational mathematical knowledge and improve students' confidence before entering professional coursework may help reduce mathematics anxiety and enhance academic preparedness.

    “Educational interventions that strengthen foundational mathematical knowledge and improve students’ confidence before entering professional coursework may help reduce mathematics anxiety and enhance academic preparedness [23].”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [23] Luttenberger, 2018, Spotlight on math anxiety, Psychol. Res. Behav. Manag. source

      The Introduction’s “Implications for practice” section describes introductory math courses for freshmen as a way institutions attempt to reduce math anxiety, and says that a positive math self-concept should be paired with improved knowledge and achievement. It does not specifically address interventions before professional coursework or establish that they enhance preparedness for that coursework. Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.85)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Some pharmacy schools make their pre-matriculation programs mandatory, while others allow attendance to be optional.

    “Some pharmacy schools make their pre-matriculation programs mandatory, while other pharmacy schools allow attendance to their pre-matriculation programs to be optional [14].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [14] Awuonda, 2021, A pre-matriculation success program to improve pharmacy students’ academic performance at a historically Black university, Am. J. Pharm. Educ. source

      The Methods section says Howard University’s program was required for some conditionally accepted students and voluntary for others; the Results section reports both groups. This supports the distinction between mandatory and optional attendance, but the paper’s evidence concerns one pharmacy school, not differing policies across schools. Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.85)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Mathematics anxiety can negatively affect learning, confidence, and academic achievement.

    “Mathematics anxiety has been described as feelings of tension, apprehension, or fear that interfere with mathematical performance and can negatively affect learning, confidence, and academic achievement [22,23].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 2 sources checked
    • cites [22] Williams, 2016, Maths anxiety and medication dosage calculation errors: A scoping review, Nurse Educ. Pract. source
    • cites [23] Luttenberger, 2018, Spotlight on math anxiety, Psychol. Res. Behav. Manag. source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductown data

    The study did not evaluate changes in mathematics anxiety.

    “While our current study did not evaluate changes in mathematics anxiety”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Mathematics anxiety is associated with medication dosage calculation performance among nursing students.

    “A scoping review by Williams et al. found that mathematics anxiety was consistently associated with medication dosage calculation performance among nursing students”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [12] American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (2025). 2025–2026 Course Prerequisite Summary, PharmCAS. Available online: https://www.pharmcas.org/sites/default/files/2025-07/2025-2026-AACP-Course-Prerequisite-Summary.xlsx.

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    When mathematics pretests were given to incoming pharmacy students at the University of South Florida and Virginia Commonwealth University, the mean test score of the 922 students was 73.8%, but overall performance differed between the two schools.

    “When mathematics pretests were given to incoming pharmacy students at the University of South Florida and Virginia Commonwealth University, the mean test score of the 922 students was 73.8%, but overall performance differed between the two schools.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [6] Frankart, 2025, Deficiencies in mathematical skills identified in first-year students at two pharmacy institutions, Am. J. Pharm. Educ. source

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    In 2011-2013, the mean NAPLEX passing rate for pharmacy schools in the United States was 96.2%, but in 2021-2023, this percentage dropped to 78.7%.

    “In 2011–2013, the mean NAPLEX passing rate for pharmacy schools in the United States was 96.2%, but in 2021–2023, this percentage dropped to 78.7%, which is potentially attributed to poor pharmaceutical calculation performance [4].”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [4] Brown, 2024, Falling pass rates on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination signal an emerging crisis for a growing number of pharmacy schools, J. Am. Coll. Clin. Pharm. source

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation

    Students who have a longer time period between completing their last schooling and starting pharmacy school had lower grades in both their PharmD calculations and kinetics courses.

    “One study found that students who have a longer time period between completing their last schooling and starting pharmacy school had lower grades in both their PharmD calculations and kinetics courses.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [7] Conn, 2018, The relationship between prior experiences in mathematics and pharmacy school success, Am. J. Pharm. Educ. source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Students who took more math courses in high school or college prior to entering pharmacy school had better grades in their PharmD calculations course.

    “Also, students who took more math courses in high school or college, prior to entering pharmacy school, had better grades in their PharmD calculations course [7].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [7] Conn, 2018, The relationship between prior experiences in mathematics and pharmacy school success, Am. J. Pharm. Educ. source

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Among the 46 schools that self-reported offering a pre-matriculation program, effectiveness measured by on-time graduation rates was reported as positive by 10%, somewhat positive by 45%, and neutral by 48%.

    “Among these 46 schools, the effectiveness of their pre-matriculation program, measured by on-time graduation rates, was reported as positive by 10%, somewhat positive by 45%, and neutral by 48% [16].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [16] Akiyode, 2025, Prematriculation programs for student pharmacist success, Am. J. Pharm. Educ. source

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Study design and conductnone given

    The study did not examine the influence of publicly available program information on school selection.

    “Our study did not examine the influence of publicly available program information on school selection.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

    Interpretationreasoning

    Pharmacy schools may presume that publicly reporting a pre-matriculation program's information on their school website might increase the risk of deterring students from applying or wanting to attend.

    “The fact that not many pharmacy schools are marketing their pre-matriculation programs to prospective students on their school websites gives us reason to infer that pharmacy schools may presume that publicly reporting a pre-matriculation program’s information on their school website might increase the risk of deterring students from applying or wanting to attend.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: Prospective pharmacy students rely on institutional websites to learn about pre-matriculation programs.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Study design and conductreasoning

    Programs that listed pharmaceutical calculations as part of the material were all categorized into one group despite potential differences that could not be identified.

    “programs that listed pharmaceutical calculations as part of the material were all categorized into one group despite potential differences that could not be identified.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductreasoning

    There is a possibility that some publicly available information on pharmacy schools' pre-matriculation programs was missed despite the search protocol.

    “there is a possibility that some information that is available was missed.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

    Premisecitation

    Mastering pharmaceutical calculations early in a student's career is key to succeeding in future coursework such as pharmacokinetics, sterile and non-sterile compounding, and experiential education.

    “Mastering pharmaceutical calculations early on in a student’s career is the key to succeeding in future coursework such as pharmacokinetics, sterile and non-sterile compounding, and even experiential education [1].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [1] Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (2026, January 07). Accreditation Standards and Key Elements for the Professional Program in Pharmacy Leading to the Doctor of Pharmacy Degree (“Standards 2016” with Guidance for 2022). Available online: https://www.acpe-accredit.org.

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Study design and conductnone given

    Data extraction was limited to information publicly available on the pharmacy institutions' websites.

    “Data extraction was limited to information publicly available on the pharmacy institutions’ websites”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

    Study design and conductnone given

    Publishing information on the school's public website is not the only way for the school to communicate with its prospective or incoming students.

    “we are aware that publishing information on the school’s public website is not the only way for the school to communicate with its prospective or incoming students.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
19 of 19

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The search terms and protocol used were sufficient to identify all publicly described pre-matriculation programs on ACPE pharmacy school websites.

    “The pharmacy schools’ websites were investigated by searching for the terms prematriculation/pre-matriculation, primer, bridge, prep, readiness, summer, and orientation exclusively.”
    “there is a possibility that some information that is available was missed.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Prospective pharmacy students rely on institutional websites to learn about pre-matriculation programs.

    “We believe that providing public information on whether a school has a pre-matriculation program is good practice, offering transparency to students.”
    “When prospective students are deciding which pharmacy program to attend, there are several variables that are commonly considered, as seen in Table 4.”
2 of 2

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • Mathematics-anxiety review cites a prerequisite summary

    Minor

    The cited reference 12 is a pharmacy course-prerequisite summary, not the Williams et al. scoping review described in the text. The Williams and Davis review appears as reference 22.

  • Study described as conducted in 2026 is cited as published in 2025

    Minor

    The results describe the two cited studies as having been done in 2023 and 2026, but reference 18 lists the second study as a 2025 publication.

2 of 2

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Slusher, E.K. (2021). Applying College Choice Theory to Student Selection of a Pharmacy School: A Qualitative Study. [Master’s Thesis, The University of Texas at Austin].

Cited by

Still being checked.

Related

Authors
Bessard, C. C., Oliver, K. B., Yu, F., & Fujiwara, R.
Affiliations
The University of Texas at Tyler (US)
Corresponding author
Fujiwara, Ryoichi
ORCID
Venue
Pharmacy
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2026-09-09
Volume
14
Issue
6
Pages
131
ISSN
2226-4787 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/pharmacy14060131
PMC
PMC13609974
OpenAlex
W7212004879
Semantic Scholar
05a4da4b9655e69886044822fb2866217c60a1db
Cited by
0
References
17
FWCI
0.00
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Pharmacy (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Pharmacology › Pharmacy and Medical Practices
  • Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Modeling and Simulation › Mathematics Education and Programs
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Medical Education and Admissions
Keywords
pharmacy schools, pharmacy education, prospective students, medication calculation, basic mathematical skills, program outcomes

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Claims read by deepseek-v4.1-flash under definition version 3 (extract-v3) on 2026-11-03.

Classified by jev-1.13-20260917 (gold-guideline-v0.2) on 2026-11-03.

Cited sources are checked by gpt-6-sol.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

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