A Task Force on Recruitment, Admissions, and Retention to Improve Pharmacy College Admissions Outcomes

Objective. To create a task force on recruitment, admission, and retention, and assess pharmacy students' opinions and perceived value of the initiatives implemented. Methods. A task force on recruitment, admission, and retention was created at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy to build relationships between the college and incoming students and improve the admissions process. Admission and retention initiatives were implemented over a three-year period. All applicants who received an offer of admission, whether they accepted or declined, were invited to complete an online survey designed to solicit feedback on the admissions and retention initiatives. Results. The response rate to the survey was 80.3% in 2016 and 85.7% in 2017. The majority of students who responded reported that the admission and retention initiatives were helpful with regard to building connections with the college of pharmacy. In the three years after the task force implemented the admissions and retention initiatives, the admission yield (total number of students who accepted admission divided by the number offered admission) increased from 72.5% in 2015 to 79.5% in 2016 and 81.9% in 2017. Conclusion. Development of a task force specifically aimed to build relationships with students accepted to the college through strategic initiatives was instrumental in increasing admission yield and reducing the number of applicants who initially accepted an offer of admission and then chose not to attend the college.