Chicago State University is the fourth College of Pharmacy to be established in the State of Illinois. Prior to that it has existed as a place of higher education since 1867.
Because of its location, on the South Side of Chicago, which is generally composed of lower income families and individuals, it has been plagued (the undergraduate population) with a less than stellar retention rate. This is because individuals who are pursuing higher education must often stop and start their educational plans based on their ability to pay for tuition and such. This means that instead of graduating in four years with a degree, a good amount of the students will take substantially longer to do so. Sometimes this means six, seven, and even eight years. Personally, I think this is commendable. To pursue your educational goals in spite of numerous obstacles and over a long period of time is hard.
But the way that the statistics are derived and reported leads everyone to think that CSU is not doing its job well. Those students that are shown as not having graduated may in fact come back and take a few more classes, then have to leave again to work and save money and take care of helping out their family for a while, then come back again for a few more classes, etc.
Just recently, SIU received their full accreditation. Before that point however, they too were not fully accredited. Accreditation is a process that takes time. There is no rushing it or speeding it up. In another year and a half when the first P1 class graduates CSU will get their full accreditation and it will FINALLY put an end to the worries about CSU and its status.
As a P1 student that has just finished my first semester at CSU I can tell you that the school program is rigorous. I am a nontrad student who is use to working her butt off and let me tell you the first five classes had me running!! The program is thorough and hard...just as any good College of Pharmacy should be. The cost of CSU is in line with UIC and overall it does not have the same name recognition as UICs program. However, I think the program is a good one. Why not apply and then if you are called for an interview you can come and find out for yourself. At my interview last year, the first thing they discussed was the accreditation rumors and they dispelled any concerns I had regarding that process and their current advanced status in completing the accreditation process on time as scheduled.
