Cedarville University in Ohio has partnered with Walgreens to create a career and internship pathway for pharmacy students.
Under the agreement, Walgreens will prioritize Cedarville University School of Pharmacy students for careers and internships, according to a May 19 university news release. Walgreens employees also will receive tuition discounts for Cedarville graduate programs and preferred admissions benefits for the university’s PharmD program.
The university said its pharmacy school has an 80% residency placement rate, compared with a national average of about 60%.
The partnership follows a similar arrangement announced in February 2025, when Duquesne University and CVS Pharmacy launched a tuition program aimed at helping CVS employees pursue a PharmD degree. Through that partnership, eligible CVS employees could receive a 50% tuition scholarship through Duquesne’s online PharmD program, with the goal of addressing the national pharmacist shortage, particularly in underserved communities.
The academic partnerships come as hospital pharmacy leaders are sounding the alarm on a brewing workforce crisis, calling for stronger pipelines with local and regional pharmacy schools, expanded in-house internship programs, and career-ladder investments to reduce turnover.
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