Country edition: UK Beta
UK · Health · Pharmacy

Pharmacist

A 4-year MPharm degree, a foundation training year, then the GPhC's registration assessment. At least 5 years in all.

See the route Pay by region
Typical UK pay (median)£53,772Pharmacists, full time, per year
ONS
Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2025 provisional, tables 14 and 15Office for National Statistics (ONS)
Checked
9 Oct 2026

Medians for full-time employee jobs. ONS hides estimates it rates unreliable (CV over 20%).

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Licensed or registered byGPhCGeneral Pharmaceutical Council. Register as a pharmacist in Great Britain
GPhC
Pharmacist education and trainingGeneral Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
Checked
23 Oct 2026
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Top 25% earn over£62,344ONS ASHE 2025 (provisional)
Full-time jobs in the UK41,000Employees, rounded by ONS
Minimum time to qualify5 yearsStudy and paid work combined
GPhC
Pharmacist education and trainingGeneral Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
Checked
23 Oct 2026
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Registration assessment3 triesThe most times you can sit it
GPhC
Common Registration AssessmentGeneral Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
Checked
23 Oct 2026
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How to get there

A typical route.

MPharm route GPhC

Regulated by the General Pharmaceutical Council.

  1. School2 or 3 A levels

    Including chemistry.

    NCS
    Pharmacist — job profileNational Careers Service (GOV.UK)
    Checked
    23 Oct 2026
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  2. DegreeAccredited MPharm degree

    Full time, normally 4 years.

    GPhC
    Pharmacist education and trainingGeneral Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
    Checked
    23 Oct 2026
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  3. TrainingFoundation training year

    Paid work in one or more sectors.

    GPhC
    Pharmacist education and trainingGeneral Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
    Checked
    23 Oct 2026
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  4. ExamCommon Registration Assessment

    Part 1: 40 calculations (2 hours). Part 2: 120 multiple-choice questions (2.5 hours). Pass both parts in the same sitting.

    GPhC
    Common Registration AssessmentGeneral Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
    Checked
    23 Oct 2026
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  5. GoalRegistered pharmacist

    Under the 2021 standards you also become an independent prescriber when you register.

    GPhC
    Pharmacist education and trainingGeneral Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
    Checked
    23 Oct 2026
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At school

GCSEs (Years 10–11) and A levels (Years 12–13), or equivalents.

A levels
2 or 3 A levels including chemistry, or equivalent.
NCS
Pharmacist — job profileNational Careers Service (GOV.UK)
Checked
23 Oct 2026
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Fewer A levels?
At least 1 A level for a 2-year pharmacy foundation degree; then you could join the MPharm in year 2.
NCS
Pharmacist — job profileNational Careers Service (GOV.UK)
Checked
23 Oct 2026
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UCAS points
An A* = 56 points. Many courses ask for grades instead of points.
UCAS
The new UCAS Tariff: ten things applicants need to knowUCAS
Checked
9 Oct 2026

An A* at A level is worth 56 Tariff points. Only about a third of courses use Tariff points in their entry requirements; most ask for grades.

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Pay by region

Pay is in pounds (£) per year, before tax, for full-time employees. ASHE counts employees only, so self-employed people (most barristers, many contractors) are not in these figures.

Pharmacists SOC 2251

  • UK median £53,772
  • Bottom 25% under £44,891
  • Top 25% over £62,344
Pharmacists: median full-time pay by UK region, highest first
Region (where people work)Median payJobsHow exact
Scotland£62,325—Good
London£56,451—Good
North West£54,178—Rough estimate
South West£44,254—Rough estimate

Regions where ONS did not publish a reliable figure are left out. "Rough estimate" = ONS rates it CV 10–20%: use it with care.

ONS
ASHE 2025 provisional, table 15: work region by occupation (4-digit SOC 2020)Office for National Statistics (ONS)
Checked
9 Oct 2026

A region is listed only where ONS published a median for that job.

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Starting vs experienced (National Careers Service)

  • Pharmacist: starter £40,000 · experienced £65,000
    NCS
    Pharmacist — job profileNational Careers Service (GOV.UK)
    Checked
    23 Oct 2026
    View source
Pay: ONS ASHE 2025 (provisional), tables 14 and 15, full-time employees. Routes and rules: the official sites linked on each row, checked 23 Oct 2026. Education Margdarshan does not rank universities or recommend paid courses.