About CCAPP

The Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP) is composed of representatives appointed by the Association of Faculties of Pharmacy of Canada, the Canadian Pharmacists Association, the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists, the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities, The Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada and the Canadian Pharmacy Technician Educators Association. There is also a non-pharmacy member on the Council. Non-academic appointees form a majority of the Board of Directors that is responsible for establishing the Accreditation Standards, setting policy and managing the accreditation process.

CCAPP currently accredits pharmacy academic programs offered at ten Canadian universities. Graduates from a Canadian CCAPP accredited program may apply directly for the Qualifying Examination of The Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada. Graduates from a non-accredited university pharmacy degree program must first pass the PEBC Evaluating Examination, designed to determine if the program of study completed is comparable to one accredited by CCAPP. CCAPP also accredits a large number of pharmacy technician programs offered at community and regional public colleges and private career colleges in Canada.

In recent years, CCAPP has selectively offered “International” Accreditation services to universities with professional degree programs in pharmacy and to college institutions training pharmacy technician students outside of Canada.  CCAPP adds the term “International” to any accreditation conferred to a school of pharmacy based outside of Canada to differentiate this from the CCAPP accreditation conferred to Canadian pharmacy programs due to the differences in scope of practice, entry to practice competencies pharmacy laws and regulations, and in the practice experiences of the students. Further, CCAPP has developed and implemented the use of specific  International Accreditation Standards and Guidelines for the First Professional Degree in Pharmacy Programs 2017 (Revised July 2020), to address these differences.

Students graduating from an educational institution which has an “International CCAPP Accreditation” who would like to obtain a license to practice in Canada, must meet the requirements for internationally educated pharmacists which are outlined at Pharmacist’s Gateway Canada.