Pharmacy council mandates 1:20 as teacher-student ratio in BPharm
The PCI has mandated a maximum teacher-to-student ratio of 1:20 for both theory and practical classes in four-year bachelor of pharmacy (B Pharm) courses for the 2025-26 academic year
The Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) has mandated a maximum teacher-to-student ratio of 1:20 for both theory and practical classes in four-year bachelor of pharmacy (B Pharm) courses for the 2025-26 academic year, even as educators raised concerns over the move, alleging it may lead to “job loss”.

Similarly, for the two-year D Pharm programme, the PCI has stipulated the faculty-to-student ratio at 1:24 for the upcoming academic session, according to a circular issued by the statutory body.
“Staff to student’s ratio is not specified in the Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) Course Regulations, 2014. Staff to student’s ratio should not exceed 1:20 in theory classes and practical classes in BPharm course,” the PIC said in a circular dated January 9.
Though the teacher-to-student ratio is not specified in the 2014 B Pharm regulations, a faculty member from a Kerala-based pharmacy college said that PCI issues a document of approval process every year in which it specifies faculty requirements for colleges to meet in order to get approval for running the courses.
Since 2021-22 academic session till 2024-25, the teacher-to-student ratio was 1:15 for B Pharm and 1:20 for D Pharm courses, the faculty member said, citing that year’s PCI’s document.
In the ongoing academic session, a B Pharm college admitting 60 first-year students required 15 faculty members and a principal to teach 240 students combined across the four-year course duration, taking the teacher-to-student ratio at 1:15. Now, the PCI has mandated that only 12 faculty members and a principal (not engaged in teaching) will be required, bringing the proportion to 1:20.
Educators criticised the PCI move, alleging it would result in reduction in teachers’ recruitment, thereby declining the quality of education.
In 2024-25, Sanjo College of Pharmaceutical Studies, Kerala — which offers B Pharm, D Pharm, and master’s in pharmacy (M Pharm) courses — required 26 faculties, but after PCI’s update, it will now need only 22 teaching staff. “The management of our college will decide whether to terminate the extra four faculties or not. If terminated, it will impact the teaching and learning process,” Vinod KR, principal of the college, said.
Dr Jayesh VN, vice-principal of Triveni Institute of Pharmacy, Eranellur, Kerala, called PCI’s revised rules a “blunder”, while an official of Kerala-based Nehru College of Pharmacy alleged: “…Due to new rules, there will be a decline in the quality of pharmacy education.”
Dismissing the allegations, PCI president Montu M Patel said the commission has “not reduced the number of teachers but we have regularised the utilisation of teachers.”
He said the faculty members had demanded that the teacher-to-student ratio should be 1:20 as the distribution of students was unequal in second year onwards in B Pharm classes.
Allaying the fear of faculties, Patel added: “We have issued a revised document of the approval process wherein we have mentioned that the old teachers who were recruited and already teaching will not be impacted.”
Meanwhile, the PCI has extended the deadline for applications for approval for academic year 2025-26, including both existing institutions and those applying for the first time, from January 15 to January 31.