5 Best D Pharmacy Colleges in Pune — Fees, Eligibility & Careers

July 29, 2020

Last Updated on August 7, 2026 by Vinod Saini

Quick Answer: If your priority is the lowest verified fee, Dattakala College of Pharmacy (~₹1L total for 2 years) is the budget pick. If you want a well-known group name with a clearer fee circular, Dr. D.Y. Patil College of Pharmacy, Akurdi (~₹60,746/year, Open category, falling sharply for reserved categories) is the safer bet. If you’re weighing a future lateral jump into B.Pharm 2nd year, Abhinav Education Society’s College of Pharmacy and JSPM’s Jayawantrao Sawant Institute of Pharmacy sit inside larger pharmacy ecosystems that make that transition easier to plan for.

Compare the 5 D.Pharm colleges in Pune

Fee figures above come from official fee circulars where published (Dr. D.Y. Patil College of Pharmacy) and third-party admission-data aggregators elsewhere (Dattakala, JSPM). Fees change every academic year and vary by caste category and grant-in-aid status — always confirm the current-year figure with the college’s admissions office before applying.

Which D.Pharm college fits you? A quick decision guide

1. You want the lowest possible fee and can commute to Bhigwan (outside the main city). Dattakala College of Pharmacy’s ~₹1L total fee is the cheapest verified figure on this list — but factor in travel or hostel costs since it’s outside Pune’s core.
2. You want fee transparency over brand name. Dr. D.Y. Patil College of Pharmacy, Akurdi is the only college here with a fully published, category-wise fee circular — useful if you want to budget precisely rather than estimate.
3. You’re planning to go further than D.Pharm eventually. Abhinav Education Society’s College of Pharmacy and JSPM’s Jayawantrao Sawant Institute of Pharmacy both sit inside larger pharmacy ecosystems (B.Pharm + Pharm.D on the same campus or group), which makes a future lateral-entry jump into B.Pharm 2nd year logistically simpler.
4. You want the largest seat intake / backup options within one group. Bharati Vidyapeeth Institute of Pharmacy’s 120 D.Pharm seats (60 grant-in-aid + 60 non-grant-in-aid) give you more admission flexibility than the 60-seat intakes typical elsewhere on this list.

If your MHT-CET score is borderline for CAP counselling at any of these, ask each admissions office directly about management-quota seats before ruling a college out — private D.Pharm colleges in Maharashtra generally reserve a portion of seats for direct admission.

About each college

1. Abhinav Education Society’s College of Pharmacy, Narhe

Runs a PCI-approved, 2-year D.Pharma programme with a 60-seat annual intake, alongside B.Pharm and Pharm.D. Admission follows Maharashtra’s centralized CAP (Common Admission Process) using MHT-CET scores; lateral entry into B.Pharm’s 2nd year is available for D.Pharm holders with 45%+ marks (40% for reserved categories). Good option if you want a single campus that lets you plan a D.Pharm → B.Pharm lateral path without switching institutes.

2. Dr. D.Y. Patil College of Pharmacy, Akurdi

Established in 1999 under the Dr. D.Y. Patil Unitech Society and affiliated to SPPU, this is the actual D.Pharm-granting D.Y. Patil pharmacy college in Pune (not to be confused with Dr. D.Y. Patil International University, a separate, newer private university). Its 2025–26 first-year D.Pharm fee circular publishes exact category-wise numbers — a level of fee transparency most colleges on this list don’t offer, which is itself a reason to shortlist it.

3. Dattakala College of Pharmacy, Bhigwan

Located in Bhigwan (Indapur taluka, Pune district) — outside the city core, so factor in commute or hostel needs. Its D.Pharm total fee of roughly ₹1 Lakh for 2 years is the most budget-friendly on this list, and it holds PCI, DTE, and AICTE approval with SPPU/MSBTE affiliation.

4. Bharati Vidyapeeth Institute of Pharmacy, Pune

Part of the same Bharati Vidyapeeth group as the well-known Poona College of Pharmacy, but this is the specific unit that actually runs the 2-year D.Pharma diploma (Poona College of Pharmacy itself focuses on B.Pharm/M.Pharm/Pharm.D). It has 120 approved D.Pharm seats — 60 grant-in-aid (lower fee) and 60 non-grant-in-aid — making it one of the larger diploma intakes in Pune.

5. JSPM’s Jayawantrao Sawant Institute of Pharmacy, Hadapsar

Part of the JSPM group (established 2006), affiliated to SPPU and approved by PCI/AICTE. The group’s flagship Jayawantrao Sawant College of Pharmacy and Research is known mainly for B.Pharm and M.Pharm (Pharmaceutics); its D.Pharma diploma runs at this sister institute, with a published total tuition of around ₹1.40 Lakh over 2 years.

D.Pharm eligibility & admission process in Maharashtra

• Eligibility: Passed 10+2 (HSC or equivalent) with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology or Mathematics, with a minimum of 45% aggregate marks (40% for reserved categories).
• Entrance: Admission runs through MHT-CET’s pharmacy stream for state-quota seats, followed by the CAP (Common Admission Process) counselling rounds; NEET is not required for D.Pharm.
• Private/management quota: A direct-admission route exists at most private colleges for candidates outside the state CAP list, typically at a higher fee.
• Course structure: 2 years, regulated jointly by the Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education (MSBTE) and the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI).
• After graduating: You must register with your State Pharmacy Council before practising as a pharmacist — this is a legal requirement, not optional paperwork.

The D.Pharm job market in 2026: what’s actually changing

Three shifts are reshaping where D.Pharm graduates actually find work right now:

1. A genuine pharmacist shortage. India has roughly 8.5 lakh registered pharmacies but needs an estimated 1.5 lakh new pharmacists every year to keep pace with healthcare demand, and the country still has only about 7 pharmacists per 10,000 people — well below global benchmarks. That gap works in a fresh graduate’s favour, especially outside metro cities.
2. Organized retail and e-pharmacy are now real employers, not just independent stores. Chains like Apollo Pharmacy, Wellness Forever, Tata 1mg, and Netmeds have scaled into structured retail networks with defined pharmacist roles — prescription verification, digital counselling, inventory compliance — often with steadier pay bands than a single independent medical store. India’s e-pharmacy sector is one of the fastest-growing globally, and every online medicine order still legally requires pharmacist sign-off, which is creating a new category of compliance-focused pharmacist roles.
3. The broader pharma industry is outgrowing most other sectors. India’s pharmaceutical market is valued at roughly $65 billion and growing at 10–12% CAGR through 2030, partly because India supplies close to a fifth of the world’s generic medicines — a growth rate that keeps expanding demand for pharmacy-trained talent at every level, from diploma to postgraduate.

None of this changes the D.Pharm curriculum or fee structure — but it does change where the better first jobs are. If you’re choosing between a traditional retail apprenticeship and an organized chain, hospital, or e-pharmacy role, current market conditions generally favour the latter for pay progression and structured career growth.

Career and salary after D.Pharm (2026 figures)

Entry-level pay for Registered Pharmacists now averages closer to ₹2.5–2.7 LPA in current industry-wide data, up from the ₹1.8–2.5 LPA range typically quoted a few years ago — though independent medical stores in smaller towns can still start lower, while organized chains and e-pharmacy platforms tend to start higher and add structured hikes. Top-quartile earners at large hospital chains, corporate pharmacy, or MNCs like Cipla, Sun Pharma, and Dr. Reddy’s push past ₹3.5–4 LPA even at entry level (though these roles usually need a B.Pharm/M.Pharm on top of D.Pharm). With 3–5 years of experience, most D.Pharm holders move into the ₹4–6 LPA band; adding a pharmacovigilance or clinical-pharmacy certification can push that further. One legal note worth flagging clearly: only Pharm.D graduates are permitted by the Pharmacy Council of India to use the “Dr.” prefix — D.Pharm (diploma) holders cannot, regardless of what some counselling agents imply.

Most D.Pharm graduates who want higher pay or hospital/industry roles pursue a lateral-entry B.Pharm (direct 2nd-year admission) rather than stopping at the diploma — worth planning for at enrollment time, since not every college guarantees a lateral seat.

Our honest verdict

There’s no objectively “best” D.Pharm college in Pune — the right pick depends on whether you’re optimizing for fee, seat availability, or a longer-term B.Pharm pathway. What we can say with confidence: skip any list (including older versions of this one) that names Poona College of Pharmacy as a D.Pharm provider or gets the D.Y. Patil founding year wrong — those aren’t just cosmetic errors, they can send you to the wrong admissions office. Beyond that, the five colleges here are all PCI-approved and MSBTE/SPPU-affiliated, so the real differentiators are fee transparency, seat count, and how easily you can move into a B.Pharm later — not brand-name reputation, which barely varies at the diploma level.

Frequently asked questions

Which is the best D Pharmacy college in Pune?

There’s no single “best” — it depends on your priority. For the lowest fee, Dattakala College of Pharmacy (~₹1L total) stands out. For fee transparency and brand recognition, Dr. D.Y. Patil College of Pharmacy, Akurdi publishes a clear category-wise fee circular. For a larger seat intake, Bharati Vidyapeeth Institute of Pharmacy’s 120-seat D.Pharma programme is the biggest on this list.

Does Poona College of Pharmacy offer D.Pharm (Diploma in Pharmacy)?

No. Poona College of Pharmacy, a Bharati Vidyapeeth (Deemed University) constituent, offers B.Pharm, M.Pharm (8 specializations), and Pharm.D/Pharm.D (PB) — not a Diploma in Pharmacy. Students specifically looking for a D.Pharm seat within the Bharati Vidyapeeth group should apply to Bharati Vidyapeeth Institute of Pharmacy, Pune instead.

Is Dr. D.Y. Patil International University the same as Dr. D.Y. Patil College of Pharmacy, Akurdi?

No — these are two separate institutions under related D.Y. Patil group branding. Dr. D.Y. Patil International University (DYPIU), Akurdi, was established in 2018 as a private university granting its own degrees. Dr. D.Y. Patil College of Pharmacy, Akurdi, was established in 1999 and is affiliated to Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU). If you’re looking for D.Pharm specifically, it’s the latter.

What is the fee for D.Pharm in Pune?

Across Pune’s private D.Pharm colleges, total 2-year fees generally range from about ₹1 Lakh (e.g., Dattakala College of Pharmacy) to ₹1.4–3 Lakhs depending on the institute, with government/grant-in-aid seats considerably cheaper (as low as ₹5,000–₹30,000/year). Always confirm the current-year fee circular directly with the college.

Can I do B.Pharm after D.Pharm?

Yes. D.Pharm holders with at least 45% marks (40% for reserved categories) are eligible for lateral entry directly into the 2nd year of a B.Pharm programme at colleges that offer this route, skipping the first year.

Is D.Pharm a good career option in 2026?

Yes, and current market conditions make it a particularly good time: India needs an estimated 1.5 lakh new pharmacists every year and still has only about 7 pharmacists per 10,000 people, while organized pharmacy chains and e-pharmacy platforms are now hiring at scale alongside traditional retail. D.Pharm remains a practical, faster route into pharmacy-sector jobs — retail pharmacist, hospital pharmacy assistant, e-pharmacy compliance pharmacist, medical representative, or your own licensed medical store — typically starting around ₹1.8–3.6 LPA and rising to ₹4–6 LPA with experience. It’s a solid choice if you want quicker workforce entry over the longer B.Pharm/Pharm.D route, provided you register with your State Pharmacy Council after graduating.