Among the colleges in India that offer professional pharmacy education, the Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences- MCOPS as it is widely known- as a unique standing. MCOPS is ranked 1st among private pharmacy institutions in the country according to Career 360 [May 2015] and ranked 1 in NIRF during the year 2016. It is presently one of the premier institutions of Manipal University.

MCOPS of today owes its origin to the vision and enterprise of Late Dr TMA Pai, who ushered in an era of self-financed education, an event that changed the Indian landscape of tertiary education. A college that started offering diploma in pharmacy (DPharm) education in 1963, became a degree college for the bachelor of pharmacy (BPharm) program in 1965. Eventually, MCOPS became the first college to offer the post-graduate course (MPharm) in Karnataka in 1970 and the doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program in 2008 in India.

MCOPS attracts students from far and wide. The institution adheres to all quality measures in terms of imparting education to its students. No wonder then, that many of the students of MCOPS easily get GPAT scholarships for pursuing higher education. Those who embark on higher education abroad after their graduation from MCOPS get selected in prestigious international universities of UK, USA, and Australia, to name a few.

Industries like Ranbaxy, Dr. Reddy’s, Astra Zeneca, Sun Pharma and so on have a number of students from MCOPS working in various capacities.

Mr Kiran Shankar (Vice President, BPRL, Bengaluru), Dr B R Shetty (MD, New Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi), Dr Satheesh Mallya (FDA, Canada), Mr Murali Divi (MD, Divi Labs, Hyderabad) are some of the alumni who have made it big in their profession or business.  Scientists who have carved names for themselves and their alma mater are Dr Sreejayan (Associate Professor at Wyoming University, USA), an influential scientist in new drug discovery program and Dr Jyoti Paliwal, a major contributor towards the development of Central Drug Research Laboratory’s successful weekly contraceptive pill.

A chronicle on MCOPS will not be complete without mentioning the following names - Mr. Ramalinga Raju, Mr. V Brahmaji, Mr. Desu Gangadhar, Mr. Maddali Srinivas etc. – the leading businessmen in the profession of pharmacy in New Jersey in the US.