Early Assurance Program (EAP)

1. Must have a strong interest in a career in pharmacy.
2. Must be admitted to the Columbus campus and declare BSPS as your major.
3. Must complete the EAP form sent directly to you after admissions to the Columbus campus.

This policy describes the requirements which EAP students must meet to be eligible for matriculation into the PharmD program and is subject to changes since it is reviewed on an annual basis.

1. Undergraduate Major: Ohio State EAP students are required to follow the Healthcare Professions Pathway within the Bachelor of Science in the Pharmaceutical Sciences (BSPS) degree.

2. Prerequisite Coursework: All EAP students should consult Ohio State’s College of Pharmacy advisors about the prerequisite courses for the PharmD. Ohio State EAP students are required to complete PHR 2510 or PHR 2511H, Introduction to Pharmacy.

3. Pharmacy House: Incoming first year Ohio State EAP students are required to live in the Pharmacy House Learning Community during their first year and are expected to participate in at least 50% of EAP programming. Exceptions may be granted for students who demonstrate a compelling need to live in a different environment, which may include a medical need to live in another setting, a need to live in another learning community, and students who commute. Students who are granted this approval are still expected to participate in EAP programming.

4. GPA Requirement: EAP students must meet the 2.7 cumulative undergraduate GPA requirement by the start of the semester for which they intend to matriculate to the PharmD. This calculation includes grades for all coursework taken at other institutions as well as Post-Secondary Enrollment Option (PSEO) and OSU Academy credits.

5. PCAT: EAP students are not required to take the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT).

6. EAP Admission Deferral: Should the university approve the deferral of an incoming, first-year EAP student due to extenuating circumstances, the student must notify COP-admissions@osu.edu so that the EAP admission may also be deferred.

7. International EAP students: International EAP students must successfully complete a financial review before being able to matriculate into the PharmD program.

8. EAP student ideally communicates desire to delay PharmD matriculation by Oct. 1 of the year prior (matriculation form deadline), however, students may request deferral at any time by emailing cop-admissions@osu.edu. 

Once students are admitted to The Ohio State University and the EAP program, they will be guaranteed a spot in the PharmD program assuming all matriculation criteria is met.

EAP students will have the option of choosing to complete their BSPS degree (four years) prior to beginning their PharmD (four years) on the traditional path, or they may choose to complete the combined BSPS/PharmD program (seven year path). Due to the lock-step nature of the seven-year combined degree path, EAP students must decide if they want to opt-in by October 1 of their third year in the BSPS program.

The combined degree program is meant only to serve as an option and not limit a student’s educational experience in any way. For example, if an EAP student prefers to complete their undergraduate degree in the traditional four years in order to take advantage of study abroad, internships, or minor/double major program opportunities, that student would be encouraged to do so.