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The PharmD Admissions Committee looks for well-rounded students from a variety of backgrounds.
Specifically, we seek individuals who have had diverse and stimulating life experiences that will enable them to add value to their classmates and to the College of Pharmacy community in meaningful ways.
The Ohio State Doctor of Pharmacy program operates on rolling admission. Applicant review begins as early as July, when the applications open. Interviews will occur between September and March. You are strongly encouraged to apply as early as possible after the opening of the PharmCAS application. Doing so gives your application the chance to be reviewed and considered for an interview the most times.
Applicants must achieve a minimum academic profile to be considered for an invitation to interview:
- An earned bachelor's degree in any subject prior to enrollment
- A 2.7 cumulative grade point average from all coursework from all institutions you've attended
Ohio State uses the Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS) to process transcripts, test scores and letters of recommendation. We encourage students to begin the application process 10-12 months prior to the intended enrollment date.
The PharmCAS application opens for each new cycle in mid-July of each year for a student seeking admission for the following autumn.
The application cycle for the Autumn 2025 cohort will open on July 11th. The priority deadline is November 1, 2024, and the final application deadline is March 3, 2025.
Take a virtual tour of the College of Pharmacy and learn more about the PharmD Program!
Applicants must submit the Ohio State supplemental information form to complete their application and have it be reviewed. Upon submission and verification of your PharmCAS application, you will be emailed by the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions to create an Ohio State user ID and account login information. This email will come approximately 5-10 business days after your verification. The day following your creation and activation of a username, you will then have access to the supplemental information form.
Ohio State accepts international applicants for the Doctor of Pharmacy program. International applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow time for transcripts to be reviewed.
Key information for applicants with international coursework:
- Send your original transcripts directly to the Graduate and Professional Admissions Office in a sealed envelope.
- English language proficiency tests are required for all students who graduated from an institution in a non-English speaking country. (minimum TOEFL score of 577 for the paper-based test, or 90 for the computer-based test)
- If accepted, international students will need to complete a financial review prior to being able to matriculate to the program.
Students entering the PharmD program at Ohio State are required to complete a bachelor’s degree prior to matriculation. The Office of Graduate & Professional Admissions at Ohio State offers free coursework evaluations to students attending other institutions and will aid in selecting and taking coursework that meets our prerequisite requirements.
Any prerequisite courses requiring evaluation will need to be completed prior to an official offer of admission can be made. If you have courses requiring evaluation, please contact cop-admissions@osu.edu as soon as possible for guidance and next steps.
Common prerequisite courses for Ohio schools can be found here.
Given the unique nature of the PharmD curriculum at Ohio State, it is not guaranteed that transferred courses will be considered equivalent to required coursework within the Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum. Requests will be reviewed individually, but transferring from another PharmD program often means adding a year or more to the degree. It is required that students complete no less than 2 years in our PharmD program to earn a degree from The Ohio State University. The PharmD Admissions & Recruitment Committee is responsible for the oversight of this policy.
Interested transfer applicants should submit the following materials for review by the Office of Recruitment & Admissions staff via the Transfer Student Interest Form.
- A copy of their pharmacy school application.
- Copies of all previous college transcripts.
- A formal statement outlining the reason they are requesting a transfer.
- Documentation from the dean or Director of Student Affairs of the pharmacy school which they are attending summarizing their credentials and verifying they are in good academic standing.
- All materials are due 90 days prior to Autumn semester.
It is likely that we will request additional items for review, such as course syllabi, to determine potential equivalency. Course directors will be consulted to assess materials to determine alignment of content and appropriate placement within the PharmD program.
Once these items are reviewed, a member of the Office of Recruitment & Admissions team will inform the transfer applicant of the request's outcome. If admissible, the applicant will be invited for an interview and provided with next steps for the transfer process.
If the applicant's interview is successful, the PharmD Admissions Recruiter will reach out to the Office of Graduate & Professional Admissions and have them send the supplemental application email to the applicant inviting them to fill it out. Once completed, the PharmD Admissions Recruiter will request a GPA calculation through AME. Once the GPA calculation is done, then the PharmD Admissions Recruiter can officially admit the student to the program through AME. If admitted, the applicant will receive their official offer of admission via email and will be prompted to accept or decline admission.
Please note: Admitted transfer students may request up to 9 (nine) hours of unused transfer credit be used toward elective course requirements.
General Requirement Description | Ohio State Course Number |
---|---|
Introductory Biology/lab (1 class, 1 lab) | BIO 1113 |
General Chemistry/lab (2 classes, 2 labs *if institution offers) | CHEM 1210 and 1220 |
Organic Chemistry/lab (2 classes/1 lab) | CHEM 2510 + 2540 and 2520 |
Precalculus (1 class) | Math 1150 or Math 1148 & 1149 or Math 1120 & 1121 |
Statistics (1 class) | STATS 1450 or 1350 |
Basic Microbiology/lab (1 class, 1 lab) | MICRO 4000 |
Biochemistry (1 class) | BIOCHEM 4511 or BIOCHEM 5613 + 5614 or PHR 3200 |
Human Physiology (1 class) | EEOB 2520 or PHR 3100 or PHYSIO 3101 + 3102 or PHYSIO 3200 |
Updated Admissions Prerequisite Grading Policy Changes for Spring 2020
Ohio State College of Pharmacy has made a change to the graded prerequisite coursework for all spring 2020 classes to allow the grade of a Pass/No Pass or Pass/Fail grade for any Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) prerequisite taken in the SP20 semester only.
- It is strongly recommended that students obtain a traditional letter grade for any required prerequisite coursework when able.
- Students who have the option of receiving either a traditional letter grade or a pass/no pass grade should consider how their choice may impact the ability of the Admissions Committee to assess their record of academic success.
- Questions can be directed to the student's assigned academic advisor.
- Performance in prerequisite coursework
- Cumulative and science grade point averages (minimum cumulative GPA of a 2.7)
- Any standardized tests submitted to PharmCAS
- Level of pharmacy experience
- Full disclosure of prior misdemeanor or felony convictions
- Personal statements completed by the applicant
- Extracurricular leadership and work experience
- Letters of recommendation (must submit at least three letters of reference submitted directly to PharmCAS)
- Three letters are required and should be submitted directly to PharmCAS. We will not accept letters sent to the school.
- Recommended references are pharmacists, science professors or math professors. We accept references from co-workers, employers, faculty advisors, healthcare professionals, pre-health advisors, supervisors, teaching assistants or liberal arts professors.
- We do NOT accept references from friends or family members.
- Personal interviews
**International candidates who are non-native English speakers are required to submit test scores for Test of English as a Foreign Language (minimum TOEFL score of 577 for the paper-based test or 90-91 for the computer-based test.
Averages | Recommended Ranges |
---|---|
Cumulative GPA: 3.4-3.5 | Cumulative GPA: 3.0-4.0 |
Science GPA: 3.3 | Science GPA: >3.0 |
**We consider all applicants who meet our minimum requirements. We review all aspects of your application, including your personal statement and letters of reference, in combination with your academic profile to determine which students are invited to interview. Therefore, we encourage students who fall outside of the listed "most competitive" ranges to apply.
Priority Deadline Applicants | Regular Decision Applicants |
---|---|
Deadline: Nov. 1, 2024 | Deadline: March 3, 2025 |
July-September: The PharmCAS application opens July 11, 2024.
| July-September: The PharmCAS application opens July 11, 2024.
|
September-November:
| September-March:
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Other considerations:
| November-April:
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*It is strongly encouraged to apply as early as possible due to our rolling admissions process. |
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All students must complete specific vaccinations and health testing prior to and during their four years in the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) Program to participate in required experiential activities. Those who are not compliant with these requirements will encounter difficulty completing the required activities of the PharmD program.
Admitted students must complete and submit documentation to the College of Pharmacy for the following Health Requirements:
- Physical Exam (completed by health care professional)
- Vaccination History of:
- Completion of hepatitis B vaccinations (2-3 doses) and positive surface antibody titer
- Completion of measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccinations (2 does) or positive antibody titer
- Completion of tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) vaccination
- Completion of varicella (chicken pox) vaccinations (2 doses) or positive antibody titer
- Completion of influenza vaccine (administered during autumn semester)
- Tuberculosis Screening Two-step PPD (skin test) or QuantiFERON (blood test) tuberculosis test
Official paperwork and more details will be shared about health requirements after you pay your acceptance fee for the PharmD program.
Any questions should be directed to Allison Harness at COP-ExperCompliance@osu.edu