Admissions

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:

1. Send your original transcripts directly to the Graduate and Professional Admissions Office in a sealed envelope.
2. 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)
3. 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-admission@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 on an individual basis; but it is important to note that transferring from another PharmD program often means the addition of a year or more to time to 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 Committee is responsible for the oversight of this policy. 

Interested transfer applicants should submit the following materials for review by the PharmD 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 Admissions team will reach out to the transfer applicant to inform them of the outcome of the request. If admissible, the applicant will be invited for an interview and provided with next steps for the transfer process.  

Next, the transfer applicant will submit an official application to the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions. Graduate and Professional Admissions will conduct their review process including the evaluation of official transcripts and collection of the application fee ($40 for domestic applicants, $50 for international applicants). Once the formal review is complete, Graduate and Professional Admissions will then connect with PharmD Student Services to share the university-level admissions decision and will formally admit or deny the student. 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

Updated Admissions Prerequisite Grading Policy Changes during the COVID pandemic

The College of Pharmacy will accept a grade of pass (PA) for any coursework completed during the COVID pandemic.

• It is strongly recommended that candidates 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.

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.

**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.

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 COVID vaccination
  • 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