Frequently Asked Questions
We accept 60 students per class, and begin once per year during the fall semester.
- There are plenty of things that you can to strengthen your application. Some of the options include: pharmacy shadowing experience, getting your pharmacy tech license, finding new volunteer activities, participating in some sort of club leadership, getting involved with your universities Pre-Pharmacy club, and many more.
- As you prepare to apply, you can contact our Pre-Pharmacy advisor Kamryn Shepherd to set up an appointment to discuss your plans moving forward.
Starting this admissions cycle (2021-2022), we will no longer be requiring the PCAT. Those who have already taken the PCAT may include it in their application, but it will neither positively or negatively effect the outcome of one's application.
You do not need to have your Bachelor’s Degree, provided you have completed the following:
- Your general education requirements
- The prerequisite requirements
Please note that if you wish to apply for the PharmD/PhD pathway, you must have your Bachelor’s Degree.
We will look through any application with a 2.75 undergraduate GPA and above. We calculate a GPA using the prerequisite courses required for our program, and your overall undergraduate GPA.
Your overall Bachelor’s Degree GPA must be a minimum of 3.0. However, the average GPA for the last few admitted classes has been a 3.5. The admissions committee will look through any application with a 2.75 undergraduate GPA and above.
We do not have a set minimum for volunteer hours, as we value consistent and ongoing volunteer work over a certain number of hours. An applicant with consistent volunteer work [post high school] demonstrates compassion and concern for the community.
Yes, and most of our students do! We recommend that students do not work more than 15-20 hours a week, as this is a rigorous program and commitment. You will also have opportunities to work and learn in a variety of pharmacy settings as a pharmacy intern.
Pharmacy experience is very valuable and highly recommended prior to applying; however you do not need to be a pharmacy technician in order to apply. Some other ways of getting pharmacy experience is through job shadowing or working as a clerk. If for whatever reason you cannot get direct pharmacy experience, a position [paid or unpaid] that involves patient exposure is also valuable.
Yes, we have a wonderful Pre-Pharmacy club that meets about once per month throughout the fall and spring semesters. For more information, please email the current offers at uofuprepharmclub@gmail.com
Yes, we accept out-of-state students. Out-of-state students are not at any particular disadvantage, as state of residency is not a factor for admission.
Yes, international students may be admitted to the University of Utah College of Pharmacy under the same requirements as domestic students, with the following additions to their application:
- A translation of any and all coursework completed outside the United States by World Education Services [WES]. The translation MUST be a complete translation of coursework, not just a degree translation and it MUST be completed by WES.
- A TOEFL exam [with a minimum score of 80iBT] or IELTS exam [with a minimum score of 6.5].
It is rare, but we will accept transfer students provided they are willing to comply with all of our policies and procedures. The Graduate School may only accept up to 6 transfer credits, and so transfer students may be required to start over at the beginning of the P1 year.
Students interested in transferring will be asked to submit information to the Student Affairs department and the Dean of Student Affairs, who may verify all materials and pass them along to the Admissions Committee for a final review and vote. Information to be submitted includes, but is not limited to, reason for requesting a transfer, a current resume or CV, undergraduate transcripts, current PharmD program transcripts, course syllabi for any PharmD courses completed, and PCAT exam score [if applicable].
If you are taking courses from an accredited university, they will most likely transfer over. You can make sure by checking your course description and comparing it to the University of Utah’s course description.
No, you may have up to three outstanding prerequisites in the spring semester after you apply. For example, if you apply in Fall of 2017 to begin in the fall of 2018, you may have three prerequisites pending in the Spring of 2018. Your grades for these courses MUST be submitted no later than July 1st. If you are given an offer to join the class before your prerequisite grades are posted, that offer will be contingent on your completing the course with a passing grade.
No, your graduation with your Bachelor’s Degree may be pending in the spring semester after you apply.
Courses may be taken at any REGIONALLY ACCEREDITED institution. If a community college near you is regionally accredited, then we are likely to accept courses taken at that institution.
If the courses are the same in title as our prerequisites, then they are most likely the same courses and should qualify. If you are unsure of a course [for example, your school offers a “Comprehensive Vertebrate Anatomy” course and you want to know if that will count for “Human Anatomy”], please send a course description or syllabus to PharmD.Admissions@pharm.utah.edu and we will submit the question to the Admissions Committee for approval
You may take two semesters of an Anatomy/Physiology combined course instead of taking one semester of Anatomy and one semester of Physiology.
- If our prerequisite is for one semester of a subject [i.e. 1 semester of Microbiology, or Microbiology I] you must take a course of the subject that is 4-6 credit hours [i.e. 1 Microbiology course that is 4-6 credit hours]
- If our prerequisite is for one year of a subject [i.e. 2 semesters of General Chemistry or General Chemisty I & II] you must take 2 quarters of the subject that are both 4-6 credit hours [i.e. 2 quarters of General Chemistry or General Chemistry I, II where each course is 4-6 credit hours]
All prerequisite courses must be passed with a C or better (a C- is not considered a passing grade).
- We will always take the 2nd grade.
- For example: a course is taken three times [1st attempt = D; 2nd attempt = C-; 3rd attempt = B] we will note that the prerequisite requirement was fulfilled by the third attempt [B grade], but will use the 2nd attempt [C- grade] when calculating the prerequisite GPA.
We allow you to take a course up to three times. Although, we will take the highest course grade from your first or second attempt.
To assist you with your financial planning and to view tuition and fees for fall semester, please go to the University of Utah Income Accounting & Student Loan Services webpage: http://fbs.admin.utah.edu/income/tuition/college-of-pharmacy/. Books will be in addition to the tuition and fees listed here
We currently offer a Dean’s Top-Ten Scholarship for applicants who rank in the top-ten of our applicant pool after interviews, Legacy scholarships (for students whose parents or grandparents attended the University of Utah College of Pharmacy), and a new scholarship is available to the 10 highest ranked out-of-state students in the top 50% of the applicant pool which will allow cover the difference between nonresident and resident tuition and fees during the first year in the PharmD program. Additionally, there are scholarships available to top students who submit their applications early in the cycle. These are offered on a case-by-case basis.
To learn more about scholarships, visit our Financial Aid page.
Your First Year-Free award consists of three separate contributions to pay tuition. The first is scholarship funding from one or more of the College of Pharmacy’s generous donors. The second is fellowship funding from the College itself for this program. The last contribution comes from the University of Utah’s Tuition Benefit Program (TBP).
The TBP is available for graduate students meeting the requirements of the program. You will be eligible for this program as a Graduate Fellow by virtue of the scholarship/fellowship funding from the other two contributions and will be enrolled in the program by the College. The program does have a few other requirements you will need to meet for Fall and Spring semesters in order to have this portion of your tuition paid:
- Maintain full-time enrollment status;
- Maintain a 3.0 GPA; and
- Maintain good academic standing.
Our program does not directly assist with housing, and students are encouraged to find their own place to live in the Salt Lake City area. For more information, please contact the University of Utah Housing Office.
- Yes, students are required to bring their own computer systems for academic use.
- A tablet is acceptable for note-taking; however, a laptop is required to take Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) exam electronically. Tablets are not compatible with this testing system; regardless of brand or operating system.
- We don't have a preferred manufacturer to recommend, but due to new HIPPA requirements, all student computers/tablets require data encryption (more information about this will be provided during Orientation). It has been our experience that older Mac systems are much less compatible than PCs
- Please keep in mind the following potential issues:
- Make sure the computer has a current supported operating system, Windows 7, Windows 8, or Mac OS/X Mavericks. (Windows XP, Windows 98, NT and Mac OS 9 are not recommended nor are supported at the University of Utah)
- Wireless Network capable (b/g/n, WPA2 compliant).
- You are responsible to back-up your data, either by encrypted USB Memory Stick or an encrypted External Hard Drive system.
- An encrypted USB Memory Stick will be provided for students at orientation.
Yes, the deposit is $500. You will be required to pay this deposit within a month after your initial offer has been made. This deposit will be applied to your first semester’s course fees or reimbursed back to you thanks to our First Year Free program covering the cost of the entire first year of tuition. This process is all subject to change.
Personal check, cashiers check, money order, or online deposit.
- All prerequisite courses must be complete and documentation provided (official transcripts sent directly to the Graduate school – unofficial copies to Student Affairs is sufficient).
- All health and immunization requirements must be complete and documentation uploaded in RxPreceptor [includes a two-step TB skin test, MMR, Varicella, Hepatitis B, and tetanus-Diphtheria with Pertussis].
- Your background check must be completed and uploaded [in PDF form ONLY] to RxPreceptor.
No, in fact as soon as you have been admitted into the College of Pharmacy, you should begin searching for and applying to internship programs. Tell them your internship license is in process.
The goal of the PharmD program is to develop individuals into excellent pharmacists who provide leadership in their organizations and service to their community. Experiences outside the classroom are essential to becoming this type of pharmacist and include employment (in and out of healthcare), leadership roles, service/volunteer activities. While not required healthcare and pharmacy related experience is highly recommended, and will strengthen your application. Consistent and long-term commitment to service is the preferred form of volunteerism. Leadership in multiple arenas is welcome and encouraged. Be sure to list all your paid work experience, volunteer, or extracurricular experiences in the Experiences section of your PharmCAS application, not just pharmacy or healthcare related experience.
- Pharmacy, healthcare and work experience
- Pharmacy or healthcare experience isn't required, but is preferred and will strengthen your application.
- Approximately half of each incoming class has experience as a pharmacy technician.
- Pharmacy experience also includes shadowing or interviewing practicing pharmacists.
- Include all employment experiences in your application.
- Community service / volunteer experience
- Focus on helping people and creating positive change demonstrates the ideal traits of a pharmacist who can provide service to their community after graduation.
- Demonstrated commitment to community service and volunteerism is to key to a strong application.
- Long term commitment to a cause and consistency is preferred.
- Please list all service/volunteer experience on your PharmCAS application.
- Leadership experience
- Leadership centers on working with others to accomplish shared goals and comes from a variety of life experiences and roles including but not limited to work, student organizations, volunteer work, school, home, etc.
- Leadership experience should be noted in the Leadership section of your PharmCAS application and, in addition, can be expressed in your personal statement.
- Research experience
- Professional or academic experience in employment or undergraduate settings is encouraged and reflects a commitment to discovering new knowledge.
- Research publications can be uploaded to your PharmCAS application as supplemental information.
Please contact the advising office to discuss your experience section in order to strengthen your application. The committee takes a holistic approach in review of files so including all the experience listed above with improve your application.
Here at the University of Utah, we are proud supporters of research, and many of our faculty members are currently working on their own projects. We invite interested students to get involved in this research by participating in programs, like P-SURF. This program allows students to get a hands on experience, and jumpstart their research opportunities.
Currently, we have returned to mostly in person classes, with a small selection of courses being offered online. While we are no longer navigating the COVID-19 pandemic we encourage all of our students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Additionally, all students are encouraged to continue to follow best health practices and are welcome to wear a mask if they prefer, or are feeling ill.
No, but a student must provide documentation of starting the three-shot series. The series MUST be completed within the first year of the program.
If a two-step TB skin test has not been completed in the past 12 months, two separate two-step TB skin tests must be completed within 2 months of admittance. The second two-step TB skin test must be placed no sooner than 7 days after the first two-step TB skin test was placed.
Students may be required to get one two-step TB skin test done on an annual basis.
If student has had a prior positive TB test, student must provide documentation of a negative chest x-ray completed within 3 years of admittance.