The UConn School of Pharmacy considers applicants to be “transfer applicants” if: 

•  They are not currently enrolled at UConn, 
•  They have never previously attended UConn or earned a prior degree from UConn, and 
•  They have completed undergraduate coursework or earned a prior degree at a higher education institution other than UConn. 

You may find up-to-date information on our deadline at our Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS) Directory page.

Transfer students who are in the process of completing prerequisites within a two-year time frame should wait until after their fall grades have posted prior to sending in their application. Typically this will be when they will be completing upper-level science prerequisites and the Pharm.D. Admissions Committee would like to see grades in these courses.

Students who have already completed at least two courses or one full sequence of upper-level science prerequisites may submit their application prior to the end of the fall semester.

Yes, there are a number of scholarships available to our Professional (Pharm.D) students; however, these scholarships are for returning students, and apply to the last three years of the program.

You can review our scholarships on our scholarships resource page.

Transfer applicants must also apply to the University of Connecticut as a transfer student through Undergraduate Transfer Admissions. This is a separate and parallel process that is completed in addition to the PharmCAS application. University Transfer Admissions does not have access to any information submitted via PharmCAS; you may be asked to submit information that you have already submitted to the School of Pharmacy via PharmCAS.

Please submit the transfer application no later than the fall semester deadline listed on the Undergraduate Transfer Admissions site. Transfer applications to the Professional (Pharm.D.) Program are not accepted for spring admission. Please be advised that applicants who do not meet the application requirements for admission to the University of Connecticut will be disqualified for admission to the Pharm.D. Program by the School of Pharmacy. 

Like many Pharm.D. programs across the country, the first two years of our Professional (Pharm.D.) Program at UConn are coded as undergraduate, and all students, regardless of a prior degree or not, will earn a BS in Pharmacy Studies at the end of the second professional (P2) year. The third and fourth (P3 and P4) years of the Professional Program are not considered undergraduate, but professional doctorate. Because of this, all transfer students must apply as an undergraduate transfer student.

The School of Pharmacy uses a holistic admissions process; holistic admission processes seek to evaluate applicants based on multiple data points. Examples of this could be an applicant’s academic record, experiences, and interpersonal skills. This information comes from the application and/or the interview.

Examples of desirable qualities in an applicant include:

• Excellence in math and science, demonstrated by a high math/science GPA and overall GPA.
• Excellence in a significant schedule of prerequisites (three or more math and/or science classes per semester), demonstrating the ability to handle the rigor of the Pharm.D. curriculum.
• Participation and leadership in volunteer, outreach, professional, and service organizations.
• Work or other experiences in healthcare, including certifications, licenses, etc.
• Integrity, maturity, and self-awareness as demonstrated by letters of recommendation, personal statements, and the interview.
• Written and verbal communication skills described by letters of recommendation, personal statements, and demonstrated in the interview.

All information provided through the application and interview process will be used to determine whether the applicant meets or exceeds the requirements to successfully complete the Professional (Pharm.D.) Program by fulfilling the Academic and Technical Standards set forth by the School of Pharmacy. The Professional Program in Pharmacy is an academically rigorous and challenging program. Admissions decisions are rooted in the assessment of any one applicant’s potential to succeed in both the program and in post-graduate assessment and experiences, such as the licensing examinations.

No, we do not require specific pharmacy experience before starting in our program. However, we encourage applicants to seek out work, internship, volunteer or shadowing experiences in healthcare broadly. This will allow you to experience different areas of the field and determine your interests and professional goals. For those who are interested in being a pharmacy technician, it is a great way for you to gain unique experiences in the field of pharmacy.

Those interested in shadowing should check out our pharmacy shadowing page.

No, we only require our prerequisite courses to be on track to be completed prior to starting in the Professional (Pharm.D.) Program. However, we do have many students in our program with a prior earned degree.

This is dependent on the amount of prerequisite courses you may need to complete. If you have already completed all prerequisite courses, you can apply directly to the four-year Professional (Pharm.D.) Program. If there are prerequisites to be completed, this will add additional time. How long it will take is dependent on how many prerequisites need to be completed, how many courses are taken in a semester, and other factors. We recommend that applicants reach out for an admissions advising session to make a plan.

This depends on whether you have multiple semesters of prerequisite courses left to complete. If you will not have a minimum of a year of prerequisite courses to complete at the time you will matriculate at UConn, you will not be eligible to start in the Pre-Professional Program. For example, this would apply to students who transfer to UConn for the spring semester of the same calendar year they plan to start in the Professional (Pharm.D) Program. Students may still apply for transfer to another UConn major and also apply concurrently into the Professional (Pharm.D) Program.

In addition to the application via PharmCAS, all applicants must have an interview prior to being accepted. This is part of our accreditation.

Work hard to excel in your prerequisite courses. The Professional curriculum builds directly from the foundation built in the prerequisite coursework. Demonstrating excellence in the prerequisite courses will not only improve your application but will set you up for success in the Professional (Pharm.D.) Program.

Healthcare shadowing or work experience. This is something we recommend for any student pursuing a healthcare career as it will help you determine if you enjoy the field. This could be through work as a pharmacy technician but does not have to be.

Join clubs and organizations and pursue volunteer and leadership positions. Joining clubs and organizations, particularly if they are pharmacy related, can help with connections and support, and give you opportunities for leadership and responsibility. Service to the community is particularly important to the School of Pharmacy.

Pursue research opportunities. Our students are heavily involved in clinical and more traditional 'bench' research. Getting involved early can help refine your research skills and support your journey to understand what aspects of pharmacy you are most interested in.

Start preparing early and make use of resources. Attend one of our Admissions workshops or meet with our Admissions Coordinator. We encourage applicants to workshop their personal statements and answers to questions using their college, university, or community resources, such as a college writing center. Ask your recommenders for letters with at least a month of advance notice to ensure they have plenty of time to write an excellent letter. Use the resources at a college or community career center to prepare for your interview.

All admitted students will need to complete a background screening prior to starting the Professional (Pharm.D.) Program. This is due to the nature of pharmacy and our students' work in the community. Applicants may want to contact the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy to determine if they will be prevented from participating in curriculum-based pharmacy practice experiences or from obtaining a license to practice pharmacy in a particular state.

Drug screening is not required at the time of admission, but may be required by individual pharmacy practice experience sites.

International Applicant Questions

Unfortunately, these are not offered at this time.

The UConn School of Pharmacy does not allow advanced standing on the basis of experience or international licensure.

This depends on how UConn Undergraduate Transfer Admissions evaluates your coursework. Like many Pharm.D. Programs across the United States, our Professional (Pharm.D.) Program begins with coursework at the undergraduate level. Because of this, all prerequisite coursework must be evaluated for transfer credit. The School of Pharmacy cannot provide individual evaluations; only UConn Undergraduate Transfer Admissions may make these decisions.

Many international students, regardless of degree, license, and work experience, may need to repeat some or all prerequisite courses depending on differences in their prior coursework and our prerequisite courses. Only once the evaluation is completed will we be able to determine if you are eligible to apply directly to the Professional (Pharm.D.) Program.

Applicants for whom English is not a primary language* or who do not otherwise qualify for a waiver** of this requirement must submit a valid TOEFL score. The minimum passing TOEFL scores are:

Total score: 94
Listening & speaking sections: 27
Reading and writing sections: 20

Applicants with scores below this cutoff or who have questions should reach out for admissions advising.

*A primary language is defined as a language used to communicate since childhood.
**An example of a category of applicants who would be waived out of this requirement would be applicants who have completed one year or more of full-time coursework at a post-secondary institution in the United States.

The first step for any student with prior international coursework, even if you have relocated to the United States already, should be to apply to UConn through Undergraduate Transfer Admissions. Until UConn has evaluated your prior credits, we will not know what prerequisite courses, if any, you may need to complete. Once you have been accepted to UConn as an undergraduate student and have had your prior credits evaluated, please make an appointment for specific admissions advising.

Prerequisite Courses Questions

All courses on our prerequisites page should be completed, in-progress, or planned to complete during the spring semester prior to the fall of intended matriculation into the Professional (Pharm.D.) Program.

The Pharm.D. Admissions Committee does not allow prerequisite courses to be waived.

The Pharm.D. Admissions Committee does not allow the substitution of an undergraduate degree for any prerequisite courses.

Please book an appointment for admissions advising to discuss your situation.

Please book an appointment for admissions advising to discuss your situation.

Please book an appointment for admissions advising to discuss your situation.

Yes. We do not look at courses taken at an accredited community college any differently than a course taken at a four-year institution. Many students may need to take a course during a summer or winter session in order to be able to ready for the semester of intended matriculation into the Professional (Pharm.D.) Program. Taking those courses at a community college may be the best financial decision for students.

Whenever possible, the Pharm.D. Admissions Committee recommends that students complete courses that are designed to be taken in a sequence (e.g., General Chemistry I and II) at the same institution.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Before registering for a course at any institution other than UConn, please make sure you are aware of the requirements to transfer credits for current UConn students. Prerequisite courses that are laboratory courses may not be taken in an online or hybrid format, even if the lab is in-person.

No. Courses offered through these programs are not regionally-accredited, and will not transfer to UConn.

Please book an appointment for admissions advising to discuss your situation.

Please book an appointment for admissions advising to discuss your situation.

PharmCAS Questions

The Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS) is a centralized application service to apply to multiple Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree programs offered by schools and colleges of pharmacy. If you used Common App to apply to UConn, this is a similar service. PharmCAS is the service that all applicants must use when applying to the UConn School of Pharmacy. You can review our PharmCAS Directory page for more information.

Making an account with PharmCAS is free; payment is required to submit applications. We encourage applicants to make an account and explore the application prior to the application deadline.

The School of Pharmacy does not offer application waivers. PharmCAS provides application waivers to qualified applicants on a first-come, first-served basis. You can find out more on their Fees and Fee Waivers page.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Waivers must be applied for prior to submitting the application. There is no way to get a waiver after an application is submitted. Waivers must also be used within a set time after being granted. If you need to submit your application earlier than directed due to a waiver, please notify our admissions coordinator.

Yes, we need to see all transcripts from all higher education institutions that you have attended.

Official transcripts must be sent to PharmCAS in order for your application to be verified. The School of Pharmacy may not begin review of any application until the application has been verified.

Transfer students completing prerequisite courses in a two-year time frame should wait until after their fall grades have posted prior to sending in their transcripts. Typically this will be when they will be completing upper-level science prerequisites and the Pharm.D. Admissions Committee would like to see grades in these courses.

Other students who have already completed at least two courses or one full sequence of upper-level science prerequisites may send transcripts and submit their application prior to the end of the fall semester. Ineligible students who submit their application and official transcripts prior to the posting of fall grades will have their applications put on hold until they can resubmit their official transcripts showing fall grades.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Students will need to resubmit their transcripts to PharmCAS in the spring to verify their spring grades as well unless they are not taking courses in the spring or are otherwise directed.

Please see the PharmCAS personal essay page for specific information on submission requirements.

The personal statement is a key component of the application because a well-written personal statement can convey a more complete view of an applicant and provide contextual information for the admissions committee. The Pharm.D. Admissions Committee is looking for evidence of commitment, motivation, ability to be successful, and compatibility with the goals of our program.

You are encouraged to include your interest in the healthcare field and why you have chosen to pursue pharmacy, as well as important elements of your background and past experiences that have prepared you for our program. Please do not provide a list of all your experiences and achievements here, as that can be included elsewhere in the application.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not personalize the personal statement if you are applying to more than one college or school of pharmacy, as the personal statement goes to all schools.

You must submit two letters of recommendation. At least one letter must be from teaching staff from a higher education institution. This can be a professor, lab instructor, or teaching assistant. It is recommended that the second letter be from a professional, such as employer or supervisor, if possible. You do not have to work in healthcare or in pharmacy to include a professional letter.

Both should come from individuals that can speak to your recent work, experiences, and qualifications as a college student. Letters of recommendation from high school teachers, family friends, family members, and non-supervisory coworkers will not be considered. Recommendation letters that are submitted without a clear disclosure of their relationship to an applicant will be disregarded and may be counted negatively towards the evaluation of an application.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Inform your letter writers not to direct the letter to the UConn School of Pharmacy if you are applying to more than one college or school of pharmacy, as all letters of recommendation will go to all schools.

Applicants can submit up to four letters of recommendation. Some colleges or schools of pharmacy may require up to four. If you have a compelling reason to submit additional letters, or unique relationships with additional letter writers that you believe would have a significant impact on your application, you may consider submitting additional letters. However, not having more than two letters will not count against an applicant.

If you are considering including additional letters for our program, please book an appointment for admissions advising to discuss your situation.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Inform your letter writers not to direct the letter to the UConn School of Pharmacy if you are applying to more than one college or school of pharmacy, as all letters of recommendation will go to all schools.

There are multiple places to share this in the application. You may consider including this information in your personal statement or answers to the PharmCAS special circumstances or COVID-19 impact questions. However, in the UConn Program Materials section, we have multiple questions that allow applicants to provide more information to our Pharm.D. Admissions Committee. The answers to these questions, if they apply to you, provide our committee with additional context on your academic and professional journey and any challenges you may have experienced.

We recommend that prior to submitting your application, you book an appointment for admissions advising to discuss your situation.

Admissions Cycle Questions

Typically, you will hear back sometime three to four weeks from the time your application verified. Until your application is verified, we cannot begin our review. This is a requirement of our accreditation. Once verified, you will receive an email from us via PharmCAS informing you that your application has been received.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Many students have found that emails from PharmCAS went to spam. Please add donotreply@webadmit.org to your contacts to avoid this issue.

We recommend that you review these Virtual Interview Do's and Don'ts produced by AACP. You can also make use of support from your college or community career center.

Please contact us via the email that sent you your invitation as soon as possible. We are happy to reschedule interviews if needed.

Typically, you will hear back sometime two to three weeks from the time of your interview.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Many students have found that emails from PharmCAS went to spam. Please add donotreply@webadmit.org to your contacts to avoid this issue.

Provisional acceptance means that you'll be admitted to the Pharm.D. Program provided you complete the requirements outlined in your letter.

This means our committee is interested in your application and wants to see what your final grades are before making a final decision. This is common for students who are completing their last semester of prerequisite courses.

All coursework must be verified by PharmCAS. This is required for our accreditation. No final acceptances may go out until students have submitted their final transcripts and had them verified.