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Regular Applicant Program Requirements - Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.)

• Prerequisite Courses: Applicants may complete their prerequisites at UB and then apply to the Pharm.D. program, or they may complete their prerequisites at another accredited institution. All regular applicants must complete the equivalent of two years of college coursework and successfully complete all prerequisite courses with a grade equal to or greater than C- by the spring semester prior to fall admission. All applicants must complete their prerequisite courses within 5 years preceding admission. If a prerequisite course(s) was completed before 2004, the applicant must satisfy one of the following options by the end of the spring semester prior to fall admission:
  1. Complete one full time (at least 12 credit hours) semester (fall, spring, or summer) including two junior or senior level science courses (typically 300, 400, or higher level at a four-year institution) earning a grade equal to or greater than C-. At least one science course must have a lab.
  2. Complete two part-time (at least 6 credit hours) consecutive semesters (fall, spring, or summer) including all junior or senior level science courses (typically 300, 400, or higher level at a four-year institution) earning a grade equal to or greater than C-. At least one science course must have a lab.
  3. Exemptions to this policy are possible for those on active military duty. Please contact the Office of Admissions for additional information.
  4. If you have never done so, all prerequisite courses must be successfully completed with a grade equal to or greater than C- by the spring semester prior to fall admission. In this case, options (a) and (b) do not apply.
  5. You are eligible to apply for the current application year if you have:
     • graduated with a BA or BS degree within the last 3 years and,
     • prerequisite courses were successfully completed with a grade equal to or greater than C- by the spring semester prior to fall admission within the last 8 years and,
     • you have completed junior or senior level science courses with lab (typically 300, 400, or higher level at a four-year institution) earning a grade equal to or greater than C- within the last 5 years.
  Use the PharmCAS Course Subject List as a guide for science courses. Our preferences include science courses grouped within:
  • Biology & Other Life Sciences
  • Inorganic Chemistry
  • Organic Chemistry
  • Physics
  • Biochemistry
  • Microbiology
  • Other Biomedical or Pharmaceutical Sciences courses
• GPA: We look at a minimum GPA of a 3.0 in pre-pharmacy science and math courses.
• PCAT: UB SoPPS considers the Percentile Rank (not Scaled Scores). The sum of each item under the Percentile Rank (Verbal Ability, Biology, Reading Comprehension, Quantitative Ability, and Chemistry) determines the score (not the Composite score). The average PCAT score of students admitted in the past few years has been around 350. If taken twice, UB SoPPS considers the higher of the two. If taken three or more times, the average of all the scores is considered. UB SoPPS will not accept any PCAT test over three years old. We do accept the January PCAT even though PharmCAS will receive the scores after the February 2 deadline. Download the 2008-2009 PCAT Candidate Information Booklet. Register for the PCAT online or call 1-800-622-3231. Learn more about submitting your PCATscores.
• Letters of Recommendation: A minimum of three Letters of References must be received by PharmCAS by March 2, 2009. UB will not accept any letter submitted directly to the Admissions Office. Each letter must include a standardized cover sheet including character ratings, which is provided by PharmCAS to your evaluators. Incomplete letters will not be considered. See the Letters of Reference for a list of possible evaluators. UB SoPPS does not accept evaluations from the following: Teaching Assistants, Pre-Health Committees, Politicians, Friends, Family Members, Co-Workers, and Clergy. All references will be contacted for verification by the UB SoPPS Admissions Staff.

Step 1: Apply through PharmCAS

• Application Status:

  You may log in to your PharmCAS application and check the status menu option.  Neither PharmCAS nor UB will process or consider incomplete applications. We are not responsible if we don't receive your application materials.

• Sending Materials:

  Please note that all transcripts, Letters of Reference, and PCAT scores must be submitted directly to PharmCAS (not to UB SoPPS) to be verified. AP Scores must be sent directly to UB SoPPS.

Step 2: Submit your Supplemental Application Materials

Important Notes:

• International applicants:

  • Please be aware of the extra time required to receive and process your documents (including immigration documents) and submit your application materials well in advance of the deadlines.
  • UB requires TOEFL scores. US Citizens and native English speakers from Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom are exempt from the TOEFL. This requirement is also waived for applicants who have completed English Composition I and II in the United States and earned a grade of a C or better.
  • Send a WES or ECE foreign transcript evaluation report to PharmCAS if your transcript is indicated as a Foreign Institution on your PharmCAS application. This does not apply to English-speaking Canadian colleges or universities. Students from English-speaking Canadian institutions applying to UB do not need to have their coursework evaluated unless they have other international coursework.  All official transcripts must be submitted directly to UB SoPPS and not PharmCAS.
  • If your application passes a preliminary review by the Admissions Committee, you will be asked to apply through the University at Buffalo's (SUNY) Office of International Admissions as an international transfer applicant. This international application will be evaluated to determine if the applicant meets the minimum entrance requirements of the University. If the minimum entrance requirements are met, the application will then be evaluated for transfer of credits. If offered admission to UB, the applicant will receive a Letter of Acceptance and a Transfer Report. The Transfer Report will state the total number of credits accepted for transfer to UB; the credits will be marked as transferable to the general education requirements, the major requirements and/or to an elective category.  A copy of the Letter of Acceptance and the Transfer Report is also forwarded to the UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Office of Admissions a final review of the application by the Admissions Committee. Receiving the Letter of Acceptance and a Transfer Report from the International Admissions office does NOT finalize your acceptance into the Pharm.D. program. Also, receiving a letter of acceptance to the University at Buffalo does not finalize acceptance to the PharmD program.
  • Visas are not required for citizens of Canada. We will provide you with an I-20 for travel back and forth across the Canada/U.S. border. Our campus is located 30 minutes from the Rainbow, Lewiston/Queenston and Peace Bridges.
  • Canadian applicants may send an official English-speaking Canadian transcript directly to UB SoPPS instead of sending a foreign transcript evaluation report to PharmCAS. However, Canadian applicants whose transcripts are in French or who present other international coursework must submit a foreign transcript evaluation report to PharmCAS.

• Domestic students with international coursework:

  • Send a WES or ECE foreign transcript evaluation report to PharmCAS AND send an official transcript directly to UB SoPPS.

• Transfer applicants:

  • If you have not yet completed the prerequisite courses, do NOT apply through PharmCAS. Apply directly to UB to complete your prerequisite courses.
  • Prerequisite courses taken at other campuses are acceptable in lieu of UB courses. UB SoPPS does not have a requirement for quarter or semester credit hour completion since credit hours vary among institutions. UB SoPPS does not articulate courses or evaluate transcripts. To find equivalent courses, please refer to UB's online articulation service, called TAURUS. If your school and courses are not available in TAURUS, you may refer to UB's undergraduate catalog to match similar UB courses when planning your schedule.

• Prospective UB Freshmen/Early Assurance Students:

  • Do NOT apply through PharmCAS. Apply directly to UB as an intended pharmacy major to complete your early assurance prerequisite courses.

Important Dates for PharmCAS Applicants

• May 9, 2008
  Registration for June PCAT
• June 2, 2008
  PharmCAS applications available
• June 21, 2008
  PCAT exam date
• July 11, 2008
  Registration for August PCAT
• August 1, 2008
  Supplemental Application available
• August 23, 2008
  PCAT exam date
• September 5, 2008
  Registration for October PCAT
• October 18, 2008
  PCAT exam date
• November 2008
  Admissions Committee begins reviewing complete applications
• November 2008 – April 2009
  Invitations for interviews are sent out to select applicants
• February 2009 – August 2009
  Admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis
• December 12, 2008
  Registration for January PCAT
• December 12, 2008 – February 1, 2009
  PharmCAS Academic Update Window – send your updated official transcripts to PharmCAS and update your planned courses for Spring 2008.
• January 24, 2009
  PCAT exam date
• February 2, 2009
  PharmCAS application must be e-submitted or postmarked including all official transcripts, PharmCAS application fee, WES or ECE reports (if necessary), and TOEFL reports (if necessary). AP, IB, and other test scores due to UB SoPPS.
• March 2, 2009
  Supplemental Admission Application, Supplemental Admission Application Fee, and a minimum of three completed letters of reference are due to PharmCAS. Check your PharmCAS application to be sure your materials are received.
• May 2009
  ALL prerequisite courses must be successfully completed per our requirements
• August 2009
  Final admission decisions mailed

For more information about the application process and the Pharm.D. program, please refer to the following:

• UB SoPPS Admissions FAQs
• International Admissions
• Office of International Student and Scholar Services
• PharmCAS School Page
• PharmCAS FAQs