Hi everybody! Applying to pharmacy school can be very stressful, so here I tried to explain the best way to go about applying to OSU’s PharmD program. Hope this helps!
Timeline Prior to Enrollment
Begin the application process 12-18 months prior to the intended enrollment date. The Ohio State Doctor of Pharmacy program operates on rolling admission. Review of applicants begins in September. Interviews occur between January and March. Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible after the opening of the PharmCAS application on June 1.
18-14 months: Begin preparing for the PCAT by reviewing your course material. Take at least one official PCAT Practice Test, and study using course notes, purchased study guides, the PCAT Prep Class, or the Kaplan PCAT Test Prep.
15-10 months: Apply through PharmCAS and submit your official transcripts and PCAT scores directly to PharmCAS. After applying through PharmCAS, eligible applicants will be asked to complete a supplemental application directly with Ohio State.
10-5 months: Ohio State will conduct interviews with competitive candidates and will notify these candidates of admission decisions.
The Application Process
1. Take the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT), a standardized test that is divided into 6 separate sections:
- Verbal
- Biology
- Reading Comprehension
- Chemistry
- Quantitative Ability
- Written Essays
2. A bachelor’s degree in any major is required for admission to The Ohio State University Doctor of Pharmacy program. Prerequisite Courses:
| General Requirement Description | Ohio State Course Number |
| Human Anatomy/lab | Anatomy 2300 or 3300 or EEOB 2510 |
| Introductory Biology/lab | Biology 1113 |
| General Chemistry/lab | Chemistry 1210-1220 |
| Organic Chemistry/lab | Chemistry 2510, 2520, 2540, and 2550 |
| Calculus | Math 1151 |
| Statistics | Statistics 1450 or 1350 |
| Basic Microbiology/lab | Microbiology 4000 |
| Physics/lab (regular or calculus based) | Physics 1200-1201 |
3. Complete the Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS). Send three letters of recommendation directly to PharmCAS, following the directions on their website to submit these letters.
4. Make sure you have a strong and well-rounded application that accurately reflects you. The admission committee consists of faculty and staff will use the following criteria to review candidates:
- Performance in prerequisite course work
- Cumulative and science grade point averages (Effective 11/1/14, minimum overall GPA required is 2.70 for autumn 2015 admissions. Average GPA for our most recent admitted cohort was 3.52; range of GPAs was 3.00 – 4.00.)
- Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) scores (minimum composite percentile of 50 with a typical competitive range of 60-99)
- Pharmacy experience
- Full disclosure of prior misdemeanor or felony convictions
- Personal statements completed by the applicant
- Extracurricular leadership and work experience
- Letters of recommendation
- Personal interviews
5. Complete the Supplemental Application. Upon submission and verification of your PharmCAS application, candidates will be emailed by Ohio State to create an Ohio State user ID and account login information. The following day you will have access to the supplemental application through the Applicant Center. The supplemental application will ask you to answer basic personal information and complete two short essay questions. Those questions are:
- Describe your interest in the PharmD program at The Ohio State University (250 words or less).
- What strengths do you possess that you believe will help you achieve academic success in the Ohio State PharmD program (250 words or less)?
International Applicants
Ohio State does accept 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. International candidates will need to submit test scores for Test of English as a Foreign Language or Michigan English Language Assessment Battery scores for non-native English speakers (minimum TOEFL score of 577 for the paper-based test or 90-91 for the computer-based test or MELAB of 84)
- If accepted international students will need to complete a financial review prior to being able to matriculate to the program.
For other questions pertaining to the application process for the PharmD program, please e-mail admissions@pharmacy.ohio-state.edu.
