Admissions Options and Requirements

The UTHSC College of Pharmacy uses a holistic admission approach to admit candidates who are ready to add their individual stamps of honesty, intelligence, humor, integrity, and hard work to the profession of pharmacy. In this process, multiple application factors are considered, including academic performance, interviews, references, extra-curricular activities, and work experience.

Traditional Admission

Most students are admitted through the Traditional Admission process. All students apply to UTHSC through PharmCAS by the February 1st deadline. Please visit the PharmCAS school directory for updates on deadline extensions. The college invites the most competitive students for on-site interviews, which are conducted in Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville, or by Zoom. Interviews take place during the late fall and spring. The college utilizes a rolling admissions process, which concludes by mid-April. All admitted students begin the PharmD program in the fall semester. 

The college has a priority application deadline of November 1.

What are the benefits to being accepted to UTHSC as a priority decision candidate?

• Among the first individuals to secure their preferred campus location
• Priority consideration for scholarship awards
• Knowing early you are accepted to your first choice pharmacy school!

Please visit the PharmCAS school directory for the most current benefits available for students accepted as priority applicants.

Admissions Requirements

• Required hours: Complete 62 semester hours of required prerequisite coursework at a regionally-accredited university or college. Courses in the pre-pharmacy curriculum are not offered at the UT Health Science Center. If you have not completed all pre-requisite coursework, you will submit a proposed plan for completion as part of the application process. 
• GPA: Achieve a grade of "C-" or better for each required pre-pharmacy course.
• Letters of Recommendation: Students must obtain 3 letters of recommendation and submit those letters through the PharmCAS application. Committee letters signed by more than one advisor or professor may count as a maximum of two letters of recommendation.
• Students must meet all technical standards for admission and retention which can be viewed in the catalog.
• PCAT: The PCAT exam is NOT required.

Application Process

Students applying to the UTHSC College of Pharmacy must complete the central online application through the Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS) provided by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP).  A single PharmCAS application to the college is made regardless of desired campus, as opportunities for campus selection is extended only to those in which an admissions offer has been made. Qualified applicants are invited for an on-campus or Zoom interview.

The college operates a rolling admissions process. Please note that "rolling admissions" means that we accept and review applications and interview candidates on a continual basis beginning with the PharmCAS application, which becomes available in July of each year.

Important Dates

July- PharmCAS application available.

August- Interviews begin for priority applicants.*

November 1- Priority application deadline

Fall- Interviews begin for Traditional Admission applicants in November.*

February 1- Deadline for application through PharmCAS; visit www.pharmcas.org to apply; all application materials must be received by PharmCAS.

*Interviews are by invitation only

Direct Admission

(Special program for High School seniors and college freshmen)

The UTHSC College of Pharmacy Direct Admission program provides students the opportunity to apply to and be given an early acceptance to the UTHSC College of Pharmacy at the beginning of their undergraduate college program. Advantages of this application process include access to special events and programming, with a guarantee of admission once prerequisites are successfully completed and final admissions criteria met. Admission to this program is made through a highly selective process, with minimum requirements including a high school cumulative GPA of 3.5. Students must meet program maintenance requirements as they complete their undergraduate coursework. Application should be made before or during the freshman year, and the College of Pharmacy Office of Admissions will notify all applicants of their admission status on a rolling basis. Seats are limited so students are encouraged to apply by January 1 of their freshman spring semester. Access the Direct Admission Application to submit today.

Transfer Admission

The College of Pharmacy considers transfer candidacy for students currently enrolled at other ACPE accredited pharmacy programs meeting the following conditions:

• All prerequisite coursework has been completed, with a minimum grade of C- in each course and a minimum cumulative prerequisite GPA of 3.0.
• At least one full-time year but no more than two full-time years of professional pharmacy courses have been completed, with a minimum grade of C- in each course and a minimum cumulative graduate pharmacy GPA of 3.0.
• Good standing status for current pharmacy program.

Students interested in transferring should send their original PharmCAS application, all undergraduate and graduate unofficial transcripts, course syllabi for each graduate pharmacy course, a detailed list of topics for each pharmacy course, and a statement of interest to Kara Bowen at kbowen9@uthsc.edu by May 15. Candidates meeting minimum requirements are not guaranteed offers of admission. Candidates offered admission may need to complete curricular deficiencies during summers terms and may or may not retain current year standing.

Applicant Privacy

To comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the UTHSC College of Pharmacy must limit conversations regarding individual students and/or their applications. The faculty and staff of the College may not disclose application information, including admission status, to anyone except the applicants themselves.