Admissions information
The WSU Doctor of Pharmacy program evaluates admissions applications through a holistic review process by giving balanced consideration to academic record, evaluations, personal and professional goal statements, and life experiences.
How to Apply
Apply to the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (CPPS) through the PharmCAS national application service for pharmacy schools; visit the WSU PharmCAS school page for more information regarding the application. Read below for our complete application process.
Application Deadlines
| Fall 2024 Enrollment | Fall 2025 Enrollment | |
| Early Admissions | Mid-Jul – Oct 2, 2023 | Mid-Jul – Oct 7, 2024 |
| Regular Admissions | Oct 3, 2023 – Jan 4, 2024 | Oct 8, 2024 – Jan 6, 2025 |
| Late Admissions | Jan 5, 2024 – Jun 3, 2024 | Jan 7, 2025 – Jun 2, 2025 |
For more details on deadlines, visit the PharmCAS deadlines webpage. Not ready to apply for the Doctor of Pharmacy program yet? Consider our Save-A-Seat program.
Application Options
| Early Admissions* | Regular Admissions* | Late Admissions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advantages |
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| Deadline to submit transcripts to PharmCAS | Mid-July – Oct 1 | Oct 2 – Jan 4 | Jan – Jun 1 |
Deadline to submit supporting information:
| Mid-July – Oct 1 | Oct 2 – Jan 4 | Jan – Jun 1 |
| Interview dates | Sept– Nov | Dec – Mar | Apr – Jun |
| Interview location | Zoom | Zoom | Zoom |
| *Note: Early and Regular Admissions applicants receive priority on location preference and scholarships. | |||
Save-A-Seat
This option is for you if you are a high school senior or college student who is working to complete your prerequisites and/or undergraduate degree and plan to apply for the WSU PharmD program in a future year. Save-A-Seat ensures that there will be space available when you are ready to apply for the PharmD program. However, this does not guarantee admission.
PharmCAS application
The following information is regarding elements that are submitted through PharmCAS.
PCAT scores
The PCAT is not required and will not be used in the admissions scoring process.
Grade point averages
To be considered for admission your preferred overall GPA and your science GPA as reported by PharmCAS must be 2.7 or higher. If your GPA is lower but you have extenuating circumstances that you believe should be considered, you may write a letter to explain. Letters of explanation will be requested after the PharmCAS application is submitted. They should be addressed to the Admissions Committee, and be sent to pharmacy.admissions@wsu.edu as a Word or PDF document document.
Letters of recommendation
We require two letters of recommendation from evaluators who can speak to your professional character, accountability, and notable experiences, such as a professor, teaching assistant, employer or volunteer supervisor. More than two letters are not required, but students can submit as many as four.
Evaluators should speak to your adaptability, empathy, ethics, intellectual ability, interpersonal relations, judgement, leadership, reliability, and communication skills. It is recommended a supervisor, pharmacist or other health care provider you have worked with submit an evaluation. It is also highly recommended you obtain an evaluation from an academic source that can speak knowledgeably about your academic history. A letter from a pharmacist is not required but highly recommended.
Recommendations are NOT ACCEPTED from family members, clergy, friends, politicians, fraternity or sorority advisors, personal health care providers or high school faculty/advisors, career services, or reference letter centers.
Transcripts
In PharmCAS you will be asked to send official transcripts from all institutions that you have attended.
Admission process information
Applications may be completed and submitted beginning mid-July. First priority is given to completed early decision applicants and proceeds to regular decision applicants on a rolling basis. The number of interviews available is limited. It is to your advantage to apply as early as possible. If PharmCAS does not receive all required materials and transcripts, they will not release your application to WSU for review.
After your application, official transcripts and fees are received. Allow up to four weeks for PharmCAS to process your application.
The PharmCAS application deadline indicates the date your application and all materials must be received in the PharmCAS office.
For application instructions to help with applying for pharmacy school, please click the link below.
PharmCAS application instructions
Gaining pharmacy experience
WSU does not require pharmacy experience but it is highly recommended. If you are interested in gaining experience in a pharmacy, start talking with pharmacists about a career in pharmacy and consider applying for a pharmacy assistant license. It is hard to gain pharmacy-related experience unless you work in a pharmacy. Learn how to get your pharmacy assistant license »
Get more information from the Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission »
Criminal background checks
If you are offered admission to the PharmD program, you will receive an email request from PharmCAS for information to allow a criminal background check. Be apprised that the Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission can refuse to issue you a license to practice in the state of Washington due to a felony conviction.
WSU will not automatically or unreasonably deny an applicant’s admission or restrict access to campus residency based on an applicant’s criminal history. While public institutions may or may not deny your admission based on a criminal record, you may not receive board approval based on a felony record. Since a board-approved internship licensure is required to complete the experiential portions of the professional curriculum, you would not be able to academically progress successfully beyond the first professional year.
If you have a criminal conviction on your record you may not be able to complete your degree, regardless of whether WSU grants you admission to the PharmD program.
The interview
Qualified candidates will receive an email invitation to participate in an admissions interview based on when your application is received and selected campus preference. All interviews are conducted virtually.
Decisions:
Admissions decisions will be made on a rolling basis, according to the specifics of each application.
June: All decisions made (offers, waitlisted applicants and denials).
Financial aid
You may apply for financial aid and should submit the FAFSA online. Go the FAFSA website and use 003800 as the school code. Some loans for health care professionals require parent information, regardless of your age and dependency status.
If you have any questions about financial aid please contact spokane.financialaid@wsu.edu or Student Affairs at 509-358-7534.
Out-of-state residents
If you are an out-of-state student, you are eligible to apply for Washington state residency after living in the state for 12 consecutive months. Our newly reduced out-of-state tuition makes pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy degree one of the most affordable programs on the West Coast.
If you are a resident of a WICHE state (Alaska or Nevada), you may be eligible for a tuition break. For more information, contact WICHE at:
WICHE Student Exchange Program
3035 Center Green Drive
Boulder, CO 80301-2204
(303) 541-0214
info-sep@wiche.edu | https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/psep/
Pharmacy careers
“As the pharmacy manager I oversee all aspects of the pharmacy department including personnel oversight, budget management and safety and quality. I am the responsible pharmacist for our facility.”
– Chris Greer, Pharmacy Manager at St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Hospital
International students
If you are an international student you are required to complete a foreign transcript evaluation and send this evaluation directly to PharmCAS and take the TOEFL or IELTS exam.
Coursework
International transcripts must be evaluated by the World Education Service (WES) on a course-by-course basis and include all transcripts. The complete report must be submitted to and received by PharmCAS by the application deadline. Upper division coursework, including Organic Chemistry, Human Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology, and Biochemistry, should be completed at a regionally accredited institution in the US.
Syllabi for all international prerequisite courses completed must be submitted as PDFs in English and include modules covered, learning outcomes, course description, and course assessment. Applicants from a country that utilizes and supplies consolidated marks sheets must submit individual marks sheets.
If you complete pre-pharmacy coursework at a non-US based institutions and are not native English speaker, you are required to meet the English Language Proficiency Requirements or be eligible for an exception.
TOEFL/IELTS
Minimum TOEFL scores required are a 550 paper based, 90 internet based, or 250 computer based; or minimum IELTS score of 6.5 or higher. Minimum TOEFL sub scores required: Reading 20, Writing 22, Speaking 22, and Listening 20. Exam date must be within one year of application.
Exceptions to English Language Proficiency Exam:
- Applicants may be exempt if they have completed a BA or BS degree in a native English-speaking country.
- Applicants may be exempt if they have completed a minimum of 25 semester/45 quarter credits of equivalent prerequisite coursework from an accredited U.S. based institution.
- The applicant is coming from a country where English is the official mode of instruction, may be exempt from testing requirement. Documentation confirming English mode of instruction is required.
Transfer admission policy
The college may consider students who have previously attended another professional pharmacy program. Only students in good academic standing will be considered (proof of academic standing will be required). Students who have been decertified, or asked to leave their original program due to academic deficiencies, are not eligible for transfer into the WSU program.
View the policy and procedures transfer requests document for further instructions.