Does the UW School of Pharmacy require a supplemental application?
No, the UW School of Pharmacy no longer requires a separate supplemental application. Applicants only need to apply through PharmCAS.
Is there a minimum requirement for Cumulative and Prerequisite GPAs?
No, but applicants with Cumulative and Prerequisite GPAs below 2.8 are generally not considered competitive.
Applicants whose prerequisite course grades are considered low may be encouraged to retake coursework. The prerequisite GPA is calculated using grades from the following prerequisite courses: Anatomy & Physiology, Biology with labs, General Chemistry with labs, Organic Chemistry with labs, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Calculus, Statistics, English Composition, Microeconomics, and Public Speaking/Interpersonal Communication. All grades for repeated courses will be considered – grades for repeated courses will not be averaged.
I cannot afford the PharmCAS application fee. May I have it waived?
Students can request a fee waiver through PharmCAS. Please visit their website for deadlines.
My recommender wants to send in their own letter and not use the PharmCAS Recommendation Forms. Is this OK?
No, the PharmCAS recommendation form is required, but recommenders can also include a letter in addition to the PharmCAS recommendation form.
What if I have already submitted the maximum number of letters of reference to PharmCAS and still need to submit an additional letter to meet your criteria?
PharmCAS allows a maximum of four letters of reference. If you still need to submit an additional letter of recommendation to fit our criteria please contact our office with this request and we will give instructions on what the next steps are.
Do I really need to submit all my transcripts to PharmCAS?
Yes, applicants need to submit ALL collegiate level transcripts directly to PharmCAS, including Running Start, College in the High School, military transcripts, technical college transcripts or community college coursework taken for personal enjoyment. All foreign transcripts must be evaluated by one of the following certified agencies: Educational Credentials Evaluations, World Education Services or Educational Perspectives. As part of the application process, official sealed foreign transcripts must be sent directly to the UW School of Pharmacy Office of Academic and Student Programs only if an applicant is accepted to the program. Foreign transcript evaluations are to be sent directly to PharmCAS. Applicants who do not submit all college level transcripts will be disqualified from the admissions process. If an offer of admission has already been extended, it will be rescinded if additional transcripts are discovered. Foreign coursework evaluations need to be submitted to PharmCAS even if courses are not being counted towards prerequisites.
What if the PharmCAS system does not recognize my school because it is not accredited?
If PharmCAS is not able to process a transcript from a college that you have attended, please contact our office for specific instructions on what to do.
When should I submit my transcripts to PharmCAS?
All transcripts for academic work completed should be sent to PharmCAS as early as possible. Autumn transcripts must be requested prior to the application deadline and sent to PharmCAS as soon as grades are available following the end of Autumn term. The Admissions Committee may disqualify applicants who do not request transcripts prior to the application deadline. Applicants should update their Autumn grades during the PharmCAS Academic Update window starting in mid-December.
I attend a college or university that uses narrative evaluation of my courses rather than numerical or letter grades.
Applicants who have attended or received credit from a college or university which evaluates coursework through narrative transcripts rather than assigning numerical or letter grades must send an official narrative transcript to both PharmCAS and the UW School of Pharmacy. Please send narrative transcripts early; these transcripts require additional processing and review. Contact uwpharmd@uw.edu for questions.
How do I know if my application is complete or not?
Once we have received your PharmCAS application, a “status email” will be sent to applicants stating which part(s) of the application we have received and if the application is considered complete or incomplete. Please be aware that we process a high volume of applications during Admissions and as a result, it may be several weeks before you receive this status email.
I have had some extenuating circumstances that affected my grades. Should I tell you about this?
Yes. You may disclose such information in the PharmCAS Application in the Additional Information part of the Supplemental Questions section of the PharmCAS application. This is an optional part of the application allows you to provide any additional information you would like the Admissions Committee to consider.
Can I apply for early or priority decision?
The PharmD program no longer has an option for early/priority admission. All applicants will be reviewed during the same application cycle. Please note that applicants are reviewed on a rolling basis. Rolling admission means that applications are reviewed in the order that they are received. Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early in the application cycle and to sign up for the earliest possible interview day.
Applicants who apply early will be able to sign up for earlier interview dates and will likely receive decisions sooner than those who apply later in the cycle. Depending on the size and strength of our applicant pool, our PharmD class may reach capacity before the application deadline. Should this happen, all remaining applicants will be considered for a spot on our waitlist. Waitlisted candidates will be offered admission if and when seats become available.