Admissions FAQs

General Information

How many applicants do you accept each year?

Our goal is to matriculate 70 students every year.  Competition can be affected by the size and composition of the applicant pool for a particular year.

Do you give preference to applicants from California colleges?

No.

Do you have rolling admissions?

No, but applicants have the option of participating in Early Submission.

What is Early Submission?

Eligible applicants who submit their completed PharmCAS application and pay the application fee by August 31st may be invited to interview in October.  Our regular deadline is December 1st and those applications may be invited for interviews in January. 

Do you offer an advanced standing program?

No. All students enter our program at the first-year level regardless of whether they are in advanced standing or are a transfer student from another school of pharmacy.

Are you on a quarter system or a semester system?

Quarter system.

Do you offer tours of your school?

Tours are available during in-person interviews and post-interviews.  We also offer virtual tours of our school.

Virtual Tour #1

Virtual Tour #2

What is the minimum GPA required for admissions?

A minimum overall GPA of 3.0 and science GPA of 2.80 is required for application. 

May applicants use pass/fail classes to fulfill the institution's course prerequisites?

Yes, but only if no letter grade option is available.

What is the GPA range of the students who matriculate into the PharmD program?

 

The current GPA range is between 3.0-4.0.  Note:  This may change depending on the applicant pool.

Is a BA or BS degree required for admission?

Yes.  We do not place a preference on certain degrees, but degrees in sciences may help the applicant better prepare for pharmacy school. We highly recommend that you take science courses prior to applying.

Do I have to take the PCAT or GRE?

No. Our program does not require any standardized tests.  Standardized test scores will not be taken in to account during our application review process.

Do I have to take the TOEFL examination?

No. Our program does not require any standardized tests.

Do you accept online coursework?

Yes. Only for the non-science required courses except for Public Speaking.

Please note we will accept courses taken online during the COVID-19 Pandemic.  If you have questions regarding courses taken during that time please email us at sppsadmissions@health.ucsd.edu

Will my application be considered incomplete without the Application Processing Fee?

Yes.  Some students may qualify for a waiver. Please contact our office for more information at sppsadmissions@health.ucsd.edu .

Can I enter in the Winter or Spring quarter?

No, we accept applications for only the fall quarter each year.

I'm changing courses that aren't related to the pharmacy prerequisites. Must I notify your office of these changes?

No, as long as it does not impact receiving your bachelor's degree prior to matriculation.

How do spaces in the entering class become available?

Financial issues, personal issues, or medical issues sometimes prevent an applicant from accepting an offer. Every year some applicants are also administratively canceled. This could be for failing a prerequisite, not completing all the prerequisites, or not submitting documents or other verification materials required by the University.

Where am I on the alternate list?

Please do not contact the office to ask this question. We will contact you immediately if we are able to offer you a place in the entering class.

What are my chances?

Unfortunately, it is impossible to predict how many accepted applicants will decline their admission offer or be canceled.

How soon will I know if I am going to get an offer from the alternate list?

Unfortunately, it is impossible to predict when accepted applicants will decline our offer or be canceled. The waiting list remains open until the first day of classes. If your name is on the waiting list, but you are not offered admission by this day, your application will be formally denied via e-mail.

How many alternates are accepted each year?

Since the reasons for declining an admission offer or for being canceled are often related to personal or unexpected situations, it is impossible to predict the number of alternates that will be offered admission in any given year. However, our experience has been that some of the applicants each year are offered admission from the alternate list.

If I am offered admission, how will I be contacted?

You will be contacted by email if we are going to make you an offer.  Therefore, it is very important for you to keep us informed of any changes in your contact information.  If we cannot reach you by email, or if you do not reply within the allotted time frame, we assume you are no longer interested in attending UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Do you require a registration fee deposit?

No.  A registration fee deposit is not required at this time.  Note:  This could change in the future.

May I appeal a decision of denial?

Only if you feel an error has occurred. Unfortunately, because of our small class size and large applicant pool, most applicants receive denials. We can only accept 70 students each year.

May I apply again in a future application cycle?

Yes. You will have to submit a new application through PharmCAS as well as a pay a new Application Processing Fee. We do not save records from previous years so you will need to submit your application as a new applicant.