Prepare for Pharmacy School

There are currently about 151 accredited pharmacy schools in the US, each unique in its mission, philosophy, criteria, and strengths.

• Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS) School Directory

Although there are resources that “rank” schools, the rankings are rarely pertinent for individual applicants. More important is whether there is a good match between the applicant and the school.

To find schools that are a good fit for you (PAC can help with this process):

1. Assess your individual strengths and weaknesses, your professional interests, learning style, and personality;
2. Start by considering all schools, which usually includes all 150+ schools;
3. Create your “Long List.” by omitting the schools that do not match your professional interests, learning style, and personality;
4. Create your “Short List.” The short list includes the schools to which you will most likely apply. You will need your entrance exam scores and/or current cumulative GPA to narrow and sort your school choices. We strongly recommend that you apply to schools for which your entrance exam score and/or current cumulative GPA are within the ranges of those who were accepted into that program. Ideally, you will apply to schools for which both your entrance exam score and cumulative GPA fall within the range of accepted applicants. 
5. You can also consider other factors when categorizing your schools like prerequisites, pass rate on boards/ licensing exams, areas of specialization, and cost/ aid. When deciding how many schools to apply to, consider how many schools to which you can afford to apply. Finally, consider if you really want to attend the school if/when accepted even if it is the only school to which you have been accepted.

If possible, visit the schools to see their facilities, talk to admissions directors, and chat with students.

• Information on researching and selecting schools to apply to
• Researching Schools Template

Notes for international applicants:

• Health professional schools in the U.S. may process applications of international students differently than those of U.S. citizens and permanent residents due to institutional, state, and federal requirements.
• Some schools do not admit international students, so you will be limited in the number of schools to which they can apply and need to research schools.
• There may be additional requirements such as showing proof that they will be able to afford the costs of health professional school as financial aid opportunities are very limited for international students.

Admissions Cycle Application Statistics

Based on data acquired by the Pharmacy College Application Service.

*National statistics for the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 cycles will be updated once results are received.

View our Pharmacy School Stats to see where UH Mānoa applicants applied to/matriculated into.

• Tracker Templates
  • To download, go to File > Copy to Drive