How to Get Into Pharmacy School Through the Early Assurance Program
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How to Get Into Pharmacy School Through the Early Assurance Program 
PCOM School of Pharmacy

The PCOM School of Pharmacy Early Assurance Program is designed for undergraduates and high school students interested in the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program, providing a clear roadmap to admission. The Early Assurance Pharmacy Program does not guarantee admission to any specific applicant; all academic and other eligibility requirements must be met as determined by PCOM in its sole discretion.

What is the Early Assurance Pharmacy Program?

An Early Assurance Program provides eligible current college and high school students with the opportunity to secure a spot in the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program before completing their bachelor's degree. As an Early Assurance Program participant, you are assured of the availability of a seat within the PharmD program as long as admissions requirements are met. Additionally, program participants may take part in events and activities prior to matriculation which will help them prepare for pharmacy school and be successful in the program upon matriculation.

What are the benefits of the Early Assurance Pharmacy Program?

Students who meet the requirements and are accepted under the Early Assurance Pharmacy Program receive conditional acceptance to the PCOM School of Pharmacy. Additionally:

  • Students will not have to compete against the traditional pool of PharmCAS applicants.
  • Accepted applicants are eligible for PCOM scholarships to offset the cost of attendance.
  • Applicants have access to and can participate in PCOM School of Pharmacy events and activities prior to matriculation.
Who can apply for conditional acceptance through the Early Assurance Pharmacy Program?

The Early Assurance Pharmacy Program is available for undergraduate students and high school applicants.

To apply as an undergraduate, you must:

  • Be enrolled full-time at an accredited two-year community college or four-year undergraduate college or university.
  • Intend to matriculate to the PharmD program at a date beyond the immediate PharmCAS admissions cycle.
  • Meet the admissions requirements for the program.

To apply as a high school student, you must:

  • Have completed your junior year of high school or the equivalent.
  • Meet the admissions requirements for the program.

How to Get Into Pharmacy School

PCOM School of Pharmacy's Early Assurance Pharmacy Program provides high school and undergraduate students with a clear roadmap for securing a seat in pharmacy school. To participate, prospective pharmacy students should complete the following steps.

Step 1: Meet the Early Assurance Pharmacy Program applicant criteria

Undergraduate applicants must intend to matriculate to the PharmD program at a date beyond the immediate PharmCAS admissions cycle. They must be enrolled full-time at an accredited two-year community college or four-year undergraduate college or university. Full time is defined as a minimum of 12 semester credits per term.

High school applicants must have completed their junior year of high school (11th grade) or equivalent.

Step 2: Fulfill the specified academic requirements

All applications undergo a holistic review process whereby careful consideration is given to all the credentials presented by applicants. Undergraduate and high school students are expected to meet certain academic requirements.

Undergraduates

The requirements related to undergraduate course work are:

  • Must not have received any grades of D, F, NP, W/F or any non-passing grade in any courses at the time of acceptance.
  • Minimum overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or above.
  • Must have completed 10 credits of science and math pre-requisite coursework at C- or higher.
  • Must have completed three (3) credits of English Composition with a grade of B- or higher.
  • Maintain good academic and disciplinary standing in school for the duration of time enrolled.
High school students
  • Have a high school GPA of 3.0 and/or submit SAT or ACT scores with a minimum 1100 SAT or 23 ACT.
  • Be in good academic and disciplinary standing in high school at the time of application as well as maintain good standing throughout the remainder of the senior year. 
Step 3: Obtain Letters of Recommendation and Prepare a Personal Statement

Undergraduate and high school students interested in applying to the Early Assurance Pharmacy Program must meet additional criteria for eligibility and evaluation.

Undergraduate applicants must provide:
  • A personal statement/essay on motivation for pursuing career in pharmacy or letter of interest (LOI) describing the candidate’s interest in pharmacy profession and PCOM.
  • At least one letter of recommendation from a department chair or a faculty at the candidate’s primary undergraduate institution. Ideally this would be from a faculty member in the department of the candidates’ major program of study.
High school student applicants must provide:
  • One letter of recommendation from a high school teacher or counselor through the PharmDirect application.
Step 4: Complete the PharmDirect Online Application

PCOM School of Pharmacy participates in the centralized application service known as PharmDirect for early assurance candidates applying to direct entry PharmD degree programs in a college or school of pharmacy. Undergraduates and high school students may submit their application through PharmDirect. 

Undergraduates should complete the PharmDirect online application prior to the annual deadline. High school students should complete and submit the PharmDirect online application prior to the deadline during the senior year of high school (12th grade).

APPLY NOW

For questions regarding submission of the PharmDirect application, contact PharmDirect directly at info@pharmdirect.org or 617-612-2071.

PCOM will review the application, and acceptance into the EA Program will be determined by the PCOM School of Pharmacy Admissions Committee.

All applicants will be notified of their acceptance into the Early Assurance Pharmacy Program by the PCOM Office of Admissions.

Program participants are required to apply directly to PharmDirect. The PharmDirect application will serve to confirm that all conditional provisions for admissions are met and will include an in-person interview.

Step 5: Review Other Factors and Considerations for Early Assurance Pharmacy Program Applicants

Applicants for the Early Assurance Pharmacy Program should be aware of the following:

  • Program acceptance is good for up to three (3) years.
  • Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) and College Level Examination Program (CLEP) credits will be accepted if noted on official college transcript.
  • Courses completed in high school as part of a dual credit program will be accepted if noted on official college transcript.
  • Courses may be completed at any U.S. Department of Education (DOE) accredited community college, four-year college, or university. Online course instruction from an accredited college or university is acceptable. Note: Live labs are not required for those classes taken during spring/summer/fall 2020 and spring/summer 2021 semesters for the 2020-21 PharmDirect application cycle.
  • Pharmacy-related work experience or healthcare-related volunteer work is not required, but strongly encouraged.

Additional Questions

Should you have any questions, please contact us via email at PharmDadmissions@pcom.edu.

Additional information about the PCOM School of Pharmacy and the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program is available on our frequently asked questions page.

All inquiries about admission to the PharmD program should be directed to:

PCOM Georgia Office of Admissions
625 Old Peachtree Road, NW
Suwanee, GA 30024
678-225-7500

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