Admissions

The Nova Southeastern University College of Pharmacy (NSU-COP) offers information sessions to help educate prospective students on the profession and as to how NSU-COP can help prepare you for a career in Pharmacy. Join us for an overview of our Pharm.D. program, inluding admission requirements and student life.

 For information on information sessions and Open House, please contact phss@nova.edu.

Admission Requirements - applicants entering the Pharm.D. Program

The College of Pharmacy selects students based on pre-pharmacy academic performance, Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) scores (recommended, but not required), admissions interview, written applications, and letters of reference.

1. Prior to matriculation, all applicants must successfully complete a minimum of 66 semester hours of coursework at a regionally accredited college or university, including the following required courses:

2. Applicants with a minimum of 66 semester hours of completed pre-requisites (or in progress of completing their pre-requisites) are recommended to have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher and a minimum science GPA of 2.3 and math GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.

3. Applicants with a master’s degree and completed pre-requisites (or are in progress of completing the minimum prerequisites) are recommended to have a preferred cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher on a 4.0 scale, a preferred minimum science GPA of 2.3  and a preferred mathematics GPA of 2.0 (C) or higher on a 4.0 scale. A competitive GPA would be 3.4 on a 4.0 scale. 

4. Official scores from the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) are recommended, but not required

   Attention: All standardized exams (e.g. PCAT, DAT, GRE, MCAT, OAT etc.) for entrance into the College of Pharmacy are recommended, but not required. 

   • PCAT scores must be no more than three years old at the time of interview.
   • Applicants should take the PCAT no later than February prior to the expected date of matriculation. You may register online at www.pcatweb.info or call 800-622-3231 if you have any questions.
5. Three letters of reference from the pre-professional committee or if such a committee does not exist, letters of reference from two science professors and one liberal arts professor are necessary. A letter of reference from a pharmacist may substitute one letter from a professor in either subject.
6. Applicants whose native or official language is not English are required to demonstrate English proficiency in order to be admitted into a degree program such asTOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo. Candidates who have completed a Master’s degree  or English composition I & II with a “C” or higher here in U.S. at an accredited college/university may also meet our English proficiency requirements.  

Primary Application Process

Applicants apply for matriculation into the fall semester. The Office of Admissions processes applications on a rolling basis; therefore, it is in the best interest of the applicant to apply early. Listed below are the steps necessary to complete the primary application process:

1. Applicants must submit a PharmCAS application electronically, an interactive Web-based application that can be accessed through www.PharmCAS.org.
   
   • The deadline for submitting a PharmCAS application for regular admission is May 3
   • The PharmCAS application process takes four to six weeks
2. Applicants should submit the following materials to PharmCAS:
   • Official transcripts from all college and universities attended (this must be submitted directly to PharmCAS by the college or university)
   • Letters of reference
   • PCAT scores (recommended)

Secondary Application Process
In addition to completing the PharmCAS application, NSU requires the completion of a supplemental application. Upon receipt of the PharmCAS application, NSU will email a link to access our supplemental application.

1. Applicants should submit the following materials electronically to NSU:

• a completed supplemental application - Due June 15 for applicants applying for regular admission
• a non-refundable application fee of $50 (U.S.)

Foreign Coursework

Coursework taken at foreign institutions must be evaluated for U.S. institution equivalence by an approved National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) organization, such as one of the services listed below.

Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.
P.O. Box 514070
Milwaukee, WI 53203-3470
(414) 289-3400
www.ece.org

Josef Silny & Associates, Inc.
7101 SW 102nd Avenue
Miami, FL 33173
(305) 273-1616 • (305) 273-1338 fax
www.jsilny.com

SpanTran: The Evaluation Company
2655 Le Jeune Rd. Suite 602
Coral Gables, FL 33134
305-749-0333
www.spantran.com

World Education Services
Bowling Green Station
P.O. Box 5087
New York, NY 10274-5087
(212) 966-6311
www.wes.org

1. Applicants who have completed coursework outside of the U.S. need to request an official foreign evaluation report from a NACES approved agency such as ECE, Josef & Silny, SpanTran, WES etc. You will need to request a course by course evaluation with an overall GPA calculation. Please send the foreign transcript evaluation report (FTER) to PharmCAS if requesting the report from WES. If the evaluation report is completed by another NACES approved agency other than WES, please send the report to the following address:

Interview Process

An in-person interview is part of the admissions process; however, being interviewed is not a guarantee of admission. Upon receipt of the completed application, a review will be made to determine if the applicant will be granted an interview. Not all applicants will be granted an interview. The Office of Admissions will notify selected applicants for interviews.

Circumstances may warrant that a student enrolled in one college of pharmacy seeks to transfer to another institution. All applications submitted will be reviewed by the associate dean of the Professional Program. The final decision will be based on factors that include, but are not limited to, academic record, circumstances leading to the transfer request, available space, and admissions standards. Students in good academic standing may apply as transfer applicants by completing the following requirements.

1. Submit the following materials electronically to NSU.
   • an NSU application (due June 15)
   • a non-refundable application fee of $50 (U.S.)
2. Meet all entry-level or advanced standing admissions requirements for the NSU College of Pharmacy, as applicable.
3. Submit the following documentation

• • official transcripts for all college coursework
  • a written statement outlining the reasons for requesting a transfer

• • three letters of recommendation (two from pharmacy faculty members, and one from the dean, associate dean, or assistant dean of the transferring college of pharmacy that indicates the students is in good standing within the current or more recent academic program)

• • complete an in-person interview

• • Submit any official standardized test scores such as PCAT, GRE, TOEFL, or IELTS to help further the evaluation of applications (recommended). Attention: All standardized exams (e.g. PCAT, MCAT, DAT, GRE etc) for entrance into the college of pharmacy are waived for the Fall 2020 entry term due to COVID-19.

Transfer students entering the NSU College of Pharmacy may be given credit for courses that are equivalent to the courses outlined in the curriculum of the College of Pharmacy. Upon acceptance, students should submit their syllabi for review. The dean's office will evaluate the courses for transfer credit eligibility (courses must meet graduate-level criteria). A minimum of 30 credit hours of didactic coursework and all Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE) must be completed at NSU. Transfer credits may not exceed 2/3 of the required credits to complete the degree program.

For all this information and additional information, please refer to the Program Brochure in the window to your left.