Admissions Step 1: Minimum Eligibility Requirements

In order to have your application materials accepted for review, you must be able to first verify that you meet certain minimum eligibility requirements. Applicants who do not meet these requirements, or who are unable to provide the verification necessary, will not be considered for admission and their applications will be administratively canceled.

1. Grade point average requirement

To be eligible to apply, applicants must have a minimum, cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.80 as calculated by PharmCAS as of the UCSF PharmCAS application deadline. On occasions, the minimum GPA requirement has been waived for extenuating circumstances. Please contact our office for information regarding waiving the minimum GPA requirement.

The UCSF School of Pharmacy is committed to admitting PharmD students who have diverse cultural, economic, and social backgrounds. Although grade point average is an important factor, it is not the sole reason for acceptance. In addition to intellectual and academic competence, the School's admissions committee considers communication skills, leadership ability, community service, health care-related or research experience, and motivation for pursuing a career in pharmacy. Read about student profile numbers at Facts and Figures.

2. Academic prerequisites

All prerequisites must be satisfied with course work approved by the Office of Student Affairs and must be completed prior to July 1 of the year of entry into the program. (You may be in the process of completing the prerequisites when you submit the application, but all prerequisites must be satisfactorily completed by July 1 of the year of entry into the program.)

Verifying your prerequisite course work

It is your responsibility to verify if your course work is approved to meet our prerequisites. See Verifying Your Prerequisite Course Work.

3. Intern license requirement

If offered admission, you must be able to secure and maintain a valid intern pharmacist license with the California Board of Pharmacy. Details will be provided to admitted/entering students.

4. Criminal background check

All students offered provisional admission will be required to complete a criminal background check prior to final admissions decisions.

UCSF reserves the right to rescind an offer of admission to any individual whose background check reveals unprofessional conduct inconsistent with the high standards of the pharmacy profession or issues that may preclude an individual from participating in Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPEs) or Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs). Under these circumstances, the Admissions Committee will review the application and provide a recommendation to the Vice Dean for Education. The Vice Dean for Education may revoke an offer of admission based upon this review. The decision of the Vice Dean is final and is not subject to appeal.

5. Technical standards requirement

Upon admission, admitted students will affirm that they have reviewed and agree that they are capable of meeting the School of Pharmacy’s technical standards with or without accommodations.

Please contact our office should you have questions regarding minimum eligibility requirements.

Next step: Step 2: The Application