The Admissions Process

To be considered for admission to the School of Pharmacy, an applicant must have a satisfactory citizenship record, a minimum 2.75 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale on all college work attempted and eligibility to re-enter the institution last attended.

Applicants should note that admission to the University does not grant admission to the Doctor of Pharmacy Program. All students must apply to be formally accepted to the School of Pharmacy before they may begin the professional courses for the four years of the pharmacy program. A grade of D will not transfer into a professional program at Concordia University Wisconsin.

Students may apply to the School of Pharmacy for admission into the Doctor of Pharmacy Program upon satisfactory completion of the Pre-pharmacy prerequisites or evidence that these prerequisites will be successfully completed at either CUW or another accredited college prior to admission.

Upon completion, the PharmCAS Application will be reviewed by the school's admission committee. The Committee will make a decision on each applicant to either extend or deny an invitation for an interview.  All correspondence will be sent by email to the address you provide on your PharmCAS application.

If you are extended an interview, it is mandatory that you attend. It is anticipated that interviews will begin in late Fall and extend through April.  Interviews will be conducted during the week. Applicants invited for an interview will be notified by email indicating the date and time their interview will take place in the School of Pharmacy. Applicants who are unable to interview on the date originally assigned will be invited for a subsequent interview date provided positions in the entering class are still available. A list of possible hotel accommodations, directions and a campus map will be provided to assist with your travel planning.

Applicants will be interviewed by the Admissions Committee, made up of faculty, administrators and area pharmacy practitioners. The interview is designed to evaluate the applicant's interpersonal and problem-solving skills. An interview score is calculated and is utilized in making admission decisions.

In addition to the interview, each applicant will write a brief essay on an unannounced topic. This "spontaneous writing sample" is used as a measure of the applicant's writing skills. On the interview day, you may be involved with other activities that are necessary to process your application.

Pearson's will supply the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) scores to PharmCAS. The specialized test helps to identify qualified applicants by measuring general academic ability and scientific knowledge necessary for the commencement of pharmaceutical education. It is your responsibility to make certain your PCAT scores have been forwarded to PharmCAS, who will then forward the results as part of your completed application. If our office does not receive your scores from the January or earlier test date, you will not be considered for admission for following Fall Semester. It is advised that you take your test by the October test date if possible as we process our acceptances on a rolling basis. Only the official score mailed to PharmCAS from Pearson will be accepted. The PCAT scores (Scaled Composite Score and percentile ranking) will be used in the rating of the applicants.

Following the interviews, the entire School of Pharmacy Admissions Committee reviews the file of each applicant. This evaluation includes consideration of the calculated GPAs, the interview score, spontaneous writing sample assessment, the PCAT score, and the three completed Applicant Reference Forms. In addition, factors such as semester/quarter course loads, trends in the GPAs, extracurricular activities, completion of advanced credit coursework, holding an undergraduate or graduate degree, leadership examples, community service and work experience are taken into consideration.

Applicants can expect to receive a decision on admission within 6-8 weeks after their interview. At that time they will be notified as to whether they have been admitted or denied admission, or if their application has been deferred for later consideration. If admitted, a non-refundable deposit of $1000.00 will be due within fourteen days of the admission notification and this deposit will be applied to the first year's tuition. Those applicants with applications that have been deferred can expect to receive a final decision regarding admission or denial of admission by no later than mid-May. All correspondence will be sent by email.

Students accepted into the Pharm.D. program will be expected to provide evidence of CPR / First Aid certification. It is the student's responsibility to locate the training. We suggest you check with your local chapter of the American Red Cross. Other places to check would include your area hospital, police, or fire department. Some schools also offer courses in CPR / First Aid.
Students will also be required to provide proof of vaccinations before Fall Semester enrollment for:

• Hepatitis B (three series)
• MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella)
• TB Skin Test (Mantoux)
• A written statement documenting Chicken Pox or record of immunization for the disease.

4 Steps to Application Completion

NOTICE: The steps below are for those applicants applying for admissions in fall of 2011.

The application cycle for admissions in fall of 2010 has closed.

Step 1 - PCAT Registration
The PCAT should be taken in June, August or October. If needed, it can be repeated in January. To register to take the PCAT exam and to obtain the necessary information contact: http://www.pcatweb.info

PCAT should be taken at the earliest date possible in order to allow a timely review of your application.  You should instruct the testing company to report your scores directly to PharmCAS Code 104. We will only consider PCAT scores from August 2006 to the present. 

Please note: The PCAT is offered on the Concordia campus

Students should complete their biology and general chemistry sequence as well as at least one semester of organic chemistry prior to sitting for this exam.

Step 2 - PharmCAS
The Concordia University Wisconsin School of Pharmacy utilizes the Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS). This centralized service allows applicants to use a single application to apply to multiple Pharm.D. programs. PharmCAS collects and processes applications to pharmacy colleges and schools that participate in this service. Applicants who apply through PharmCAS submit a completed web-based application comprised of biographical data, post-secondary institutions attended, academic course history, work experience, extracurricular activities, and a personal statement. Your transcripts and PCAT scores will also be sent directly to PharmCAS as part of your application.

It is the applicant's responsibility to read and follow all PharmCAS and institution-specific instructions. To initiate this process please go to www.pharmcas.org and follow the instructions. Upon receiving your completed PharmCAS application, you will be notified via email at the address you provide to PharmCAS. The application process begins August 1 of the year prior to matriculation. The application

Step 3 – The Supplemental Application

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY as this information has changed from the previous application cycle.

In addition to the PharmCAS application, ALL students applying for admission to the program in fall 2011 must complete the Concordia University Wisconsin Supplemental Application for Pharmacy School. This application will be made available online as of August 1, 2010. A $50 application fee will need to be submitted electronically with your application to be considered. Your application will not be reviewed without this payment being made. Current Concordia University Wisconsin students will have this admission fee waived. No other admissions fee waivers will be made.

Step 4 - The Interview

If you are extended an interview, it is mandatory that you attend. It is anticipated that interviews will begin in late fall and extend through April.  Interviews will be conducted during the week. Applicants invited for an interview will be notified by email indicating the date and time the interview will take place in the School of Pharmacy. Applicants who are unable to interview on the date originally assigned will be invited for a subsequent interview date provided positions in the entering class are still available. A list of possible hotel accommodations, directions and a campus map will be provided to assist with your travel planning.