Admission Requirements

Admissions Highlights Heading link

  • Summer Prerequisite Coursework – Summer prerequisite courses, including online courses, are accepted. You may apply while required UIC pre-pharmacy courses are in-progress or scheduled to be completed by the summer before PharmD start.
  • In-State Tuition for All – All students, regardless of residency status, are assessed the same tuition rate – the lowest in Illinois.
  • PCAT – The PCAT is not required.

Minimum Grades – All pre-pharmacy prerequisite courses must have a C- grade or better.

AP and Test-Out Credits – AP and test-out credits will be accepted to meet pre-pharmacy prerequisite coursework if credit for these are given on a transcript.  Pre-Pharmacy Prerequisite Coursework Guides are available for most Illinois schools and some out-of-state schools.

CR (credit) or P (pass)  Grades – Pass or Credit grades in prerequisite courses are NOT accepted. * 

*The exception for Pass & Credit grades are only accepted for prerequisite courses taken in Spring or Summer 2020 semesters.

Prerequisite Completion Deadline – All pre-pharmacy prerequisites courses do not need to be completed at the time of application.  The prerequisites remaining at the time of application must be included in the coursework section of the PharmCAS application, indicating the particular course that will be taken, as well as where and when the course(s) will be taken.  All must be completed and verified by the end of the second week in August for admission that fall – August 9, 2024 for Fall 2024 admission. 

Foreign Coursework – Any applicant with foreign coursework (other than study abroad coursework taken through a US college) must provide a WES foreign coursework report.  Please contact the Office of Student Affairs (email Pharmd@uic.edu) with any questions.

Required Number of Courses*
Communication Coursework Semester Courses Quarter Courses
Written Communication 1 1
Verbal Communication 1 1
Additional (written or verbal) 1 1
Required Number of Courses**
Life Sciences Coursework Semester courses Quarter courses
General Biology and labs 2 3
Anatomy and Physiology*** 2 2 or 3
Microbiology and lab 1 1
Physical Sciences Semester Courses Quarter Courses
General (inorganic) Chemistry and labs 2 3
Organic Chemistry and lab(s) 2 3
Physics 1 1
Biochemistry 1 1
Mathematics/Statistics Semester Courses Quarter Courses
Calculus (integrals and derivatives) 1 1
Statistics 1 1
Social/Behavioral Sciences Semester Courses Quarter Courses
1 1
Humanities Semester Courses Quarter Courses
1 1
Total Required Courses Semester Courses Quarter Courses
18 21/22

*Each course must be a minimum of 3 semesters or 4 quarter credits.

**Courses must be a minimum of 3 semester credits/hours each (or 4 quarter credits/hours each).  If labs are are required for a particular prerequisites, it may necessitate credits beyond these minimums.  Exact credits will depend on the way a school offers its science courses/labs.

***Schools not offering an A & P sequence – one course in human anatomy and one course in human physiology (semester or quarter) will fulfill the requirement.

Note: If science coursework was taken more than five years prior to admission application, applicants should have a discussion with the Office of Student Affairs regarding their coursework.

To be considered, applicants must have a 2.50 (A=4.00) or higher GPA in three areas.

  • Cumulative – all coursework taken at every institution attended; grades from all attempts of repeated courses are included
  • Pre-Pharmacy Prerequisites – only coursework used to meet the prerequisites; only the highest grades received from repeated courses are included
  • Science/Math – all science and math-related coursework; grades from all attempts of repeated courses are included

Applicants not meeting the GPA requirements at the time of application will be considered for review again after the PharmCAS Fall and/or Spring Academic Update.

The College has a holistic approach to reviewing applicants, which means that GPA is only one factor considered. Below are the GPA ranges of students that have been accepted in previous cycles.

Admission Cycle Prerequisite GPA Range Average Prerequisite GPA
Fall 2020 2.68 to 4.00 3.40
Fall 2019 2.82 to 4.00 3.45
Fall 2018 2.72 to 4.00 3.44
Fall 2017 2.79 to 4.00 3.48
Fall 2016 2.82 to 4.00 3.44
Fall 2015 2.75 to 4.00 3.49

Although the PCAT (Pharmacy College Admissions Test) is not required, it is one of many things considered in a holistic application review if an applicant opts to take it. Admitted students composite scores have ranged from 30 to 99 (percentile).  Low scores cannot hurt an applicant. Scores above 50th percentile will be a plus and taken into account in the application review process.

Prospective students are expected to demonstrate a record of participation in activities that develop and demonstrate personal responsibility, improve communication and people skills, further personal knowledge of pharmacists’ roles and the pharmacy profession, and activities that demonstrate leadership abilities. These include health care-related employment opportunities, pharmacy/healthcare shadowing or volunteer experiences, sustained organizational memberships, and community service.

UIC requires the submission of valid English proficiency test scores for all non-native English speakers.

The English proficiency test requirement for international applicants may be waived under certain circumstances.  Please see the UIC Office of Admissions International Admissions page to determine if proof of English proficiency is required for your country/territory.

Below are the only tests and minimum scores accepted as evidence of English proficiency.

The only tests and minimum scores accepted as evidence of English proficiency by UIC and the College of Pharmacy.
Proficiency TOEFL iBT IELTS PTE Academic TOEFL PBT
Total Score 80 6.5 54 550
Listening 17 6 47
Writing 21 6 56
Reading 19 6 51
Speaking 20 6 53

(See Applying to PharmD Section)

Additional application requirements when applying to the PharmD Program

All applicants will complete a PharmCAS online application.

The PharmCAS application becomes available in July of each year. Although the UIC College of Pharmacy has a March PharmCAS deadline, complete applications are reviewed by the Admissions Committee as they are received starting in September and continuing through mid-March.  Applicants will select their campus preference in the school specific supplemental questions part of the PharmCAS application.

For Fall 2025 admission, the PharmCAS application opens on July 11, 2024! 

Applicants who have a verified PharmCAS application and meet the minimum GPA requirements will be invited to complete the UIC PharmD Supplemental Application.   Please note that the UIC PharmD Supplemental Application is different from the school specific supplemental questions that are part of the PharmCAS application.

There is no additional UIC PharmD Supplemental Application Fee. This is waived for UIC PharmD applicants.

The UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy requires two letters of recommendation from approved sources:

  • One recommendation should be from an academic reference such as an academic advisor, a professor, an instructor, or a TA;
  • One recommendation should be from a work or volunteer supervisor.

Highly qualified applicants are invited to participate in an admission interview.  Until further notice, admission interviews will take place in a virtual online format led by students, staff and faculty from the selected campus.

The interview day consists of interaction with current students, faculty, and alumni through general UIC College of Pharmacy information sessions, a tour, Multiple Mini-Interview (MMI) style admission interviews, and a writing assessment.

Questions about PharmD requirements and/or your application? Join an upcoming info session: Heading link