Admission Information

Other Important Dates: All applicants to the PharmD program should also pay attention to the document submission deadline set by the Undergraduate Admissions Office. You will receive an email listing all the required documents for your application. The deadline for submitting official documents can also be found here on the Undergraduate Programs and Admissions website.

For applicants currently completing coursework, interim transcripts must show grades for courses completed up to and including 2025W Term 1 (Sept–Dec 2025) and an accurate list of courses in progress for 2025W Term 2 (Jan–Apr 2026) if applicable.

UBC students must complete the stated coursework, or their acceptable substitutes, to be eligible for admission to the program. Acceptable substitutes are listed on the Science Credit Exclusion List in the UBC Vancouver academic calendar.³

If you are completing your prerequisites at another institution, you should present courses that fulfill the descriptions provided. Wherever possible, you should be completing course(s) that are directly transferrable to the stated UBC Vancouver coursework. Refer to the BC Transfer Guide for information on courses that have been articulated.

All prerequisite coursework listed below reflects course availability and articulation as of August 2025. Transfer credits are evaluated by the Undergraduate Admissions Office. They may be updated through the academic year and reflected on the BC Transfer Guide.

_{3 The UBC Science One Program (SCIE_V 001) is credit excluded with the prerequisite coursework for Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics. Students in the UBC Science One Program should make sure to complete all other prerequisites.}

_{4 CHEM_V 113, if taken, will be accepted in lieu of CHEM_V 123. Split courses offered by the UBC Chemistry Department as equivalents to CHEM_V 111, CHEM_V 121, CHEM_V 123 and CHEM_V 203 will be accepted if lab and lecture components are completed. Less than two semesters of organic chemistry will be acceptable if the coursework receives transfer credit for UBC Vancouver’s CHEM_V 203, or CHEM_V 233 & CHEM_V 235. To confirm how non-UBC courses transfer, refer to the BC Transfer Guide.}

_{5 English courses will not be accepted if offered by an institution in a country where English is not the principal language of instruction. English as a Second Language courses are also not accepted.}

_{6 WRDS_V 150 will be accepted in lieu of 3 credits of English. One of SCIE_V 113, NRES_V 150, LFS_V 150, or FRST_V 150 will also be accepted in lieu of 3 credits of English. SCIE_V 300 will not be accepted. For UBC Okanagan students, please note that ENGL_O 109 has been assessed to fulfill 3 credits of the English requirement. You will need to present an additional 3 credits of English coursework to satisfy the English requirement.}

_{7 Courses that are credit excluded with MATH_V 100 and MATH_V 101 as listed on the Credit Exclusion List can be accepted to fulfill the Mathematics requirement. Refer to information on the UBC Okanagan Academic Calendar for information on courses that are equivalent or credit excluded to MATH_O 100 and MATH_O 101.}

_{8 Some institutions may offer the required coursework at a different year level. Courses covering the required content but offered at a higher year level can be accepted to fulfill the prerequisite requirement.}

_{9 English courses used to satisfy the English requirement cannot count toward satisfying the humanities or social sciences requirement.}

IB, AP, or A-level subjects that receive credits for UBC Vancouver may be used to satisfy admission prerequisites. Review UBC’s policy on first-year credit here.

If you are completing the PharmD prerequisite coursework outside of UBC, you should ensure you are completing courses that are transferrable to UBC Vancouver and for graded credit.

Make sure the coursework you have completed is equivalent to 60 graded credits at the undergraduate level at UBC Vancouver since credit value may be different at your institution.

The Faculty does not evaluate transferability of courses to UBC Vancouver; as a result, we are not able to provide pre-admission evaluations. You will receive a formal evaluation of your academic qualifications by the Undergraduate Admissions Office after you have submitted your application.

When identifying courses to fulfill the PharmD prerequisites, review the description and course content for each of the prerequisites listed. Identify the appropriate course at your institution that best matches the description and content covered.

Refer to the BC Transfer Guide to confirm how your course will transfer to UBC Vancouver.

Aim to take courses that transfer to specific UBC Vancouver prerequisites (e.g., BIOL_V 200 rather than BIOL_V 2^nd (3)) whenever they are available. Courses that are credit-excluded or anti-requisite to the courses listed will also be considered.

We will calculate your initial admission average based on the interim transcript submitted after completion of Term 1 (end of December). A second admission average will be calculated on the final transcript submitted after completion of Term 2 (end of April) to ensure all admission conditions are satisfied.

To be included in the admission average, grades should be:

• from undergraduate coursework offered at UBC or transferable to UBC Vancouver;
• from coursework that is completed when the admission average is calculated; and
• completed within the stated time limit.

The following grades will not be included in the admission averages even though they may appear on your transcript:

• grades from coursework that do not transfer to UBC Vancouver;
• grades from coursework completed outside of the stated time limit;
• grades from courses still in progress when the admission average is calculated; and
• grades from IB, AP, or A-Level exams.

All coursework in the most recently completed 30 undergraduate credits transferable to UBC Vancouver will be included in the calculation, including courses you have passed, failed, or repeated.

If the prerequisite coursework listed above is not completed in the most recent 30 transferrable undergraduate credits, they will be evaluated to ensure completion. 

BC Residents
For the purpose of applying to the Entry-to-Practice Doctor of Pharmacy program, applicants are considered BC residents if they hold a valid BC Services Card by the application deadline. Residents will be required to show a valid BC Services Card, with a photo, as part of the Pre-recorded Interview Questions and Scenarios (PIQS) process. Driver’s licenses or BCIDs will not be accepted.

BC Residents from Underrepresented Communities
In an effort to serve the health care needs of British Columbians who reside in underserved communities, the program gives special consideration to applicants who come from communities (PDF, 100 KB) (i.e., Districts 3, 4, and 5 on the communities list) outside of the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley. A valid BC Services Card with a photo and the home address will be required as proof.

Indigenous Applicants
The program welcomes applications from qualified self-identified Indigenous people. 

Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut Residents
Residents of the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut are treated as BC residents and will be required to provide documents equivalent to the BC Services Card.

Out-of-Province Applicants
Applicants who do not meet the criteria for any of the above applicant groups will be considered Out-of-Province Applicants.

The Pre-recorded Interview Questions and Scenarios (PIQS) are an opportunity to demonstrate non-academic traits suited to the practice of pharmacy.

The PIQS is conducted through an online platform and will require you to respond verbally to interview questions and scenarios and to provide written responses.

Submission of responses to the PIQS is an admission requirement; your application will not be considered further if you do not participate in the PIQS.