Undergraduate Admission to KU

Prospective students must be eligible for admission to the University of Kansas as an undergraduate student. See the Office of Admissions, KU Visitor Center, 1502 Iowa St., Lawrence, KS 66044-7576, 785-864-3911, adm@ku.edu for information regarding requirements. Prospective pharmacy students should declare pre-pharmacy as the major field of study. Visit the Office of International Support Services for information about international admissions.

Undergraduate Admission to the School of Pharmacy

Students should apply via PharmCAS to the School of Pharmacy during the application period (late July through February 1). When they apply, they should have completed or be on pace to complete the 68 credit hours of required pre-pharmacy courses by August of the following fall.  The required pre-pharmacy curriculum may be completed at accredited schools other than KU. Students not yet at KU should submit an undergraduate application for transfer admission.  International students should apply for undergraduate admission via International Admissions.

Procedures

The School of Pharmacy admissions committee, consisting of at least 2 faculty members from each department and representation from the Deans office, determines admissions. A record documenting the required materials is created by each applicant through PharmCAS. Consideration is given to a student’s overall GPA, science GPA, and GPA within the pre-pharmacy curriculum. The average GPA of past admits is approximately 3.50.  Good scholarship is considered a predictor of success in the pharmacy curriculum. However, good communication skills, emotional maturity, leadership ability, professional attitude, an understanding of the pharmacy profession, work experience in a pharmacy, and interest in service to the community are also important. These additional skills may outweigh very high grades or choice of pre-pharmacy courses. Admission is competitive and depends on the number of applications received and the qualifications of the applicants.

Applications are considered and admissions are determined on a rolling basis during the PharmCAS application period. Our preferred application deadline is February 1, however the school may consider later applications. Most admission decisions are made by March. As a condition of matriculation into the KU School of Pharmacy, all admitted students must successfully clear an investigative criminal background check and successfully obtain pharmacy intern status with the Kansas Board of Pharmacy. Successful clearance of the background check and attainment of pharmacy intern status with the Board of Pharmacy is required to enroll in the School of Pharmacy and to participate in curricular and extracurricular curricular activities including interacting with patients. Instructions for completing the background check are provided with the letter of acceptance.