Admission
USC Mann accepts online courses listed on the Course Equivalencies page to fulfill your Pre-Pharmacy requirements, if taken during or after spring 2020. For colleges and universities not listed, you may copy and paste the course description along with a link and email to the admission office (pharmadm@usc.edu) with any questions about whether specific courses you have taken meet the equivalency requirements.
Any online courses taken prior to the spring 2020 semester are reviewable by the admission committee on a case by case basis. If you have completed any online pre-requisite courses prior to spring 2020 and would like to check if the course meets our requirement, please email a copy of the course description to pharmadm@usc.edu with a description of your request.
Yes. We evaluate applications as they are received. Qualified applicants are invited for an interview and offered admission throughout the application season on a rolling basis. It is advisable to submit your application as early as possible.
PharmCAS offers the option of a “priority” (preferred) deadline in addition to the regular/official PharmCAS application deadline. The regular application deadline for the Pharm.D program at USC is February 1, 2024, and the priority deadline is November 1, 2023. It is generally recommended that applicants apply to our PharmD program as early as possible (starting mid-July) to gain preference in the admissions review process, especially since USC has rolling admission.
Yes, we do accept students with international visas. For more information, read our Application Guidelines for International Students.
Applicants with U.S. permanent resident status and/or naturalized citizenship with international coursework and/or degree(s), and/or holders of international visas must submit evaluations of their international transcripts completed by WES (World Education Services) to PharmCAS during application or by IERF (International Education Research Foundation) if they will complete their bachelor’s degree after submitting their application.
For more information, please contact us at pharmadm@usc.edu or 323.442.1466.
Please note: applicants with study-abroad programs may submit transcripts from the institution where international coursework was completed if those courses are listed with letter grades.
All admitted students to the PharmD program are required to be fingerprinted for criminal background checks by the California Board of Pharmacy as a requirement of licensure. Students must obtain a license from the Board of Pharmacy to participate in the clinical portions of the PharmD Program. In addition, many of the clinical facilities affiliated with USC may require additional background checks and/or drug testing for student placements. Therefore, USC participates in the PharmCAS-facilitated Centralized Criminal Background Check (CBC) Service Program through Certiphi Screening. Upon admission to our program, you will be emailed by Certiphi to initiate the background check. Please follow the instructions in the email to proceed with your background check. It is highly recommended that international applicants apply as early as possible, since it takes longer for you to complete a background check after admission.
The School’s admission criteria include academic strength, motivation to pursue pharmacy, maturity, communication skills, special talents, achievements and the unique contribution you will be expected to make to the profession. For more information, see the School’s admission requirements.
The minimum GPA requirement for the cumulative and the pre-pharmacy courses is 3.0. The average GPA of admitted students is approximately 3.4 for both. All pre-pharmacy required courses must be completed with a grade of C or higher.
We highly recommend that all pre-pharmacy courses (including your bachelor’s degree) are completed by the end of the spring term or June 30 in your entering year. If you have any pre-requisite courses that will not be completed by June 30, you will need to request an extension with the Admission Committee. To request an extension until August 15, email pharmadm@usc.edu with your course information and the requirement it intends to fulfill.
You need to send in an official copy of all of your transcripts to PharmCAS when you apply. As you complete missing course(s), you must submit transcript(s) of newly completed coursework to the PharmCAS Academic Updates (December 15, 2023 – February 15, 2024; and April 15, 2024 – June 30, 2024).
After June 30, 2024, you will need to send in your transcripts directly to USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, either electronically or by mail:
You may email your transcript(s) through your school or Parchment to us at: pharmadm@usc.edu. Note: Do not use the default USC choice. You need to manually type in this email address: pharmadm@usc.edu. Otherwise, your transcript will get delayed.
Or, you may mail your transcript(s) to:
USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Office of Enrollment and Student Affairs
1985 Zonal Avenue, PSC B10
Los Angeles CA 90089-9121
You must submit your final transcript with degree notification no later than the first semester of your PharmD program.
Letters of recommendation must be submitted online through PharmCAS. Three letters of recommendation are required. One letter must be from a science professor with whom you took a class and/or did research. The remaining two letters may be from professors, advisors, researchers, pharmacists or employers.
Re-applicants only need to submit one new letter of recommendation.
Over the past 3 years, on average we receive over 500 applications, interview about 300 students and enroll about 170 students per year.
No. The School uses the same criteria to evaluate out-of-state applicants as California residents.
USC is a private university; therefore, tuition and fees are the same for all students regardless of state or country of residence.
The Pharm.D program does not require PCAT or GRE. International students must submit TOEFL scores directly to USC when applying through PharmCAS.
No. The school admits in the fall semester only.
The University of Southern California School of Pharmacy PharmD program accepts students seeking transfer on a case-by-case basis. Learn more here.
Priority applications are due November 1, 2023 and regular decision applications are due February 1, 2024. See How to Apply for more details.
You will receive email confirmations from PharmCAS and from USC Mann when you submit your applications successfully.
No. The school does not give preference to any major. Most applicants are science majors. The most common majors are biology, chemistry, biochemistry, and psychobiology.
Yes, all applicants regardless of degree or major must complete all the pre-pharmacy required courses before they enter the PharmD program.
You may take your pre-pharmacy courses at any accredited institution in the United States, except vocational or technical schools, or for-profit institutions. Consult the School’s Course Equivalencies page, which lists equivalent courses for California institutions and many universities outside of California. For institutions not listed, course descriptions will be required. The course descriptions must meet USC transfer requirements. You may contact the admission office (pharmadm@usc.edu) if you have questions.
The School offers Information Sessions on campus for prospective applicants. These sessions give you an opportunity to visit the USC Health Sciences Campus and its facilities, meet with Pharmacy students and admission staff, and learn about the School’s programs and the application process. Your coursework/transcripts will be evaluated once your application is submitted.
Yes. Please submit an updated schedule of courses by email to USC Mann Office of Admission and Student Affairs. Make sure you are taking equivalent courses as listed in the Course Equivalencies page.
Yes. You should have completed most of your pre-pharmacy coursework by the time you submit your application. You must indicate on your application when and where you will be taking the remaining prerequisites. All pre-pharmacy courses must be completed by the end of the spring of your entering year.
No, if you are not able to start our program for the admitted term, you will need to re-apply if you are still interested.
Applicant Interviews
To be accepted into the PharmD program, you must be interviewed. However, not all applicants will be interviewed. In general, the School interviews up to 70% of applicants.
Competitive applicants who meet a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average and above, possess strong communication and interpersonal skills, and have a general knowledge of the field of pharmacy are the most sought-after candidates. Students who fall below our minimum 3.0 GPA but otherwise demonstrate the ability to be successful in our PharmD program will still be reviewed for admission on a case by case basis by the admission committee.
If you are selected, you will receive an email invitation one to three weeks prior to the interview date. Scheduled interview session dates are available at https://pharmacyschool.usc.edu/program/doctor-of-pharmacy-pharmd/admissions/
The interviews will be conducted both on campus (in-person) at USC School of Pharmacy, and online. Out-of-state and international applicants may choose the virtual (Zoom) interview option. The interview consists of a traditional two-on-one interview, followed by a real-life scenario. The traditional two-on-one interview will include one faculty member or alumni, plus a current student. Once the traditional interview is completed in approximately twenty minutes, the interviewers will provide the applicant a real-life scenario that the applicant must address. It is important to note that the scenario does not test for specific knowledge, but rather, is developed to offer a better representation and a more holistic view of an applicant by assessing their skills to react in the moment and navigate real-life situations. We hope that the applicants are able to showcase their proficiency in areas of communication, leadership ability, interpersonal interactions, critical thinking and ethical decision-making.
No. If you miss your assigned interview or arrive late, your application will be canceled. However, under some rare circumstances, such as a medical emergency, the Admission Committee will make an exception. If you know you will be attending an important event or studying abroad during one of the School’s interview sessions, please inform us early so that we will not schedule your interview during that session.
Professional attire is recommended.
All applicants will be notified by email approximately 2-3 weeks after the interview date. Status updates will be emailed to you about 2-3 weeks after each interview session or as soon as decisions are made. The School does not release status information over the telephone.
Active consideration is a status for those candidates who have been interviewed but are not admitted after an interview. Candidates on active consideration are placed on hold/wait list until a final admission decision can be made. They are re-evaluated after each additional interview session, and could receive admission, denial, or continued active consideration status.
Our PharmD program is very competitive. Only our top candidates are interviewed. When you are on active consideration, you should continue with your unfinished coursework. When you finish a term, please send in your updated transcript(s) to PharmCAS for Academic Update as soon as the grades and/or your degree are posted.
You should notify PharmCAS and the admission office of all changes of mailing and e-mail addresses, as well as phone numbers.
You should notify the admission office as soon as possible of your decision to withdraw. An explanation and/or information about what school you choose to attend is greatly appreciated and provides us with information that reflects our admission results. You do not need to notify PharmCAS separately about your decision to withdraw.
Yes. Each year, the School receives applications from previous applicants. Re-applicants must submit following the same process as new applicants, including the PharmCAS Application. However, you are required to send only one new letter of recommendation.
For more information, contact us at pharmadm@usc.edu or 323.442.1466.