Admissions Requirements

Everything you’ll need to get started

To be considered for the undergraduate Pharmacy program, you’ll need all of the following:

Residency status: We serve the Maritime provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island) and preference for admission is given to Maritime residents. Applicants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents. A maximum of 10% of the class can be comprised of Non-Maritime Canadian students.

A successfully completed year of undergraduate education: Applicants must have completed, or be in the process of completing, a minimum of one (1) full year of study in which they have successfully completed a minimum of 15 credit hours (equivalent to five 3 credit hour courses) in both the fall and winter terms.

Minimum CGPA:  A minimum cumulative GPA (CGPA) of 2.7 is required. Each applicant’s marks in undergraduate courses (graduate coursework is not included) are converted automatically to a CGPA, based on the Dalhousie University grading scheme.

Prerequisite courses:  Applicants must successfully complete the following courses (or their equivalent from another university) with a minimum grade of 70% (B-) in each of the courses in order to be considered for admission.  The Dalhousie College of Pharmacy will not accept marks of Pass (P) or Credit Received (CR) for the 2020-2021 academic year for future applicants to the Doctor of Pharmacy program. Applicants must demonstrate achieving the minimum required grade of B-/70% for each pre-requisite course on an official academic record/transcript. In keeping with Dalhousie University policy (Section 15 in Undergraduate Calendar), we will not consider any classes 10+ years for pre-requisites requirements.  Normally it will take students at least two full time academic years to complete the required courses:

To make sure that your courses from another university meet our requirements, check the Transfer Credit Equivalencies.

Excellent academic performance: Although we consider multiple factors throughout our review process, our first priority is your academic performance – it’s worth 60% of the total review process (the additional 40% is from the interview).

We will require the transcripts for all of your completed courses to date. If you’re currently taking courses, we’ll assess your performance based on your fall GPA. All transcripts are due by the February 1st deadline.

Candidates with the highest ranking based on academic performance will be invited to participate in an interview, which is explained in the application process.

Good to know

You must complete all Pharmacy class work in the four-year program.

In keeping with Dalhousie University Policy (Section 15 in Undergraduate Calendar), we will not consider any classes 10+ years for pre-requisites requirements. 

Because we are the only College of Pharmacy in the Maritimes, we give preference if your parent(s) or guardian(s) live in the Maritime provinces or if you or your spouse have been employed in the Maritimes for the previous 12 consecutive months.

Equitable Admissions

The College of Pharmacy has an equitable admission policy for applicants who self-identify as belonging to historically underrepresented groups: persons of Aboriginal/Indigenous ancestry (especially Mi’kmaq), members of racialized groups, persons of African descent (especially African Nova Scotians), Acadians, and persons belonging to sexual orientation and/or gender identity (SOGI) minority groups. Admission prerequisites are required for all applicants. However, applicants who apply under the Equitable Admissions Policy are considered on the basis of their qualifications for study in pharmacy rather than in relation to other candidates.

The College of Pharmacy encourages applicants who wish to apply under the Equitable Admissions Policy to indicate so on the Supplemental Application Forms.  Supplemental Form [PDF - 159 kB].

The Faculty of Health Equitable Admissions Policy can be found by visiting Faculty of Health Equitable Admissions Policy.

Language

The program is offered in English.  The English/French requirement for licensure may be different to those required for entrance to the University.  Licensure to practice in a province requires meeting the language proficiency requirements established for the profession by the government in that particular province.