PharmD Application Process
Domestic & International Application Process
Applicants who plan to apply for admission to the Appalachian College of Pharmacy are required to submit an application through the Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS). PharmCAS is a web-based application service which applicants use to submit their application, supplemental application, official transcripts or transcript evaluations, English language proficiency score, and letters of recommendation. The Appalachian College of Pharmacy does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, national origin, religion, disability, marital status, gender, or sexual orientation.
Admission Eligibility
Candidates seeking to apply for the Doctor of Pharmacy degree program must complete a minimum of 53 credit hours of prerequisite coursework. A list of prerequisite coursework can be found here.
Application Deadlines for Fall 2025
The deadlines to submit completed PharmCAS and supplemental application are as follows:
Priority Consideration Applicants: January 3, 2025
Regular Applicants: June 2, 2025
Step 1: Complete and submit the PharmCAS application.
- Supplemental Application
- Photograph
- Official transcripts or transcript evaluations
- Letters of Recommendation
- English Language Proficiency score (if required, see details below)
Step 2: Monitor your PharmCAS account to ensure the application process proceeds timely and that transcripts and letters of recommendation have been submitted.
* International applicants seeking immigration document (I-20) should submit citizenship and financial documentation directly to admissions@acp.edu. See additional details below.
Application to the Doctor of Pharmacy program is highly competitive. Priority is given to candidates who complete their application early.
Prerequisite Academic Requirements
To be eligible for admission to the Doctor of Pharmacy program, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Complete a minimum of 53 semester credit hours of pre-pharmacy study. Courses completed in the United States must be from an accredited college or university.
- Achieve a recommended cumulative grade point average of 2.5/4.0 or its equivalent. ***Experience and other evidence may be considered.
- Have a grade of “C-” (or its equivalent) or better in all prerequisite courses.
All applicants meeting the minimum criteria will have their files evaluated. Because a large number of candidates apply for admission each year, only the most qualified applicants will be invited for an interview.
All applicants meeting the minimum criteria will have their files evaluated. Because a large number of candidates apply for admission each year, only the most qualified applicants will be invited for an interview.
Prerequisites Completed Outside the United States
Applicants who have completed any of the core prerequisites from a non-U.S. institution must submit transcript evaluations from either World Educational Services, Josef Silny & Associates, or AACRAO International Education Services.
Note:
Transcript evaluations from World Education Services (WES) should be submitted to PharmCAS along with your PharmCAS application and not to the Appalachian College of Pharmacy.
World Education Services (WES)
Bowling Green Station P.O. Box 5087
New York, NY 10274-5087
Phone: (212) 966-6311
Fax: (212) 739-6100
http://www.wes.org
Transcript evaluations from Joseph Silney and Associates and AACRAO International Education Services will not be accepted by PharmCAS and should be submitted directly to the Appalachian College of Pharmacy.
Joseph Silny and Associates
7101 SW 102 Avenue
Miami, FL 33173
Phone: (305) 273-1616
Fax: (305) 273-1338
https://www.jsilny.org
AACRAO International Education Services
One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 520
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 296-3359
Fax: (202) 822-3940
aacrao.org
Prerequisites Courses
| Prerequisite Courses | |
|---|---|
| General Biology I and II with labs | 8.0 Sem. Hrs. |
| College Chemistry I and II with labs | 8.0 Sem. Hrs. |
| Organic Chemistry I and II with labs | 8.0 Sem. Hrs. |
| College Physics I with lab | 4.0 Sem. Hrs. |
| Biochemistry with lab | 4.0 Sem. Hrs.* |
| Human Anatomy | 3.0 Sem. Hrs. |
| Human Physiology | 3.0 Sem. Hrs. |
| General Microbiology | 3.0 Sem. Hrs. |
| English Composition I and II | 6.0 Sem. Hrs. |
| College Algebra or Pre-Calculus | 3.0 Sem. Hrs. |
| Biostatistics | 3.0 Sem. Hrs.** |
| Total | 53.0 Sem. Hrs. |
* Biochemistry is recommended; however, genetics, molecular biology, cell biology, etc. will be accepted.
** Biostatistics is recommended; however, statistics will be accepted.
Credit/Semester Hour Requirement for Financial Aid
To satisfy the requirement that a graduate or professional student has completed three academic years of full-time study, a student must have successfully completed a minimum of at least 72 credit/semester hours, or the equivalent number of quarter hours (at least 108) prior to admissions.
College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)
College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) credit-by-examination may fulfill prerequisites when evidence of competency in an upper level course is present.
Advanced Degrees, Advanced Curriculum, and Life Experience
Relevant advanced degrees, advanced curriculum, and life experience may be deemed to fulfill prerequisite requirements.
Applicants may not exclude any part of their college-level educational history. An applicant who fails to report all institutions attended will forfeit his/her eligibility for admission to Appalachian College of Pharmacy or may be dismissed. Records and documents submitted for admission to Appalachian College of Pharmacy will not be returned.
Letters of Recommendation
Appalachian College of Pharmacy requires two letters of recommendation. One letter should be written by a science professor or pharmacist and the other is at your discretion. Note: ACP does not accept letters of recommendations from friends, family members, clergy, or politicians.
Please follow the PharmCAS instructions for submitting letters of recommendation.
Interview
Once an applicant’s file is evaluated, the Office of Admissions will select candidates that meet the College’s admissions criteria and may invite those applicants for an interview. Candidates will be interviewed by a faculty/preceptor panel. During the interview, the panels will assess the candidate’s oral communication skills, motivation, accomplishments, professionalism, compassion, and cooperation skills. The interview will be conducted in person on the Appalachian College of Pharmacy campus. An interview via zoom is available for applicants living outside the United States.
Evidence of English Language Proficiency
Applicants are required to provide evidence of English language proficiency. One of the following can be used as certification of English proficiency:
- Diploma or degree from an English speaking school – a degree or diploma from an accepted accredited college or university in which the primary language of instruction for the entire institution is English.
- You have graduated from a regionally accredited college or university in the United States.
- You have taken English composition prerequisites from a regionally accredited college or university in the United States, and have earned a “B” or better.
- The TOEFL – The recommended minimum scores for admissions are:
- Internet-based test score of 79 or higher
- The date of taking the TOEFL should not be more than 24 months prior to the date of enrollment.
- The TOEFL score should be included in your PharmCAS application and not submitted to the Appalachian College of Pharmacy.
- The IELTS – The recommended minimum scores for admissions are:
- Internet-based test score of 6.5 or higher
- The date of taking the IELTS should not be more than 24 months prior to the date of enrollment.
- The IELTS score should be included in your PharmCAS application and not submitted to the Appalachian College of Pharmacy.
Financial Documentation (International Applicants)
Official documents (photocopies are acceptable) certifying that the student will have sufficient funding to attend the Appalachian College of Pharmacy for one academic year are required. This evidence will be used to issue the student an immigration document (I-20) which will be required to obtain the F-1 student visa at a US embassy or consulate.
Acceptable Documentation of Financial Ability: Bank statements must include a summary of account, passbook or transaction activity for a period of six months. Financial documentation is valid for one calendar year from the desired date of enrollment.
- ~ Personal/Family/Friend Funds: Original, dated, bank issued statement demonstrating an equivalent numerical balance in U.S. dollars of on-demand or liquid funds equal to the total first-year estimated costs.
- ~ Educational Loans: Official loan guarantee verifying the terms and amount of secured funding.
- ~ Financial Support Letter: If any of your financial documents are someone’s name other than yours, a signed Financial Support Letter must accompany the documents. The letter must include: the name of the sponsor, the sponsor’s relationship to you and a statement attesting that they expect to support all your expenses for the duration of your program
Unacceptable Documentation of Financial Ability: Documents issued prior to one calendar year by the date of enrollment, documents not limited to: property, employment or pension income, educational loan applications.
Citizenship Documentation (International Applicants)
Official documents (photocopies are acceptable) certifying the students country of citizenship. This evidence will be used to issue the student an immigration document (I-20) which will be required to obtain the F-1 student visa at a US embassy or consulate.
Transfer Policy
Students who have previously attended another pharmacy school in the United States and are seeking to transfer to the Appalachian College of Pharmacy must meet the same admission requirements as first-time applicants. This includes successful completion of all prerequisite coursework and submission of the application by the application deadline. Transfer students must be in good academic and professional standing at their current school in order to be considered for admission. Due to differences between PharmD academic and experiential education requirements between pharmacy schools, transfer credit may not be awarded for all previously taken coursework.
Requests regarding transfer credit for course work completed at another institution MUST be made at the time of application and will be evaluated by ACP. Requests for transfer of course work must include an official transcript from the college or university where the course work was completed with a grade of “C” or better along with a letter from the current/previous institution stating that they are in good academic and professional standing at their current/previous school. Students must identify the specific ACP course(s) they believe are equivalent to previous courses they have taken, and must provide the course name, credit hours, and syllabus, including a daily schedule from the other institution to the Admissions Committee for evaluation by the College. To transfer, the number of credit hours for the previous course must be equal to or greater than the number of credit hours for the ACP course. Courses deemed equivalent shall be awarded transfer credit. Credit for a previously taken course may only be transferred to a single ACP course. ACP may award credit by examination for courses designated by the College.
The ACP transcript will indicate the transfer credits accepted toward the Doctor of Pharmacy degree.
Advanced Standing Policy
Appalachian College of Pharmacy (ACP) may grant advanced standing by awarding transfer credit to a student who has earned a bachelors, masters, or doctorate degree in pharmacy.
ACP will evaluate transfer courses for equivalence and transfer credit will be awarded for coursework meeting the following criteria:
- Courses were taken at an accredited college or university
- Transfer credits must be the lesser of the following:
- Credits originally earned for the course.
- Credits available in the ACP course listed.
- For a transfer course to be deemed equivalent to an ACP course, the course must be in the same field with similar topics and the course must have had similar learning outcomes.
ACP may award credit by examination for courses designated by the College.
ACP may award Credit for Prior Learning (CPL). The College may examine an incoming student’s professional certifications, continuing education (CE) courses, research, military training, and workplace training and award Credit for Prior Learning (CPL).
The State Counsel of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV):
- A student shall complete a minimum of 30% of course work at the institution in order to be granted a degree from that institution.
- An institution that awards life or work experience credit shall have its related transfer policy approved by the council. No more than 30% of the credit in a student’s degree program may be awarded for life or work experience.
