Application Process

Please refer to the University of Alberta Calendar Section - Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) for Practicing Pharmacists subheading.

Application Instructions

A. Submitting your Application Form

  • Applicants should apply on-line through the University of Alberta Admissions website.
  • The application fee (credit card - MasterCard or Visa only) is $75 for University of Alberta students and alumni, and $125 for all other applicants. 
  • Please note that although you can start an application, your full application checklist will not appear until you pay the application fee.

B. Submitting your Required Documents

  • Additional documents include a Cover Letter, your Curriculum Vitae (CV), and three letters of reference.
  • With the exception of your transcripts, all additional documents must be submitted electronically via the online application system.

I. Cover Letter

Please complete electronically via the online application system.

Additional cover letters will not be accepted.

II. Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Please submit electronically via the online application system.

Elements of your CV should include the following (where applicable):

  1. Education and current studies (e.g. degrees, residency diplomas, certifications, practice development, professional workshops, etc.)
  2. Employment history (e.g. clinical experience, certifications, etc.)
  3. Awards, scholarships and achievements
    1. In pharmacy or other areas
    2. Briefly describe the award, the awarding body and value of the award (i.e. monetary or other)
      where applicable.
  4. Scholarly Work
    1. Presentations
    2. Publications
      1. Peer reviewed papers
      2. Non-peer reviewed articles
      3. Abstracts
      4. Chapters
      5. Posters
  5. Professional involvement (e.g. pharmacy organizations, committees, volunteer work, leadership roles, rounds presentations, etc.)
  6. Other activities (e.g. sports, volunteerism, leadership)

III. Reference Letters

Please have your referees complete electronically via the online application system.

Three letters of reference are required. No more than three letters will be accepted.

When completing your online application, you will be prompted to enter the contact information of your selected referees. Once you have entered this information, your referees will receive a notification via email where they will be prompted to directly and independently fill out and submit the form. In need be, you can utilize the online system to send reminders to your referees to complete their reference letters.

It is important to select referees who can assess your clinical, academic, professional, leadership and/or personal abilities and achievements. At least one letter must be from a practicing pharmacist. The other two letters may come from professionals in the field of Pharmacy (e.g. professors, supervisors, preceptors, employers), references in the health care field or a personal reference (a maximum of one personal reference is permitted). Only information included on the form will be considered and letters submitted instead of or in addition to the form will not be accepted.

IV. Transcripts

Transcripts from all post-secondary institutions (with the exception of University of Alberta transcripts) must be sent directly from the respective institutions to the Office of the Registrar at the University of Alberta. Please do not have transcripts sent to the Faculty. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that the Office of the Registrar has received all transcripts prior to the application deadline. Depending on the issuing original institution, it can often take weeks or even months for transcripts to arrive. Therefore, please request transcripts long in advance of the application deadline.

Students who have graduated from the University of Alberta are not required to request transcripts as the program will be able to access these independently.

As standard practice, some institutions only include pass/fail or credit/no credit course grades on transcripts. However, alpha/numeric course grades are required for evaluation. If your previous institution does not automatically include alpha/numeric course grades on transcripts, please be sure to specifically request that this information is added when requesting transcripts.

Depending upon the level of detailed information included on transcripts, some applicants may be asked to provide additional information in the form of "Course Descriptions". Formal course descriptions can also usually be obtained from your previous institution or can be provided directly by the applicant in some circumstances. Please note that if requested, course descriptions are also required to be submitted prior to the application deadline.

V. Language Requirements

The Office of the Registrar will review your submitted transcripts and other documentation to determine if you have satisfied these requirements through your previous education or if you must provide additional, current language testing results. Therefore, it is very important to have your transcripts submitted as early as possible. Please see the Admissions web page on Language Requirements for more details on satisfying these requirements as well as the ELP Exemption page for details on possible exemptions.

C. Monitoring your Application

It is the responsibility of applicants to continuously monitor UAlberta Launchpad and their U of A Email Accounts regarding the status of their application and to retrieve communications from the Faculty and the Office of the Registrar.

Selection Process

The Admissions Committee has the responsibility of selecting from among the applicants those individuals who have the highest levels of professional and academic achievement, and a demonstrated promise to successfully complete the program. The number of applicants is expected to exceed the number of available spaces and therefore not all qualified candidates will be selected for interview or offered admission.

Applicants are ranked on academic achievement, professional experience, cover letter, letters of reference, and a personal interview. An interview will be granted to selected applicants after the initial screening and ranking of applicants have been completed.

Attendance Confirmation

A non-refundable, $1000 confirmation deposit (applied to tuition) will be required upon offer of Conditional Admission (fourth-year students) or Final Admission (practicing pharmacists). Payment will be required by the date specified in the letter of acceptance.

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