Pharmacy graduate program admissions frequently asked questions

Do you accept students for admission in the winter term?

At the University of Waterloo, the calendar year is divided into three academic terms. The School of Pharmacy accepts applications for admission to our MSc and PhD programs in all three terms. 

If you are not able to obtain any of your required application materials by the deadline, you should apply for the following term.

• Applicants are advised to begin their application at least one month ahead of the application deadline, to ensure they have time to obtain their student ID and upload all required supporting documents to Quest, and to give referees time to submit their reference form ahead of the deadline.
• Applicants are responsible for following up with their referees to confirm completion of the reference form.
• Applications that are incomplete after the application deadline (including those that are missing any references) will be denied unless a potential supervisor has informed the pharmacy graduate coordinator that they are considering the applicant for admission.

Do I have to find a supervisor to apply?

Applicants to our graduate programs are not required to find a supervisor prior to submitting an application. However, we strongly encourage MSc and PhD applicants to review the research profiles of potential faculty supervisors and contact the individual(s) they wish to work with to see if they have the resources, capacity and interest to consider them for admission to their research group before submitting the online application.

You do not need to have a supervisor to apply. However, admission to our graduate programs is competitive and our faculty members receive hundreds of similar email requests. Casting a broad net by emailing several faculty members is not necessarily the best strategy for applying to graduate school. When you reach out to potential supervisors, you should be able to make a connection between your prior experience and their research. It is up to you determine the best way to make yourself stand out as exceptional from among all the other prospective applicants.

The department does not keep track of who is accepting students since this information changes frequently and depends on their capacity. Specifically, if they have the time and funding available to support additional students. It is up to applicants to reach out to the supervisors they wish to work with to see if they are taking students. 

What average do I need to gain admission?

Admission to our programs require a minimum 78% average in the last 2 years of a four-year Honours Bachelor of Science program or equivalent (MSc) or a 78% overall standing in a two-year Master of Science (MSc) or equivalent degree, in a relevant field (PhD). 

Note that applicants who receive offers of admission to our graduate programs often have averages that are higher than the posted minimums. 

What is meant by "or equivalent degree"?

Generally, we are referring to the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree however students who have a four year Bachelor's level degree in another areas (e.g. BMath) are welcome and encouraged to consider graduate studies in Pharmacy.Interested applicants should contact their preferred supervisor to discuss the suitability of their background for research conducted within the supervisor's research group and within the School.

English language proficiency requirements

The Graduate Studies Admissions office regularly updates the online list of exempt universities; if your country or institution is not listed, you are required to submit results from an accepted ELP Test.

Exceptions to ELP requirements are only considered on a case-by-case basis when an applicant has the endorsement of a faculty supervisor who wishes to make an offer of admission but the applicant does not meet minimum ELP requirements. The department will not otherwise consider exceptions to ELP requirements. 

Prospective applicants who do not meet minimum ELP requirements may wish to consider completing English for Academic Success prior to submitting an application.

Do you require graduate record examination (GRE) scores? 

No, we do not require GRE scores. However, if you submit them, they may be included in assessment of your overall application, which may or may not be to your advantage. 

I don't have my official final transcript.  Can I still apply?

At the application stage, you need only submit your unofficial transcript(s). Applicants who are admitted are required to submit their official final transcript(s) as a condition of admission before they begin their program. Remember to include the grading scale/transcript legend as part of the uploaded transcript.

My prior degree is not from Canada. How do I know if I meet the minimum requirements?

For a guideline on international academic equivalencies, please refer to International admission equivalencies.

Related links

• International admission equivalencies

We do not accept or use third party evaluations of transcripts. 

I submitted my application early. When will I get a response?

Applicants should not expect a response to their application prior to the application deadline for their chosen admit term. Early submissions are reviewed as time permits.

Once applications are reviewed, those that do not meet the minimum requirements for admission will be denied right away. Remaining eligible applications will undergo further review by potential supervisors. If there is no research supervisor for a student at the end of the application review period, the application will be denied.

How many applicants are accepted each term?

There is no set number of admissions per term for the MSc and PhD in Pharmacy programs. Offers of admission are based on a variety of variables, such as:

• whether the faculty member has the funds to support a student 
• whether the faculty member is taking new students
• whether the faculty member is interested in supervising the applicant
• the number of applicants within a given term
• the number of applicants thatstand out as exceptional from among the cohort of applicants to our programs for the term to which a candidate applies 

If I did not get an offer, can I defer my application to the next term?

Application deferrals are only permitted when there is a clear indication from a research supervisor that they intend to accept the applicant and where there is a delay in receiving research funding, or other acceptable and unforeseeable circumstances arise.