CAP Overview
Conditional Admission to Pharmacy (CAP) status is a unique opportunity for outstanding high school students to be pre-admitted to the University of Waterloo’s Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program. Normally, applications to the PharmD program are considered from university students who have completed at least two years in an undergraduate science program. CAP students who are successful in maintaining their eligibility criteria begin the PharmD program in their third year of university studies.
CAP Benefits
If you are a well-rounded student, who is community-minded, and passionate about pursuing your dream of becoming a pharmacist, then CAP status may be the right path for you!
Dedicated academic advising
- CAP students are assigned an academic advisor in the Faculty of Science’s Undergraduate Office and academic advisors at the School of Pharmacy. Each of these advisors support and guide students to be successful throughout their pharmacy journey.
- Pharmacy advisors hold a prep session for CAP students in advance of their PharmD interview and Fundamental Skills Assessment
TWO DEGREES!
- Waterloo students who complete 2 years (at least 10.0 lecture units) of any Science program at Waterloo and then complete the PharmD degree at Waterloo are eligible for the Granting of Bachelor of Science (Honours Science) upon completion of the PharmD degree.
Peer support and mentorship
- First-year CAP students are assigned a second-year CAP student buddy/mentor to help them transition to university life and share their experiences with
Guaranteed interview and FSA if CAP requirements maintained
- This guarantee applies if CAP students maintain their CAP requirements throughout their first two years as a Science student which includes achieving a satisfactory performance on Casper.
Connection to the School of Pharmacy
- Throughout two years in CAP, there are various opportunities to participate in social and educational events and activities organized by the School. These experiences enable students to build relationships with current pharmacy students, faculty, and staff before they begin pharmacy school.
CAP Admission Requirements
Applicants currently in grade 12 or year one CEGEP students (with a minimum of 12 semestered academic courses) are eligible to apply for CAP status. Regrettably, due to programming structure, applicants currently in university, college, or year 2 and 3 of CEGEP are unable to be considered.
All of the admission criteria listed below must be satisfied and completed by the deadline in the application timeline for an applicant to move forward for consideration by the Admissions Committee. Applicants must submit two applications to the University of Waterloo (see How to Apply for more details).
How to apply for CAP
Submit two applications to the Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC) website:
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Waterloo science degree program* application:
- Honours Science**
- Life Sciences – with Biology as the major subject of interest
- Life Sciences – with Biomedical Sciences as the major subject of interest
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CAP status application
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The CAP application is available on the OUAC website. You will need the username and password you created when applying to Honours Science or the Life Science program above.
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CAP applications for September 2024 are now closed. Information about the next cycle will be posted in late summer 2024.
After you apply for CAP
You will receive an email from a member of the Admissions team which will contain details on how to submit your supplementary information and supporting documents. This email may take up to 2 weeks to be received. Reach out to sci.admission@uwaterloo.ca if you have not received an email within the time frame specified.
Check out the CAP Supplementary Information web page for next steps and important information.
CAP application timeline
- 2023
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2024
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Feb
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Thu Feb 1
Application deadline
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Fri Feb 16
- Admission Information Form (AIF) deadline
- Supporting document deadline:
- High school transcripts (only for out-of-province and international applicants)
- English Language Requirements scores (if applicable)
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Mar
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Tue Mar 5
- Last Casper date
- Duet deadline
- Reference deadline
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Tue Mar 12
Virtual interview invitations sent and first-round refusals
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Apr
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Tue Apr 2
Virtual interview deadline
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May
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Thu May 9
CAP status decisions released
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Jun
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Mon Jun 3
Final day to accept your CAP status offer
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Feb