Conditional Admission to Pharmacy (CAP)

prospective CAP students

Prospective CAP students toured the pharmacy building and celebrated Pharmacy Appreciation Month during March Break Open House 2022.

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CAP overview -
CAP benefits -
CAP admission requirements -
How to apply for CAP -
CAP application timeline -
After you apply for CAP -
Brochure (PDF) -

Two Degrees

Number of Seats

mortar and pestle

Indigenous Admissions
Pathway

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.
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.
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

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).

High School Average

CAP applicants must have a high school admission average of 90.0% or greater, as calculated by the Faculty of Science at Waterloo.

Altus Suite: CASPer, Snapshot, & Duet

Altus Suite is a multi-part assessment that evaluates applicants for people skills in a fair and reliable way while giving applicants multiple opportunities to showcase their unique personal and professional strengths. These non-academic assessment tools have replaced the traditional interview component for the CAP admission cycle.

Altus Suite consists of:

CASPer*
Snapshot*
Duet
- A short value-alignment assessment that compares what you value in a program with what the program has to offer. Duet is completed through your TakeAltus account. It is a 15-minute assessment, and there is no set time or place you are required to complete it. However, you must complete Duet by the supporting documentation deadline. For CAP students, the deadline is March 2, 2023.

*For more information about CASPer and Snapshot, including available test dates, visit the Waterloo Pharmacy CASPer and Snapshot web page.

Admission Information Form (AIF)

The AIF provides the Admissions Committee with insights into the applicant’s personal qualities, extracurricular accomplishments, and motivation for a career in Pharmacy.

Your AIF should demonstrate:

Motivation and passion to pursuing a career in the profession of pharmacy.
Recognized contributions to leadership activities and community involvement through extracurricular activities.
Pharmacy experience (work or volunteer) and if possible, work experience (either part-time or full-time).

For guidance on how to complete your AIF, please visit the Waterloo AIF information web page and watch the Waterloo AIF video series.

References

A section within the AIF asks you to provide the name and contact information for two individuals who will serve as your references:

One academic (e.g., teacher, principal, or guidance counsellor).
One from an employer or volunteer agency (someone you had a contractual responsibility with to either provide a service through employment or a service through a volunteer agreement).

Once you complete the AIF, your references will automatically receive a link to complete an online form.

Note: Applicants who do not submit exactly two references will not be considered for CAP status.

References will not be accepted from relatives of the applicant.

Supporting documents

If the last four years of your education have not been taught completely in English, you must provide a score from an acceptable test of English proficiency. More information can be found on the English language requirements web page.

High school transcripts are required for out-of-province and international applicants only.

How to apply for CAP

Submit two applications to the Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC) website:

Waterloo science degree program* application:
1. Honours Science
2. Life Sciences – with Biology as the major subject of interest
3. Life Sciences – with Biomedical Sciences as the major subject of interest
CAP status application (now closed)

*Students admitted into CAP will be automatically moved to the regular stream of their chosen science program if they have selected a co-op stream when they applied. It is not possible to complete all PharmD prerequisite courses in two years if enrolled in a co-op program.

Indigenous Admissions Pathway

Waterloo Pharmacy is committed to cultivating a sense of belonging and inclusion, and attracting members of equity-deserving groups and supporting their future admission to the PharmD program.

Waterloo Pharmacy recognizes that deliberate equitable admissions procedures are required to increase the admission of students who identify as Indigenous. The School is committed to improving the representation of Indigenous peoples descended from the first inhabitants of North America including people of Métis, First Nations, and Inuit heritage.

If you would like your application to be considered through the Indigenous Admissions Pathway, the first step is to complete the Indigenous identification section on the Ontario Universities Application Centre (OUAC) application for Waterloo’s CAP status program. Applicants who wish to pursue the directives of this policy, will be required to submit one form of supporting documentation that is confirmed by the University of Waterloo’s Office of Indigenous Relations.

Once your application is received by Waterloo, a representative from the admissions team will reach out to applicants who identify as Indigenous to provide next steps. The table below lists the application options available through the Indigenous Admissions Pathway:

	Indigenous Admissions Pathway	Non-Indigenous Admissions Pathway
Admission fees	OUAC fees are waived.	OUAC fees are at the expense of the applicant.
Admission Average	Meet the Honours Science admission requirements (i.e. low 80’s) as calculated for the Faculty of Science at Waterloo.	Meet the minimum CAP admission average of 90.0% as calculated for the Faculty of Science at Waterloo.
Reference	Two letters of reference: No conditions on the type of references submitted.	Two letters of reference: One academic (e.g., teacher, principal, or guidance counsellor). One from an employer or volunteer agency.
Experience	No experience requirement.	Demonstrated leadership, community involvement, and, if possible, pharmacy experience (work or volunteer).
Atlus Suite	Register and complete any of the Altus Suite assessments required for the given admission cycle. Registration fees will be reimbursed by the School.	Register, complete, and achieve satisfactory performance on CASPer, Snapshot, and Duet. Registration fees are at the expense of the applicant.

Indigenous applicants who elect to pursue the CAP status Indigenous Admissions Pathway will receive reimbursement of all fees associated with their application (i.e. OUAC application fee; Altus assessment fees).

If you would like to discuss the Indigenous Admissions Pathway before submitting your OUAC application, contact pharmacy@uwaterloo.ca.

CAP application timeline:

Date	Event
Fri Oct 7	Application opens in OUAC
Wed Feb 1	Application deadline
Fri Feb 17	1. Admission Information Form (AIF) deadline 2. Supporting document deadline: High school transcripts (only for out-of-province and international applicants) English Language Requirements scores (only for applicable applicants)
Thu Mar 2	1. Last CASPer date 2. Snapshot and Duet deadline 3. Reference letter deadline
Thu May 11	CAP admission decisions released
Thu Jun 1	Final day to accept your CAP offer

timeline

CAP students are guaranteed the opportunity to be interviewed and to complete the Fundamental Skills Assessment provided that they maintain their CAP requirements throughout their first two years as a Science student AND that they achieve satisfactory completion of CASPer.

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.

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.