About the Students and Applicants

About Student Diversity

The UCSF School of Pharmacy is committed to admitting PharmD students who have diverse cultural, economic, and social backgrounds.

Meet Our Students

Meet some of our PharmD students in Student Profiles:

Admitted Student Profile

The UCSF School of Pharmacy is committed to admitting PharmD students who have diverse cultural, economic, and social backgrounds. Although grade point average is an important factor, it is not the sole reason for acceptance. In addition to intellectual and academic competence, the School's admissions committee considers communication skills, leadership ability, community service, health care-related or research experience, and motivation for pursuing a career in pharmacy.

Typical Entering Class Profile

Based on the class entering in fall 2009

	Low	Average	High
Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA)	2.96	3.55	3.57
Prepharmacy GPA	2.77	3.47	3.99
Quarter Overall Units	97.30	142.30	229.00

Class Size	122 students for each class year.
Gender	63% Female 37% Male
Residency	86% California residents 14% Out-of-state residents 0% non-US residents
Nationality	95% United States citizens 5% Not United States citizens
Country of Origin	Bosnia, Canada, China, Eritrea, France, Ghana, India, Japan, South Korea, Kuwait, Latvia, Mexico, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, USA, Vietnam
Foreign-born US citizens	27%
Age	The average is 25, the range is 21 to 39.
Ethnicity	46% Asian / Asian-American 19% Caucasian 15% Underrepresented minorities (including African American, Chicano / Latino, Filipino, American Indian) 16% Unknown 5% Other
Degree When Entering	1% no degree 0% Associate's degree 92% Bachelor's degree 7% Graduate degree
Majors	Top 2 majors: biology and biochemistry. Non-traditional majors: accounting, anthropology, architecture, art history, biotechnology, business, english, environmental studies, law, literature, mathematics, music, philosophy, political science, sociology, theatre/cinema.

Typical Applicant Profile

The typical applicant we offer admission to is characterized by the following profile. Most applications are strong in all areas.

Academic background characterized by:

Breadth of coursework
Attendance at a 4-year college
Completion of a bachelor of science or bachelor of arts degree
A cumulative grade point average of 3.55
A grade point average in prepharmacy requirements of 3.47

Application that demonstrates:

Strong and detailed letters of recommendation
Detailed biographical information
A strong, well-written statement of purpose and thought-provoking essays
Strong, confident interviews
A good interview essay

Personal motivation shown by:

Community service or volunteer work
Knowledge of pharmacy and the health care industry
Excellent communication skills

Other Considerations

Extenuating circumstances will be considered, but may not necessarily influence the admissions committee's final decision. For example, the applicant might be the primary caregiver for a family member, might be employed full-time, or might have unique personal circumstances.

Data From Previous Years

Because the data is so similar from year to year, we do not provide separate data for previous years.

More Information: Graduating Student Surveys on the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Web site

Go To: More Admissions Topics