EDUCATING LEADERS IN PHARMACY AND PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES SINCE 1886
Early Assurance for High School Students
Our Early Assurance Program offers high school students the heightened advantage of securing a seat in our four-year PharmD degree after completing two years of prescribed undergraduate course work at UB and an interview.
Admission Requirements
Early Assurance offers a simplified application process—PCAT, recommendation letters, personal statement and experiences are NOT required.
Admission to the EA program is based on the University at Buffalo's First Year/Freshman Admission Criteria. There are no additional high school GPA or SAT/ACT requirements.
All accepted University at Buffalo first-year/freshman pharmacy students for fall, entering directly from high school, are automatically enrolled directly into our SPPS PharmD (Doctor of Pharmacy) degree through our prestigious EA program. This admission assures progression into the PharmD professional sequence as long as students maintain our prerequisite course GPA requirement, successfully complete an interview, and adhere to all program requirements.
Early Assurance offers a simplified application process—PCAT, recommendation letters, personal statement and experiences are NOT required.
EA is not the sole route into our PharmD program and ineligibility for EA does not imply that a student is not qualified for admission. All other applicants are considered through PharmCAS.
Please note: Calculus 2 is no longer a required prerequisite course
Benefits of our Early Assurance Program
- A dedicated pre-pharmacy advisor to help keep you on track with the program requirements
- Exclusive access to PHM 101 Pharmacy Is Right for Me
- Ongoing support from PharmD Peer Mentors
- Pre-Pharmacy Living and Learning Community
Find out if pharmacy is right for you!
Early Assurance Application Steps
Once you’ve decided to pursue a career in pharmacy, begin making connections and gain experience in the field. Experience is not required; however, it is expected. You can begin following these tips even before coming to UB!
Find a mentor
Connect with a person that can give you advice and answer your questions about the field. This could be a professor, school counselor, family member, local pharmacist or health professional.
Talk to current students
Current pharmacy students are available to speak with you about preparing for pharmacy school, research, getting involved, special programs, course selection, and other advice and tips. View a list of PharmD students ready to chat with you!
Gain pharmacy experience
Most successful applicants to pharmacy school have demonstrated their commitment to a career in health care by obtaining experience. Shadow or volunteer at a pharmacy, hospital, nursing home, medical office, or other related health care facility or organization. Seek research opportunities with professors once enrolled at UB. Come prepared with questions to do informational interviews.
Work in a pharmacy
Students can find part-time or summer jobs in a pharmacy such as cashiers, clerks or assistants. Keep in mind, however, that pharmacy is a diverse field and community/retail pharmacy is only one option.
The UB SPPS admissions committee values intellectual competence, communication skills, leadership ability, community service, healthcare-related or research experience and motivation for pursuing a career in pharmacy.
The school completes a holistic review of Early Assurance (EA) candidates who miss the minimum academic requirements and submit an appeal for continued consideration, to assess candidates’ potential for success in UB SPPS degree programs. An important part of this review is performance in college math and science coursework as well as the overall academic record and standardized test scores (when recommended or required). Additional important components of the holistic review include personal statements, letters of recommendation, and noncognitive attributes. UB SPPS considers an applicant’s full capabilities by carefully reviewing personal initiative, experiential factors, ability to overcome challenges, and other evidence of achievement. To assist in this review, we strongly encourage applicants to complete their admissions application thoughtfully and thoroughly.